Money to tackle obesity and binge drinking is being siphoned off to bail out cash-strapped hospitals, the Conservatives claimed today.

A consultation document published by the party outlines measures to stop NHS cash earmarked for specific health concerns being raided to tackle funding shortfalls in other areas of the NHS.

Under the proposals the money would be ring-fenced and held independently by public health directors working across councils and the NHS.

The paper was published ahead of the Conservative spring conference being held this weekend in Nottingham where the NHS is set to be a key policy theme.

The shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said that the plans would reverse the fragmentation and lack of accountability in public health policy, which he claimed had plagued Labour's approach.

"A transformation in Britain's approach to public health is needed in order to improve general health and wellbeing," he said.

"We need a government that provides the right legislative and administrative framework for the delivery of public health services at the grass roots level. That's why we are launching a consultation to improve on the statutory role in tackling public health challenges."

Other proposals include renaming the health secretary the public health secretary and beefing up the chief medical officer's department to make it more independent of government ministers.

David Cameron, pledged at his first autumn conference as Conservative leader last year to make the NHS a flagship theme for the party.