Spotlight on: The NHS 10 Year Health Plan: Prevention First

Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz is President of the Faculty of Public Health. She is an expert in public health who has worked in a variety of public health leadership roles across health, social care, community voluntary sectors and Civil Service. Tracy’s specialist areas are tackling inequalities, the humanitarian aspects of recovery following major incidents, safeguarding against vulnerability and building resilient communities. Tracy refers to herself as ‘trying to tread gently on the planet’ as she champions environmental factors and the need to protect biodiversity.

Professor Daszkiewicz is the Executive Director of Public Health & Strategic Partnerships at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board covering Gwent, the South East region of Wales. Tracy is a Visiting Professor at the University of West of England in the School of Health & Applied Sciences, where she also holds an Honorary Doctorate for her contribution to Public Health. She holds a second Doctorate with The Open University, she credits both these organisations with raising her. She lectures on Public Health and Emergency Planning at a number of universities. Tracy is Trustee for a Domestic Abuse charity, and a Community Governor at a Primary School.

Dr Justin Varney-Bennett is the Regional Director of Public Health for the South West of England, bridging the interface between the Department of Health and Social Care for England, NHS England and Local Government public health partners. Originally training in general practice before moving into Public Health Medicine, his career has spanned local, regional, national and international public health systems with roles ranging from Thinker in Residence at the University of Sydney to National Lead for Adult Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England. Prior to joining the South West, he was the Director of Public Health in Birmingham developing innovative interventions to get upstream of health inequalities using different co-designed partnership approaches from creative health to cultural competency for an urban population of 1.2m global citizens.

In his current role, Dr Varney-Bennett supports a vibrant ecosystem of partners working towards healthier, happier lives for the citizens of the South West and recently launched a new regional Prevention Framework to help materialise the ambitions of the 10yr Health Plan. His role also includes providing senior public health technical advice and support to national policy teams across a range of topics including physical inactivity, inclusion health, diet and obesity, creative health, LGBT inequalities and Neighbourhood systems. Outside of work, Dr Varney-Bennett is a Trustee of the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust, holds an honorary chair at the Centre for Applied Research at the University of Birmingham and honorary Fellowships of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the Faculty of Occupational Health.