Public health workforce 'dispirited' as uncertainty goes on

The faculty criticised the lack of “early clarity” and said the government’s July update and ‘way forward’ paper had offered “little detail other than acknowledgement of the concerns around future arrangements”. 

In a briefing paper, the faculty highlighted uncertainty about terms and conditions of public health teams when they transfer to local government and the appointments process for public health specialists and directors of public health. It questioned what would happen to 4,500 staff employed by public health observatories and the Health Protection Agency, which are due to be swallowed by Public Health England.

The faculty also called for a stronger commitment from the Department of Health to ensure directors of public health held director level posts in councils after the government update paper said it would “expect” – but not require – directors to report to council chiefs. The faculty highlighted that legal prescription of chief officer statutory roles in councils had precedents in the posts of chief finance officer and equalities and legal monitoring officer.

In an interview with HSJ, published this week, Public Health England interim director Ruth Hussey said she thought five DH documents on public health, due this autumn, would provide the clarity stakeholders demanded.

Meanwhile, the government last week published its national obesity strategy. A Call to Action on Obesity in England says the public needs to be more “honest” about eating and drinking habits.

But Faculty of Public Health president Lindsey Davies said: “The government must use the law as well as ‘nudge’ techniques to create a culture that makes it easy for people to make healthy choices.”