Reasons for Concern: PHE’s Partnerships with Gambling and Alcohol Industry-Funded Charities

Disease prevention cannot solely be the role of the health system, but instead requires engagement from all of government with a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. Public Health England (PHE) has “operational autonomy” from government, so that it can provide “…government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public with evidence-based professional, scientific expertise and support”. In health and healthcare, the need to address conflicts of interest is well documented, and while many challenges remain, structures have evolved in an attempt to manage them. The fact that PHE has decided to partner with industry-funded bodies suggests that if indeed such processes exist, they aren’t transparent, and they aren’t effective…