“Lights, camera… collaboration: A year of Public Health in Action”

After those premature Christmas shopping promotions, the official lights are now up, the tree is lit and the season has legitimately started. We have entered the yearly cycle of distracting ourselves on long dark cold nights with festive activities and sparkling decorations. Somewhere amidst the brightness and the bustle, the realisation hits that yet another year is ending and perhaps we should pause for some brief moments of reflection.

So much of our lives is lived through familiar routines – conversations with people we know, journeys to places we know and repeated experiences that do not surprise. The things that matter often take place off stage without fuss. We remember the set pieces that punctuate the year – the “lights, camera, action!” moments – but the plot of our lives is progressed by ordinary mundane daily activities.

Reflections on 2025

Good public health action is often progressed quietly and depends on partnership working, so much of which takes place off stage. It can look familiar but dares to have conversations with people we don’t know. It goes to uncharted places and seeks out ideas and experiences that can be uncomfortable. Sometimes the journey leads to a dead-end and the photo-ops may be few, but there is always learning and relationships are stronger because we went together with partners. Sometimes, it all comes together and we have our spotlight moments.
 
This year we explored together how we can improve the oral health of our children and got shortlisted for an MJ Award. We were also recognised for work with children as an Antibiotic Guardian and shared learning about managing the Cryptosporidium outbreak at national conferences. We saw 762 participants from 103 teams across 38 workplaces in Torbay – an increase from last year’s figures of 431 participants, 53 teams from 24 workplaces collectively walk the distance of circling the Earth 4 and a half times. We played snakes and ladders with key decision makers to highlight the importance of social mobility and the actions we can take locally. We transformed and commissioned public health services. We joined the Coastal Navigator Network contributing to the national focus on the particular concerns of coastal communities.