Public Health England is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities.
PHE is a distinct organisation with operational autonomy to advise Government, local authorities and the NHS on the best scientific evidence about how to improve public health. PHE’s remit covers England only.
PHE was formed on 1 April 2013 by bringing together most of the functions of two former agencies: the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and parts of the Department of Health’s National Public Health Service for England (NHSE). The agency took on its current name on 5 September 2014.
PHE is led by a chief executive, Duncan Selbie. The agency has around 5,000 staff based in over 60 locations around England, principally in London (at its headquarters in Wellington House), Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne. Other sites include Porton Down in Wiltshire (home to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) and Nottingham.
PHE’s annual budget for 2015/16 was £449 million.