Just finished up 3 months #covid19 work w/ @PublicHealthSth. Its been hectic but satisfying to see spread coming under control. Huge amount achieved by #publichealth teams identifying new cases/clusters + breaking chains of transmission.Small thread of thoughts moving fwd (1/6)

#Publichealth teams have been acknowledged for hard work. This is appreciated, but ultimately what we want are tangible resources to do our jobs protecting health of the population. We want sustained staffing and 21st century IT infrastructure (2/6)

I’ve worked 14 weekends in a row, on top of busy working weeks to help ensure adequate cover and this has been the norm across the country for Depts of Public Health. Many staff are exhausted. It is not sustainable (3/6)

Depts of Public Health could not have prevented so many cases #covid19 without huge help from redeployed + retired staff. Many of them are now leaving. Depts of Public Health are facing depleted resources (4/6)

Cases will still arise. Outbreaks will still happen. Some will be complex - in hospitals, care homes, workplaces, vulnerable groups etc. This is not a 9-5 Monday-Friday disease. Every case is urgent. The other infectious diseases will still happen too. They havent gone away.(5/6)

Finally, Specialists in Public Health need to be recognised as Consultants. This is not just an equity issue, it affects staff recruitment, retention + authority. We have to demand better - if #covid19 has taught us anything, surely its time to invest in #publichealth (6/6)