Prevention is becoming ever more critical to the management of future NHS demand. To reduce pressure on the NHS we are going to need a wealth of people doing public health. RSPH has identified 1.5m individuals within the wider public health workforce – physios, school nurses, teachers, and pest controllers to name but a few.

Creating a prevention network with a public health qualified person in every setting – be that school, place of worship, townhall or business – would have the potential to reach over 5 million people annually.

For instance, a skilled health team in every school could build the capacity of thousands of staff across the UK to help improve mental health, support healthier lifestyles, and keep our communities safer. Linking these staff to school nurses and health visitors would build teams around schools to support better health.

Supporting the wider workforce offers immense potential to take prevention into the heart of our communities and bring public health to everyday settings.

A national workforce strategy for public health

The next government could unlock this potential by creating a national workforce strategy to fully harness the wider public health workforce. The public health community are ready to come together to help develop a comprehensive workforce strategy to create a prevention network to improve the health of the nation and take the pressure off the NHS.

Putting a national strategy in place would help build a public health workforce that is fit for the future and ensure a joined-up approach across the four nations tying together industry, public health and the wider workforce.

Earlier this year, we published, ‘The Unusual Suspects: Unlocking the Potential of the Wider Public Health Workforce’, which set out four key recommendations, including a national strategy, to help the wider workforce do more.