Welsh committee for public health medicine

The WCPHM (Welsh committee for public health medicine) reports to the UK public health medicine committee on matters concerning Wales.

Location: Wales
Audience: Public health doctors
Updated: Wednesday 20 March 2024
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Our priorities

COVID-19 response

The committee is collaborating with partners to ensure a robust response to the management of COVID-19.

Pay disparity

Lobbying to address the early career pay disparity between public health medicine consultants and non-medical colleagues.

Recruiting and retaining the consultant workforce

We've negotiated new annual recruitment and retention payments for those joining the consultant workforce in Wales.

Pensions

We successfully persuaded Welsh Government to support access to ‘recycling’ of the employer’s contribution to doctors’ pensions.

Health impact assessments

The WCPHM has collaborated with Welsh Government to ensure the Health Impact Assessment element of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 is progressed. In January 2024, WCPHM received Welsh Government’s Consultation on the Health Impact Assessment regulations. The deadline for comments is 29 March 2024.

Healthcare public health

The WCPHM is working to ensure Healthcare Public Health remains a key function within Public Health Wales.

Workforce planning

We're working to increase the number of public health doctors in Wales.

 

 

Our people

The 2022-25 Welsh Committee for Public Health Medicine has now been elected.

One Consultant in Public Health Medicine from each geographical region:

  • Dr Michael Thomas (Dep Chair), Mid & West Wales Hywel Dda Health Board
  • Prof Stephen Monaghan, South-East Wales Public Health Wales NHS Trust
  • Dr Rob Atenstaedt, North Wales Betsi Cadwaladr UHB

Six Consultants in Public Health Medicine elected at an All Wales Level:

  • Dr Llion Davies, South-East Wales Public Health Wales NHS Trust
  • Dr Marysia Hamilton-Kirkwood, South-East Wales Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
  • Joanne McCarthy, Mid & West Wales Hywel Dda Health Board
  • Dr Rosalind Reilly, South-East Wales Public Health Wales NHS Trust
  • Dr Rhianwen Stiff, South-East Wales Public Health Wales NHS Trust
  • Prof John Watkins (Chair), South-East Wales Public Health Wales NHS Trust

One representative of medical StRs in Public Health Medicine working in Wales:

Co-opted without voting rights:

  • Dr Marc Davies
  • Dr Ciaran Humphreys

 

Our meetings

The committee normally meets three times a year with one meeting being an open-forum session.

Meeting dates:

  • Tuesday 17 October 2023 (10:30 – 1pm, MS Teams)
  • Tuesday 6 February 2024 (10.30 – 1pm, MS Teams)
  • Tuesday 14 May 2024 (10.30 – 1pm, Hybrid)

All meetings take place from 10.30am to 1pm either virtually or at:

BMA Cymru Wales
5th Floor
2 Caspian Point
Caspian Way
Cardiff
CF10 4DQ

For more information email us or call 029 2047 4633.

 

Conference

The Public Health Medicine Conference 2024 was held on 26 February 2024.

 

How to join

There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills. 

To become a member of the WCPHM you must be a BMA member.

All individuals engaged in BMA business eligible for BMA membership must be and continue to be BMA members.

Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of WCPHM, these are: 

Direct elections
  • Seats/term - every three years, elections for 10 seats on WCPHM take place for a three-session term. Seats are for:
  • one consultant in public health medicine from each geographical region (North Wales, Mid & West Wales, South East Wales) elected by all Public Health Consultants within that region:
  • remaining 6 seats will be elected at an all-Wales level.
  • one representative of medical StRs (specialty registrars) in public health medicine, working in Wales, elected by other Registrars in Public Health Medicine.
  • Eligibility:
  • all public health medicine consultants from North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South East Wales are eligible to stand and vote in their specific region
  • all StRs in public health medicine in Wales are eligible to stand and vote in this election. 

The election section below is kept up to date with details about any running elections, so make sure you keep checking it throughout the year.  

 

Elections

Elections are now closed.

 

Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the WCPHM, please email us.

 

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