Responding to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock’s
speech today that Public Health England is to be replaced with
the National Institute for Health Protection, Cllr Ian Hudspeth,
Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community
Wellbeing Board, said:
“Public Health England staff have been working closely alongside
their council counterparts day and night since this outbreak
first emerged, to contain and prevent the spread of this
devastating virus and they deserve all our thanks.
“This pandemic has highlighted the value of local knowledge,
supported by national coordination and resources. A local
response should be at the forefront of our approach to the next
phase.
“Directors of Public Health in councils can boost both their
health protection and prevention roles, working alongside other
council services including environmental health, but this needs
to be joined-up with the new system.
“Councils have a proven track record in improving public health
services over the past eight years. National policy making has an
important role to play, but this cannot be a substitute for local
leadership and local responsibility. We need to establish where
the core health improvement functions of any future public health
system are best held, backed up by necessary funding.
“We will need to reflect on how we as a country responded to
coronavirus, but for now our focus needs to firmly remain on how
best to prevent and manage a possible second wave later this
year, as well as on future disease outbreaks.”
