Guidance on the Director of Public Health Role in Councils Updated

The Department of Health and Social Care has (29 June) updated the guidance that describes both the statutory and non-statutory elements of the role of the director of public health in councils, to reflect changes to the health and care system.

The guidance outlines the arrangements that are designed to allow councils to have confidence in the director of public health appointments they make, and to build on their own good practice while meeting national requirements.

This guidance seeks to promote understanding of this vital role and the ways it operates at the heart of effective arrangements to improve and protect the public’s health. It also sets out arrangements for appointing directors of public health, along with information on their corporate and professional accountability.

Prepared by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), this guidance is written in collaboration with the Local Government Association (LGA), the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), the Faculty of Public Health (FPH), NHS England (NHSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

This guidance replaces the 2020 publication ‘Directors of public health in local government: roles, responsibilities and context’, and has been updated to reflect changes to the health and care system, including those resulting from the Health and Care Act 2022. It is published under section 73A(7) of the National Health Service Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) as guidance to which local authorities must have regard.