Problems of practising public health in Westmorland : John A. Guy as County Medical Officer, 1946-70

Lambert, Michael (2022) Problems of practising public health in Westmorland : John A. Guy as County Medical Officer, 1946-70. Morecambe Bay Medical Journal, 9 (1). pp. 14-17. ISSN 1466-707X

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Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic constituted an unprecedented public health crisis for the National Health Service (NHS) since its inception in 1948. The crisis exposed the fragmented nature of health services, the centralisation of decision-making, and the weakened position of the Director of Public Health (DPH) to provide essential local leadership. This position reflects years of uncertainty along with a pyrrhic ‘return’ to local government for public health in 2013. Using the career of Westmorland County Medical Officer (CMO) John A. Guy, this paper offers a historical examination of the problems of practicing public health in local government until its absorption into reformed NHS structures in 1974. The case study reflects upon the shape of current community health services in Lancashire and South Cumbria, the ambiguous place of local public health in a nationalised service, and the ability of individual leadership to overcome structural constraints.