B
15
enefits for asylum
seekers and recent arrivals into this country are even more meagre. Single parents from European countries have to exist on £2.50 per child per day. Refugees and asylum
reduce morbidity among poorer children. It is also high time serious enforcement measures are taken against shops that sell cigarettes and alcohol to young children. The SHA welcomes measures to reduce the harm that results from drug taking. The war on drugs has been a complete disaster, and it is time it was abandoned.
Devolving decisions
I
Given the UK’s demographic profile, they should be welcomed and encouraged to use their talents. In fact, they are treated inhumanely, ordered around the country arbitrarily, and no efforts are made to utilise their skills. If the government is serious about strengthening deprived communities, it is here that it should be starting – using a valuable resource made available to many inner city communities by the accident of political events far away. The SHA would like to see the early introduction of fluoridation as the single most cost effective measure to
are also a key resource in
linking local communities to
therefore be allocated to have a system of specific areas, not to practice central direction
families, form a significant
some of the UK’s cities.
ors
t is not possible to
making.
fraction of the populations of
visit
the NHS. They should
coupled with local decisionseekers, who often have large
H
ealth
If Primary Care Trusts are seen as the key to improving responsiveness and involving the NHS in community regeneration, they cannot at the same time be expected to respond to endless central directions and initiatives, and have all their funds allocated to specific programmes.
Defining health communities
populations. There is also an argument for linking GP lists to specific areas. If PCTs are to make a serious contribution to public health, they should be responsible for a population living in a defined area and not for a registered population who may not necessarily live in the area of the PCT.
Food for Socialist thought Peter Murray reports on the SHA conference Food for Poor People