The Governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, through each country’s policy documents, have committed themselves to a comprehensive programme of action for protecting and improving the health of the UK population and reducing health inequalities. Delivery of such policy across the UK is dependent on the actions of a strong and coherent public health workforce within and outside the NHS.

In England the Health Improvement Workforce Programme Board (HIWPB) was established by the Department of Health to oversee a comprehensive programme of work to deliver the workforce development element of ‘Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier’ and ‘Our health, our care, our say’.

The National Public Health Workforce Group (NPHWG) was established to provide a forum for the ten Strategic Health Authorities in England to oversee delivery of the vision for public health development outlined in the national policies. The group also provides a forum to collaborate with public health workforce development in Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland.  

The Public Health Workforce Programme Management Group (PHWPMG) oversees the work of public health organisations who are collaborating to implement specific strands of public health workforce programmes funded by the 4 UK countries. The group reports to each of the 4 UK countries. In England this is through the HIWPB.

The Public Health Skills and Career Framework (PHSCF) brings together in a single framework the skills and competences needed across all sectors of the workforce to improve public health, and at all levels. Implementation of the framework is overseen by the PHWPMG.

This section of the website is funded by the Department of Health to provide information on the work of the HIWPB and related public health workforce programmes.