Dear everyone There is no other way to begin this week other than saying thank you to local authorities and to every person across the health and social care family who has battled the so called ‘Beast from the East’ …
Dear everyone I had the privilege of spending the morning in Blackpool on Monday and to see again at first hand how local government are tackling the root causes of poor health through a focus on re-energising their housing policy, …
Dear everyone, E-cigarettes are controversial but with nearly three million people using them, sitting on the fence on this was never an option. The key thing is to compare the harm of an e-cigarette with smoking tobacco rather than comparing …
Dear everyone Stroke is the third most common cause of early death and a leading cause of disability in the UK. Although the majority of strokes occur in older people, 38% of first time strokes happen in middle-aged adults, the proportion of …
Dear everyone For treating problems such as pain, anxiety and depression, prescription drugs are vital and benefit many people. It is when patients encounter problems such as dependence and withdrawal symptoms that the medicines themselves become a problem. On Wednesday …
Dear everyone Improving life expectancy is important but even more so is improving healthy life expectancy, or as the Christian Aid sign outside their headquarters in Lambeth puts it, ‘we believe in life before death’. In the last week I …
Firstly, congratulations to the Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt MP who has been reappointed with an extended policy brief as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Flu has remained at the top of the news again this week as …
Dear everyone Firstly, a very Happy New Year. This is the busiest time of the year for the NHS and, as expected, flu levels are increasing. Our data shows that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms and we …
Dear everyone As 2017 draws to a close, I want to thank all of my colleagues in PHE and across the public health system who work tirelessly to protect and improve the nation’s health. The public health profession is vast …
Dear everyone Metro Mayors are changing the policy and governance landscape across the country, with the elections earlier this year meaning they now cover 20% of the population of England. Their introduction coincides with the publication of the new Industrial …
