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October 16, 2019
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ADPH responds to review of Adult Screening Programmes in England

The Association of Directors of Public Health values the necessary focus on screening improvement that Professor Sir Mike Richards’ report provides.

We welcome the confirmation by the Secretary of State that Public Health England will provide the single source of expert advice on screening and his commitment to ensuring robust governance and accountability is in place for the different elements of screening.

We are concerned, however, that the local Director of Public Health role of oversight has not been highlighted and indeed strengthened.

Greg Fell, ADPH Board Member and Health Protection Lead, and Director of Public Health for Sheffield said:

“Directors of Public Health appreciated the opportunity to engage with Sir Mike Richards on this important review to address the challenge of delivering a more effective and accountable screening system.

However, we are disappointed that the report completely overlooks the importance of local leadership. This is a missed opportunity to strengthen the role of DsPH in providing this local leadership, using their knowledge of their population to tackle inequalities by improving screening coverage and uptake by all those who are eligible.

We look forward to further conversations with national and local partners in the NHS, public health and beyond to see stronger screening programmes and more lives saved.”

Further information

Read the evidence ADPH submitted to the Public Account Committee’s inquiry on adult health screening in March 2019.

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