FPH at the UKHSA Conference
The UKHSA Conference 2025 took place in Manchester from 25 – 26 March, successfully delivered in partnership with the Faculty of Public Health, making this our third successive conference delivered together.
This year’s theme was ‘equity in health protection: addressing inequalities, saving lives’, bringing a welcome focus on health inequalities at a time when we see increasingly challenging circumstances across the UK, and at a moment when the public health profession itself faces complex pressures and uncertainty.
Across the two days I met with many committed colleagues and had conversations on a wide range of issues currently impacting us in public health, leading me to identify five key themes that were particularly relevant during the Conference.
1. Leadership
Considering how we evolve as public health leaders has never been more important as we see our profession coming under threat from rising misinformation and a global rollback of public health policies. As we enter a new paradigm for public health, so our leadership must evolve to embrace the intricate and interconnected realities of our times.
During my Presidency of the Faculty I have discussed the shifts needed to meet contemporary and future public health challenges, including adopting an agile approach to our work, fostering deep collaboration across sectors, leading visibly with courage and compassion, purposefully engaging with communities, and holding a relentless focus on principles of equity and justice.
I was pleased to see many of these ‘shifts’ discussed during the conference, and in particular I thank Kazim Beebeejaun and Fatai Ogunlayi for hosting a live episode of the Training in Public Health Podcast on the theme of leadership in public health, inviting me to discuss the evolving landscape of public health alongside Dr. Meera Chand and Dr. Yvonne Doyle.
2. Supporting and equipping the workforce
With the announcement that NHS England would be abolished delivered in the days preceding the Conference, another topic of particular relevance during the two days was how we support and equip the public health workforce in increasingly uncertain times, including enhancing workforce wellbeing.
The announcement regarding NHS England led to some interesting reflections at a Faculty-led session on the future of the health protection system in England, where I joined Greg Fell, Francine Hudson, Professor Dominic Melon, and Sarah Price to discuss best practice for local and national health protection systems, including how we can improve wellbeing and build resilience within the public health workforce. Part of this work includes ensuring that we tackle inequities within the specialty itself; supporting a fair training culture and advocating for equitable pay arrangements for public health professionals.
Whilst we await further information about the impacts of the dismantling of NHS England, the Faculty will continue to join with our partners including the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health to lobby Government for proper arrangements for the public health workforce and system.
3. Our Public Health Programmes
During the Conference we heard about a wide range of pioneering and effective public health programmes already making a difference and supporting better health for populations, as well as work underway to tackle emerging public health challenges.
Those present at the conference will have met Andi Biotic, a new mascot from UKHSA aiming to raise awareness of anti-microbial resistance – one of the great public health challenges of our times. This innovative new campaign aims to target young adults to educate this cohort on the proper use of anti-biotics and how we can keep them working for current and future generations.
As well as hearing about programmes of work to ensure our vaccine programmes remain effective, to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to make best use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, I was pleased to chair a session focussing on our work to end HIV transmission in England by 2030. Joined by colleagues from academia, the voluntary sector, and working in local NHS systems we heard about new and impactful programmes of work to identify and measure HIV transmission, engage with at-risk communities, reduce inequalities, and prevent transmission.
Whilst we have been able to celebrate some success in tackling the devastating impacts of HIV/ AIDS in the UK, this session was an important reminder that we must continue to innovate if we are to meet the ‘zero transmission’ target by 2030.
4. Engaging our communities
Across all the sessions I attended at this year’s Conference, one theme came through most consistently: the importance of purposeful, authentic, and sustained engagement with communities.
The first session I chaired at the beginning of the Conference discussed this theme directly, with a panel of cross-sector colleagues coming together to showcase innovative approaches to carrying out community engagement across different levels of the health system, and underscoring the importance of co-designing interventions alongside communities.
We explored what it means to build health protection from the ground up, harnessing the strengths and assets of the communities we serve. The panel agreed that true engagement means co-designing services, sharing decision-making, and recognising that the people closest to the problems often hold the solutions.
5. Political leadership and ‘the art of the possible’
The final theme of discussions throughout the conference pertained to political leadership; especially relevant given the recent announcement of forthcoming changes to the English health system.
A personal highlight of my Conference was the opportunity to host a 1:1 conversation with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, who has been a powerful advocate for regional and national public health leadership.
This was a wide-ranging discussion on how local best practice can drive national impact, from vaccine equity and emergency preparedness to reducing inequalities, and touched on some of the areas in which Manchester has shown leadership in health protection, inclusive growth, and integrated services. Andy paid particular thanks to Professor Kate Arden for her local public health leadership in Manchester, especially during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s UKHSA Conference was a powerful reminder of the commitment and expertise within our public health community. As we face uncertain times, the core public health principles of equity, leadership, and engagement remain at the heart of all we do.
Thank you to all who made this conference such a success, from the session organisers and speakers to all delegates and contributors. The Faculty looks forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership with UKHSA as we work together to build a healthier, more resilient, and more equitable future for all.
Published 25 April 2025
Health Protection