Member blog: Peter Bradley

I can’t say I planned each step of my career, but I can say that it’s been filled with variety and chances to work with great colleagues.

After public health training, my first role was in Norway, working as a senior medical advisor in national roles for healthcare prioritisation and drug reimbursement (Norwegian NICE in effect).  It was slightly shocking to work somewhere where you need to learn about the system and language when your professional networks are miles away, but this role taught me how to adapt. Living in Norway also changed my mindset, seeing the strong commitment to families, children and healthy environments.

Next, I moved back to the UK as a Director of Public Health in Suffolk.  The team was small when I arrived, so I had to work hard to turn it around. Supporting the NHS was the initial priority, but as the team grew, we launched a multi-agency health improvement programme “Healthy Ambitions Suffolk”.  We even won awards which gave me some confidence we were on the right track.  I was also lucky to be involved in an international teaching network, so I learned a lot from visiting other countries.

Then came Wales, where I had my first national role. I led a team of over 400 people, so I learned how to be a director for a geographically dispersed team, and to work with senior politicians. I also supported new areas such as research development and occupational health where I was not the expert, but I could still be a good advocate and leader.

After that, I joined Public Health England, where I had two main roles. Director of Health Intelligence and Chief Information Officer, where I had a steep learning curve understanding national data and digital systems and data science.  It was a particular privilege to support the development of the Covid-19 pandemic dashboard, used by millions of people.

Right now, I work in Jersey – a beautiful island – as the island’s first-ever Director of Public Health (and Medical Officer of Health). It’s a broad job, with local and national responsibility (Jersey is not in the UK!). It’s a rare opportunity to develop a bespoke public health approach.  Arriving in 2021, my first tasks were to get through the pandemic and build the department.  We then had a series of tragic major incidents.  Our current focus is preventing ill health, as shown in the latest DPH report.

It is easy to become professionally isolated in a Crown Dependency role. Being part of the Association of Directors of Public Health keeps me in contact with colleagues and gives me access to high quality resources and expertise.

Our jobs can be tough, and it’s too easy to remember the things that did not go so well, but we can change people’s lives for the better. In the end, public health is about helping people – and we should be proud what we contribute whatever role we have.