Public Health Team

In Sutton, the Public Health team is led by the Director of Public Health, Dr Imran Choudhury.

Public Health contributes to reducing the causes of ill-health and improving people's health and wellbeing through:

1. Protecting people's health (for example from environmental or biological threats, such as food poisoning or radiation);
2. Improving people's health (for example by helping people quit smoking or improving their living conditions);
3. Ensuring that our health services are the most effective, most efficient and equally accessible;
4. Academic public health which builds the evidence on which all public health activity is based.

Clare Ridsdill-Smith (Head of Public Health Integration) is the Head of Service for the core Public Health team which is made up of approx. 10 team members. Currently, the main focus for the team is managing the response to COVID-19 across the Borough and in high-risk settings such as care homes and schools.

In April 2019, Public Health expanded to include Children’s Community Health Services including Health Visiting, School Nursing and Child Safeguarding Nurses, led by Jenny Giles (Head of Children’s Services, Sutton Health and Care). This is approx. 100 staff who are based in children's centres and work across Sutton. The team now also includes the Early Intervention service which provides children's centres, pre-schools and the play service. All services are working in partnership with other children's services in Sutton to deliver joined up care and support to families with children 0-19 years.