Public Health England axed, but where does it leave oral health strategy?
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- Published: Wednesday, 19 August 2020 08:24
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In a widely forecast move, health secretary, Matt Hancock has abolished Public Health England, admitting that the UK was not adequately prepared for the Covid-19. In its place he has created a new National Institute for Health Protection to fight pandemics. The move leaves open the question of what happens to other public health responsibilities, such as strategies to improve oral health.
The move was widely seen as a punishment for problems and delays with testing. The new Institute will amalgamate PHE’s disease control function with NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre. Baroness Harding will lead the new body at least until it is formally constituted next spring.
Richard Murray, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “Public Health England appears to have been found guilty without a trial. It is unclear what problem government are hoping to solve by carving up PHE and redistributing its responsibilities. Undoubtedly, there are questions to be answered about England’s handling of the covid-19 crisis, but the middle of a pandemic is not the time to dismantle England’s public health agency.”
He added: “The dividing up of national public health responsibilities could further complicate the balance of local and national decision making and cause greater confusion for local directors of public health who are responsible for both health protection and health improvement.”
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: “The government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time, creating a huge distraction for staff who should be dedicating themselves to the next stage of the pandemic. There is no clear argument as to why this rebranding and reshuffling will solve some of the problems highlighted by the secretary of state today.”
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges described the move as ‘a risky manoeuvre in the midst of a pandemic’, saying ‘the real problem is the complete absence of detail of what happens to the prevention elements of PHE’s work, ‘as we enter what’s set to be a significant downturn in the economy, health inequalities certainly look set to be amplified. They added: “Unless these problems are tackled head on with a national strategy and adequate funding, the overall health of the population will decline.”
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: “Any loss or disruption to dental public health work will have a material impact on communities across this country. We now risk leaving policy makers without evidence to base plans, practitioners without guidance to operate in unprecedented times, while losing vital expertise from a committed and highly skilled workforce. Meaningfully protecting the public long-term hinges on an effective approach to public health, in which oral health is not an optional extra.”
He added: “We have greeted signals from the Department of Health and Social Care on prevention. As Matt Hancock has noted scaling up these approaches has the power both to transform lives and save money. A pandemic is not the time to cast aside that logic, but to double down. This vital agenda demands both proper resourcing and organizational commitment.”
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