From October, local authorities will take over responsibility from the NHS for commissioning public health services for the under-fives. As the man in charge of Public Health England's children, young people and families work since April 2013, the transfer of the public health responsibilities will be a significant marker in Eustace de Sousa's career.
"The transfer of commissioning responsibilities to local government is absolutely the right thing to happen," he says, before adding he is "confident" that local authorities are ready for change.
But for a man who likes to ride a motorbike around Europe in his spare time, de Sousa admits there have been a few bumps along the way. "It's a large scale transfer and has been challenging," he says. "We're working with local government on how we maximize the opportunities the transfer brings and looking at the synergies with existing council services.
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