The outcome of the General Election may have been a foregone conclusion, but
the campaign highlighted a lack of interest by all the political parties in
public health, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
The institute said all three main political parties failed to put any
emphasis on public health in their election manifestos.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
They also ignored the role of preventative public health measures in easing
the burden on the NHS in favour of what the CIEH calls "headline-grabbing
quick-fix solutions".
Graham Jukes, CIEH director of professional services, said, "All the
parties must recognise that improvements in poor housing, nutrition, food
hygiene and occupational health and safety could save the NHS billions. To
ignore preventative public health action in favour of the cure and treatment
approach is a mistake."
