Public health staff have said recent health reforms have ‘failed' to benefit the public's health and more than half have considered leaving the profession.
The British Medical Association surveyed public health staff to find out about the impact of these changes and how they felt about the future.
It found more than half of public health consultants and just under half of those in training, have recently considered leaving public health due to issues around career fulfilment, work-life balance and fears about future changes to terms and conditions.
There is significant concern that the current workforce is being spread too thinly. Over one in ten (12%) of survey respondents believed in ten years time, there will be enough public health consultants available to serve the increasingly complex needs of the population.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 transferred most public health responsibilities from the NHS to local authorities and the newly created Public Health England in 2013, meaning that public health professionals were no longer working within the NHS.
The BMA report there is still little support for the public health reforms in England.
The majority of those surveyed do not think the reforms have benefited the public's health and believe the level of unnecessary bureaucracy has increased.
Dr Penelope Toff, co-chair of the BMA's Public Health Medicine Committee, said the transference of public health responsibilities from the NHS to local authorities had led to "considerable ongoing uncertainty and anxiety about the future of public health."
She added: "It is particularly worrying that so many public health specialists are experiencing unsupportive work environments, where they feel that their skills are not understood or valued. This report leaves us in no doubt that we will be facing a recruitment crisis, worsening the serious public health effects of austerity, such as increasing levels of alcohol and drug abuse.
"These findings demand urgent action. The public has a right to expect strong, independent voices to speak out on issues of importance to their health and all public health professionals should be supported to do the work for which they were trained. Every local authority needs sufficient experienced specialists to ensure both NHS and public health budgets are spent wisely."
