Duncan Selbie's Friday Message - 16 Jan

Dear Everyone

I would like to make mention of the various ways we have been collaborating in the development of leadership and capability across the public health system over the past two years. We have worked with the Department of Health, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, the cross public sector Leadership Centre, the NHS and others to develop people at every stage in their career. Sixty five senior public health professionals have taken part in the aspirant Director of Public Health programme, of whom 20 have since secured Director of Public Health posts, and four have gained senior public health posts in other public health organisations. More than 500 staff will have undertaken the Skills for Systems Leadership programme by the end of March, and many more will go through this in the coming year. Two pilots of a system wide approach to talent management are underway and will complete in June and we are also road testing a skills passport to support the freedom of movement of staff irrespective of employer throughout their career. Through these investments we are building capability for the present and for the future and I recognise from my travels around the country how important this is to Local Government and to the wider public health family.

I am delighted to say that Councillor Jonathan McShane will be the new Chair of our Pharmacy and Public Health Forum. Councillor McShane is Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Culture, and the chair of the City and Hackney Health and Wellbeing Board. The forum is at the forefront of further expanding community pharmacy’s contribution to the public’s health through its leadership of the development, implementation and evaluation of public health practice for pharmacy.

This week we published our 2014 sustainability report, reflecting the work undertaken across PHE in our first 18 months. By embedding sustainability into our daily lives we can create a healthier workplace for our staff, continue to drive down our carbon footprint and bring a greater awareness of the environment in which we live. We will continue to work hard on this and expect to report further improvements over the coming year.

As part of our global health commitments to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), shortly before Christmas, in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, PHE delivered a 2-day workshop, Combating Antimicrobial Resistance in the Caribbean. It was attended by policy and technical representatives from 19 Caribbean states and territories and supported by the International Association of National Public Health Institutes and the UK Science and Innovation Network and run in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Pan American Health Organization. Part of the PHE-led AMR Commonwealth Laboratory Twinning Initiative, the aim was to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and to develop a roadmap to help address AMR in the region, and we look forward to working with our colleagues in the Caribbean Public Health Agency on implementing the outcomes.

And finally, with our three laboratories in Sierra Leone now running at full capacity, our indomitable staff might feel more at home as they glance up at the newly installed PHE signage.

Last modified: Tue, 31 Jul 2018 09:14:04 BST