If there was any doubt over the importance of public health policy, the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to the notion. But with an 18-year difference in healthy life expectancy between the most deprived and affluent communities, are we missing a trick when it comes to public health? In this episode, Matthew Taylor puts the question to Professor Kevin Fenton, a public health specialist and infectious disease epidemiologist who has played a pivotal role in shaping public health in the UK and abroad. Unpacking what public health is and covers, Professor Fenton also argues that a productive economy needs a healthy population; tackling broader issues such as health inequalities and community health are key to this.

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