According to research undertaken by the British Medical Association (BMA) public health consultants and trainees believe that the recent health reforms have failed to benefit the public’s health and more than half of specialists have considered leaving the profession.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 transferred most public health responsibilities from the NHS to local authorities and the newly created Public Health England in 2013, meaning that public health professionals were no longer working within the NHS. The results found that:
• More than half of public health consultants and just under half of those in training, have recently considered leaving public health due to issues around career fulfilment, work-life balance and fears about future changes to terms and conditions. There is concern that the current workforce is being spread too thinly, with only 12% of survey respondents believing that, in 10 years time, there will be enough public health consultants available to serve the increasingly complex needs of the population.
• The majority of those surveyed do not think the reforms have benefited the public’s health and believe the level of unnecessary bureaucracy has increased. The report highlights the risks associated with fragmentation of the workforce and of some healthcare services. There was concern about a lack of ability to collaborate with other health professionals and to influence commissioners in the planning and delivery of healthcare services.
• Respondents perceived constraints on public health professionals and organisations speaking out and acting independently to protect the public’s health. There was felt to be an absence of national leadership, linked to both the lack of an independent voice and the fragmentation of the Public Health workforce.
Commenting on the survey results, Dr Penelope Toff, co-chair of the BMA’s Public Health Medicine Committee, said: “These findings demand urgent action. The public has a right to expect strong, independent voices to speak out on issues of importance to their health and all public health professionals should be supported to do the work for which they were trained. Every local authority needs sufficient experienced specialists to ensure both NHS and public health budgets are spent wisely.”
