At a recent The MJ/Penna round table on public health, I was struck by the contrasting fortunes of directors of public health (DPH).

Six years on from the decision to transfer the function to local government, progressive local authorities have embraced the challenge of embedding public health into their operating models despite its ringfenced funding.

This has enabled DPHs to infuse public health into a broader strategic context where issues such as child obesity, mental health, smoking and the proliferation of sexually-transmitted disease are approached from a broader understanding of the root causes including homelessness, poverty, drug misuse, modern slavery, climate change and the impact of austerity measures and welfare reform.

Arguably, local authorities have been better placed to deliver a more strategic and joined-up approach to delivering collaborative local and regional solutions to these issues based on a placemaking basis. However, it takes leadership at a political and executive level to make this work.

We have seen examples where this has been achieved with DPHs having a voice at the top table within local authorities taking on broader and cross cutting issues or decision analysis services portfolios.

Evidence suggests that the leadership skills and qualities required to successfully collaborate through health and wellbeing boards, integrated partnerships and a whole-council approach to tackling complex public health issues is shaping a new cadre of public service leaders.

How long will it be before we see a chief executive officer of a local authority or large scale not-for-profit enterprise emerging from the modern public health sector?

Roger Russell is director, executive search, at Penna

Roger.russell@penna.com