Statement: Responding to reports of Public Health England (PHE) being replaced

Working together as a public health system, we are all committed to protecting and improving the nation’s health. We highly value our Public Health England colleagues who have been working tirelessly in the fight against COVID-19. 

The timing of this announcement is particularly surprising and our immediate priority must be the stability of the workforce at a local level to ensure that we can continue to focus on preventing and managing outbreaks. 

Going forward, it is vital that the government prioritises the expansion and development of local and regional health protection functions and ensures that the public health teams, many of whom are focussed on the COVID response, are properly resourced to tackle the full spectrum of public health from obesity and mental health to health inequalities and data.