conference focus:

The much-anticipated public health white paper will include a shake- up of the role of public health professionals, public health minister Tessa Jowell revealed.

The government was 'looking at proposals that would mean you no longer need to be a doctor to become a consultant in public health', she said.

The suggestion sparked immediate controversy, when journalists asked whether the word 'consultant' would cause confusion.

Ms Jowell said she did not believe it would, when terms such as 'management consultant' had entered 'our life and vocabulary'.

The pay structure 'has not been thought out yet', she added.

See news focus, pages 6-7.