Transfer of public health to local authorities could leave 60 top posts vacant, survey finds

Many top posts in public health in England could go unfilled in the transfer of services to local authorities, representing a “significant loss of local public health leadership,” a survey has concluded.

About a third of public health directors do not expect to transfer from the NHS to local councils from 2013, the Association of Directors of Public Health found. The association said that this could leave 50 to 60 vacant posts in the new public health structure, with a “consequent risk to public health outcomes.”

Janet Atherton, the association’s president, said that there was an urgent need to retain …