Targeting funding towards prevention could deliver an £11bn annual return on investment (ROI), according to an NHS Confederation report.
The analysis suggested this return could be delivered by redirecting existing money within the system.
It comes after NHS Confederation said giving more funding to women’s health services would also provide a direct return on investment for the economy.
The analysis, in collaboration with management consultants Carnall Farrar, looked at the ROI across 146 interventions in primary, secondary and social settings, as well as their implications for the health and care sector.
The top 20 interventions by ROI were all community based, such as housing improvements, smoking prevention and exercise initiatives. These had a range of returns between £6,90 to £34.75, per £1 spent on the intervention.
It said that many preventative services in England are funded through the public health grant to local authorities, but this has effectively been cut by 28% per person in real terms since 2015/16.
The top five interventions with the highest ROI:
- Adapting 100,000 homes where a serious fall is otherwise likely to occur – £34.80
- By training healthcare professionals, via clinical champions, to provide physical activity brief advice – £23.70
- Birmingham City Council’s scheme to provide free leisure services to its residents – £20.70
- Suicide / self-harm prevention (restrict access to means, making transport safer & reduce harmful drinking) – £19.60
- Adapting 100,000 homes where residents are likely to require treatment due to the excess cold – £17.10
Source: NHS Confederation
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘The current financial situation the NHS is facing means our members are having to prioritise short-term funding and performance over the long-term changes they know are necessary to put the NHS on a sustainable footing.
‘So it is poignant that this new report sets out yet more evidence that investing in prevention is not just good for patients and improving public health, but also the economy. It is clear that an initial investment in preventative schemes can pay back dividends for people’s health and the economy.’
He added that supporting people to stay healthy and prevent illness was a ‘vital part’ of boosting the economy.
He said: ‘Our members have welcomed the government’s pledged to transfer more care into primary and community services as well as to shift from treating sickness to preventing sickness. This is not just about improving NHS performance but will require a whole-government approach because only 20% of our health is determined by healthcare, with the remaining 80% affected by wider determinants.
‘What we want to see is cross-government co-operation, collaboration and investment on health policy, recognising that that most policy that impacts people’s health is made outside the NHS.’
It comes as the Lord Ara Darzi review said there must be a shift towards prevention and primary care and away from hospital care.
Health secretary Wes Streeting last month said he would be targeting the areas with the ‘highest numbers of people off work sick’ for a new initiative to get hospitals running like a ‘Formula 1 pit stop’.
