NH-2020-21-002 - Cease delivery of non-statutory wider tobacco control work

Overview

Overview of proposal

During 2020/21 we expect to save £14.4 million from council budgets which incorporates Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMRCCG). The cease delivery of non-statutory wider tobacco control work is part these Savings proposals.

The vast majority of services delivered by the Public Protection Service are statutory, regulatory functions. Some of these statutory functions have mandatory levels of service provision i.e. there is statutory guidance which dictates the level of service provision which must be provided, for example the inspection frequency of food premises in relation to both food hygiene and food standards; labelling, composition and allergens.

The Public Protection Service also coordinates and delivers a number of activities which contribute to reducing the take up of smoking by children and young people whilst promoting and normalising smoke free environments. These activities are non-statutory functions and there is total discretion as to whether tobacco reduction services are delivered or not.

These activities include the Decipher Assist peer support programme delivered in schools as well as promoting and normalising smoke free environments via smoke free homes and cars, smokefree sports clubs and smoke free parks.

When considering savings in the Public Protection Service, it is not considered appropriate to reduce statutory service provision whilst continuing to deliver non-statutory functions.

It is proposed to cease delivery of non-statutory tobacco reduction activities.

It is also proposed to reinvest some resource into frontline delivery of the statutory functions in relation to infectious / communicable disease control, filthy and verminous premises enforcement and coordinating public health funerals.

The Service will continue to deliver the statutory tobacco control functions; enforcement of smoke free legislation and the underage sales of tobacco as these are statutory functions.

Overall impact of proposed change

Tobacco reduction work targeted at children and young persons ceases.

Tobacco reduction work targeted at adults continues to be delivered via Big Life; commissioned by Public Health and Wellbeing Directorate.

Statutory functions continue to be delivered in a cost efficient manner.

Impact on affected Service Users

The Decipher Assist Programme targets children in 4 schools each year and trains on average approximately 110 peer supporters in total per year. These schools and children will not undertake the programme and will not benefit from the peer supporter resource.

The promotion of smoke free environments will cease;

There will be no further promotion of smoke free homes and cars. It is anticipated that those households already signed up to the scheme will continue to remain smoke free. It is therefore anticipated that there will be no impact on children and young persons living in those households, however there will no further promotion.  

There will be no ongoing support to the sports clubs signed up to the Smoke Free Sports scheme. Again it is anticipated that those clubs will remain smokefree and therefore there will be no impact on children and young people using those sports clubs, however no additional sports clubs will be supported to become smoke free.

Rochdale Borough Council (RBC) children’s parks are all smoke free environments and so there will be no impact on children and young persons using these facilities.

Savings Total:  £33,000

You can find the full proposal document, which includes the Equality Impact Assessment, below in the related documents section.