Most local government heads feel the Department of Health does not understand councils’ needs, according to a DH stakeholder survey released on Friday, writes Mithran Samuel.
Almost two-thirds of council senior managers polled said the DH did not understand their organisation’s needs or interests, compared to less than half of all stakeholders.
The results support the widespread view that the needs of social care are marginalised within the DH and raise concerns over how it will fare in the forthcoming white paper on health and social care.
The poll of 300 people was published to coincide with the launch of a series of public consultation events on the white paper.
Research from www.dh.gov.uk.
