Public health doctor members of the BMA have called for support for doctors impacted by last week’s announcement that NHS England will be abolished.

At the BMA’s Public Health Medicine Conference held in London yesterday (Monday 17 March), attendees voted through an emergency motion¹, cautiously welcoming the “further reversal of the disastrous Lansley reforms” but expressing concern about the implications for public health functions and the workforce.

The motion, proposed by the BMA’s public health medicine registrars subcommittee, calls on the BMA “urgently support those public health consultants and other doctors affected and to lobby relevant bodies to ensure that these workers retain their jobs and that the relevant public health functions continue to be delivered and are enhanced, reversing post-2012 declines”.

Responding, BMA public health medicine committee chair Dr Heather Grimbaldeston said: “The dismantling of NHS England will affect many vital public health functions and specialists.

“As this motion makes clear, any reorganisation must ensure that specialist public health expertise is retained, protected, and enhanced, as the Government works to improve people’s health, as well as the delivery of NHS health services.

“This is a great opportunity for the Government to repair the damaging fragmentation of the public health profession following the 2013 Lansley reorganisation; to show that it really values the role that public health doctors play in keeping our population healthy; and to confirm its commitment to prevent as well as treat ill health.”

Motions debated throughout the day covered a wide range of vital public and population health issues including climate change, pandemic preparedness, and terms and conditions of public health doctors.

Ends

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives. 

1. The motion in full
   Motion by the public health medicine registrars subcommittee:  That, whilst this conference cautiously welcomes further reversal of the disastrous Lansley reforms and 2012 Health and Social Care Act, it is deeply concerned about the implications for public health regarding the sudden abolition of NHS England as well as new austerity cuts to Integrated Care Board (ICB) funding.
   Conference believes that this approach could hamper necessary work to deliver the Government's own plan to build a prevention focused health service.  It may add a significant burden to many doctors' lives by disrupting key processes for medical training and revalidation.  It risks worsening population health and health inequalities through a potential large-scale loss of public health specialists posts and training, and will decimate capacity for locally driven initiatives that require coordination across the health system.
   This conference therefore calls upon the BMA to:
   i)    Urgently support those public health consultants and other doctors affected and to lobby relevant bodies to ensure that these workers retain their jobs and that the relevant public health functions continue to be delivered and are enhanced, reversing post-2012 declines
   ii)    Urgently lobby the UK Government to ensure there are an adequate and sustainable number of consultant posts available across the English public health system for those registrars completing their training there now and in the future
   iii)    Promote a public health model featuring public health specialists embedded in all ICBs in England and throughout communities, government, universities and the NHS/HSCNI across the UK at a level of 30 whole-time equivalent consultants per million population
   iv)    Lobby relevant bodies in England to ensure that public health registrar training needs regarding healthcare public health are met following these changes
   v)    Call for any reorganisation to consider further reversal of the Lansley reforms by moving relevant public health functions back into the NHS as an independent public health agency.