“Foolish” dismantling of Public Health England condemned by nutrition experts

19 Aug 2020 --- In a move to protect against “external threats to the UK’s health” in light of COVID-19, Public Health England (PHE) will be scrapped and replaced by the National Institute for Health Protection. This announcement from Matt Hancock, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been met with disbelief by many members of the nutrition sector. They note the poor timing of this announcement, while conditions like obesity – a major risk factor for COVID-19 – are feared to be sidelined.

Dubbed a major misstep by many in the nutrition and health space, the UK government’s move to dismantle PHE – which initially took on the role of the country’s health protection agency in 2013 – has caused somewhat of a controversy in the UK, with many believing it to be connected to a COVID-19 blame game. 

“The government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time, creating a huge distraction for staff who should be dedicating themselves to the next stage of the pandemic. There is no clear argument as to why this rebranding and reshuffling will solve some of the problems highlighted by the Secretary of State,” states Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust.

Meanwhile, Christina Marriott, Chief Executive of Royal Society for Public Health, says her organization is questioning the timing of an announcement to scrap our national public health agency in the midst of a global pandemic and before any public inquiry any has started, let alone reported.

“Public health cannot be defined as a narrow health protection agenda. COVID-19 has shown that tackling non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes, including their health inequalities, is vital if England’s population is to be resilient to pandemics. It may be appropriate for the functions to sit in different agencies – but clear accountability for outcomes in health improvement, health inequalities and health protection must be established,” she details. 

More details to come
In Hancock’s speech yesterday, he acknowledged PHE’s responsibilities centered around health improvement, spotlighting the UK’s new Obesity Strategy. “We’ve seen how conditions like obesity can increase the risk for those who have coronavirus. Leveling up health inequalities and preventing ill health is a vital and broad agenda.”

“It must be embedded right across government, across the National Health Service (NHS), in primary care, pharmacies and in the work of every local authority. We will use this moment to consult widely on how we embed health improvement more deeply across the board, and I’ll be saying more on this over the coming weeks,” Hancock detailed. 

The new institute will be formalized and operating from spring 2021. Infectious disease capability will be a primary focus, with the move being touted as bringing PHE, NHS Test and Trace and the analytical capability of the Joint Biosecurity Centre under a single leadership team. It will report directly to Hancock and support the clinical leadership of the four UK Chief Medical Officers.

PHE was previously been successful in its work on sugar reduction and reformulation. Concern that tackling obesity will fall by the wayside
Fran Bernhardt, Children’s Food Campaign Coordinator, says the move to scrap and subsume PHE raises serious concerns for local work to improve public health and reduce child obesity, especially as the need for coherent and concerted efforts to reduce obesity has become overwhelming clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Therefore, it seems foolish – at best – to be jeopardizing the future of the organization that does just that day in, day out. PHE has consistently provided rigorous programs and research to monitor, implement and evaluate the UK’s nutrition, weight and food environments so that everyone can grow up and live more healthily in this country,” Bernhardt continues. 

“The move to scrap and subsume PHE raises serious concerns for local work to improve public health and reduce child obesity. PHE’s flagship campaigns such as Change4Life and the popular food scanner app are essential resources for local authorities, schools and community organizations to help people of all ages eat healthier,” adds Sugar Smart Campaign coordinator Vera Zakharov. 

She continues that PHE’s work with the food industry on sugar reduction and reformulation has been instrumental in providing healthier food options. “The health secretary has made no indications on the future of this work, and that is worrying,” Zakharov concludes. 

Late last year, PHE revealed that the Soft Drink Industry Levy (SDIL), which came into effect in April 2018, led to a sugar reduction in beverages of nearly a third, thoroughly beating the initial 20 percent target. However, the food industry continues to lag behind, with an average reduction of just 2.9 percent.

By Katherine Durrell

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