Responding to the Liberal Democrats pledge to reverse cuts to the Public Health Grant with £1 billion of investment per year, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“The public health grant has been slashed over the last decade, and this has reduced vital services such as drug and alcohol support for young people, smoking cessation and sexual health services. Any proposals to reverse these damaging cuts to the grant are to be welcomed. We will await further detail on which services this additional funding would be invested in.

"Public health, tackling health inequalities and improving prevention are huge priorities for the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector, working together. But the 28 per cent real-terms per person cut in the grant since 2015 has held back progress. These cuts are often felt most in more deprived areas, where poor health and poverty are often intertwined.

“For the NHS, local councils and their partners to improve the health of the nation, we need more investment in the public health grant and in other vital areas of public health and prevention.”