Marvin OnumonuUp to 20% of the wider public health workforce could leave their jobs in the next five years without action, research from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found.
The findings showed that jobs like pest control, food safety and environmental health are struggling with recruitment and retention, which could threaten public health if not addressed.
William Roberts, CEO, RSPH, said: “Public health happens everywhere. It happens in sports clubs, village halls, gyms, schools, workplaces, transport and many more everyday settings.
“Public Health Workforce Week is a celebration of the vital unsung work that happens all around us, day in day out, to keep us well, safe, and healthy.
“We are facing a multitude of long-term health challenges that won’t be addressed if policymakers continue to focus solely on hospitals and other treatment settings.”
Roberts added: “The wider public health workforce has a critical role to play in making the shift from hospital to community and we need to see this reflected in the Government’s plans for improving our nation’s health.”
The report argued that the Government’s plan to move from ‘hospital to community’, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, will not work without people outside the NHS working to keep the public healthy.
Nick Harding, chair, RSPH, said: “At a time when our national health is facing greater challenges than ever, we need to harness the power of these motivated workers in the wider public health workforce to improve people’s lives.
“What we need now is for the Government to pick up where we and others across the sector reach our limits.
“Proper workforce planning, meaningful monitoring of the state of the workforce, and investment in vital training are the minimum that should be on offer.”
Harding added: “If we want to make the shift to a preventative healthcare system, we need a commitment to implement these changes immediately.”
