GOV.UK
Guidance
Health economics: a guide for public health teams
- From:
- Public Health England
- Published:
- 14 May 2017
How commissioners and public health teams can calculate return on investment (ROI) and cost effectiveness across public health programmes.
Public Health England (PHE) brings together and analyses data from across the health and care system and produces resources to help with cost-effective commissioning.
In this guide you’ll find health economics evidence and tools that can help you:
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calculate the best public health investments or disinvestments in your local area
-
compare costs, savings and clinical outcomes
National policymakers can also use the tools and evidence to influence decisions.
Calculating return on investment
These ROI tools use data from your local population to help you understand the costs, savings and health benefits of investing in early diagnosis or prevention programmes:
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Return on investment tool: colorectal cancer - for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)
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Return on investment tool: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme - for CCGs and local authorities
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Return on investment tool: oral health in pre-school children - for local authorities
The End of life care economic tool is for CCGs. You can estimate return on investment and the impact of interventions in your local area, to help make decisions around commissioning cost-effective palliative and end of life care.
The Weight management economic assessment tool is for local authorities. It can help you see the financial benefits of current adult weight management programmes or ones that you’re considering. You can enter your own local data and see forecasts of up to 25 years.
The Menu of public health interventions describes actions that can be taken locally to give a potential return on investment. Some of the main areas where prevention programmes have saved money and improved health are:
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alcohol
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tobacco
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hypertension
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contraception
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falls
You can use return on investment tools from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) to compare the cost-effectiveness of a range of interventions. These include:
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tobacco
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alcohol
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physical activity
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social wellbeing
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children, young people and pregnant women
Comparing spend and outcomes
The Spend and outcome tool (SPOT) is for CCGs and local authorities. It gives a broad overview of spend and outcomes across a range of public health interventions.
The tool doesn’t estimate return on investment but you can use it alongside ROI tools. Every CCG and local authority in England has a bespoke factsheet within the tool and you can compare against similar local areas.
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease tools look at the relationship between spending on treatment and care and local clinical outcomes for patients:
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Cardiovascular disease outcomes versus expenditure tool - for CCGs
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Diabetes outcomes versus expenditure (DOVE) tool - for CCGs and GP practices
Further information
For any questions about health economics and return on investment in public health, email healtheconomics@phe.gov.uk.