Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that directors of public health lead the local response to covid-19.

Directors of Public Health are critical to the local response to COVID-19. Public Health England (PHE) has worked closely with Directors of Public Health throughout the COVID-19 response, within multiagency structures, such as Strategic Coordinating Groups, and jointly through health protection teams.

On 7 May, the Minister of State for Care (Helen Whately MP) wrote to Directors of Public Health to ask them to lead work with Directors of Adult Social Services, local National Health Service providers, and PHE Regional Directors to ensure that testing of staff and residents in care settings is more joined up, and that available national capacity is targeted to areas and care homes with the greatest need.

In addition, PHE is working closely with Association of Directors of Public Health, SOLACE and the Local Government Association to develop the system needed for contact tracing at local, regional and national levels. Letters to Directors of Public Health from PHE are published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contact-tracing-letter-to-directors-of-public-health