However, we are concerned that such laudable statements do not tally with last week’s budget, suggesting yet more cuts to public health funding that covers prevention initiatives run by Public Health England. We understand Mr Hancock is not expected to announce any measures to aid health prevention, and therefore we must question how this will be funded.

In addition doctors are concerned that asking people to take more responsibility for their own health pushes the blame for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and and cancer onto patients, who do not choose to develop these illnesses.

Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, Chair of DAUK, said “Mr Hancock’s aims are admirable, and doctors would be the first to support the old adage of ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. You cannot prescribe any medication to replace a healthy lifestyle, and doctors have long been giving patients advice on how to keep well such as stopping smoking and eating healthily. However, we must recognise that such choices are complex, and many of these lifestyle factors are associated with poverty.”

Dr Alan Woodall, GP & Public Health lead for DAUK, said: “Personal responsibility is not the main driver for improvement in health. Without funding and policy change to reduce the obesogenic environment, further reduce smoking and drug use, improve social cohesion and recognise wider political policy impacts on health, this strategy unlikely to succeed.”

CONTACT

Contact@dauk.org

Who is Alan Woodall?

Alan is a GP partner and OOH Doctor in rural mid Wales and Shropshire. A coal-miner’s son who endured the 84-85 strike just like Billy Elliot, but without the dancing ability, he originally trained as a postdoctoral research scientist working at the University of California Berkeley, before returning to study medicine in the UK. Alan decided to pursue a primary care and public health focus, and during his training published research in a number of areas, including work in the BMJ that helped to secure the smoking ban. He gave over 30 media, radio and TV interviews at the time.

He founded GPSurvival in 2015, recognising the need to give grassroots doctors a voice, and has served as a campaign lead and chair. It now represents over 8,000 GPs UK wide, mainly campaigning on primary care issues initially, but his focus widened over the last year to reform of the GMC, in the light of poor regulatory practices. In that role, he found himself increasingly collaborating with other grassroots groups such as DAUK. His activist work is regularly quoted in the medical press, and he and his team have recognition as partners with NHS England on looking at campaign areas. He is excited to be joining the DAUK team to provide more public health and primary care input, and to strengthen collaboration between different grassroots groups.

Alan is married to Joanne, an education officer/primary teacher, and has a 7 year old daughter Abbie. He is happy to be contacted at any time for advice.

Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, DAUK Chair said “We are delighted that Alan has come on board with DAUK. We were very keen to have more representation from General Practice on the executive committee, and Alan was the perfect candidate. Alan cares deeply about the wellbeing of GPs and of the medical profession, and his work for GP Survival speaks for itself. We look forward to continuing to advocate for General Practice with renewed energy.”