County to welcome joint director of public health

Herefordshire has appointed the first new director to its new public services partnership, following the pioneering appointment of a chief executive to lead both the council and the primary care trust. The new post will lead the promotion and protection of health and wellbeing in the county.

Dr Akeem Ali is the new joint director of public health for Herefordshire and previously led the East Midlands Regional Health Improvement Strategy while working at the Department of Health, East Midlands Regional Public Health Directorate based in Nottingham. He is an honorary research fellow at the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Birmingham.

Since 2004, Dr Ali has been working in public health organisations in the UK and was appointed in Westminster, London to one of the first joint posts between local government and a primary care trust. Prior to this, he directed multi-million dollar primary health care programmes in several countries in a senior position with the international health charity Merlin. He led Merlin's international emergency response team for two years and managed several public health emergencies, including national disasters, famine and contagious disease outbreaks.

Dr Ali's first public health leadership role was with the Ministry of Health in Ghana, West Africa 14 years ago when he became district director of health services for a rural health authority covering 90,000 people. He spent three years in the role working with elected local politicians, ministers of state and the community to transform local clinical and public health services.

"I am passionate about public health", commented Dr Ali, "and I feel there is a unique opportunity at Herefordshire to reduce health inequalities and improve general wellbeing through strong strategic partnership working.

"Herefordshire's reputation nationally is one of a pioneering county seeking to optimise working between the council and the primary care trust to ensure services are organised around people's individual requirements, so the public health director position here has particular potential to make a real difference".

Chris Bull, new chief executive of the council and the primary care trust, added: "Dr Ali has a strong track record in achieving public health improvements by leading, working with and energising partnerships involving a number of agencies in some very challenging conditions. I am delighted to welcome him to Herefordshire".