Department of Health

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Chief Medical Officer

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Sir Liam Donaldson, is the UK Government's principal medical adviser and the professional head of all medical staff in England. These pages provide up-to-date information on key public health and clinical quality issues and offer access to CMO reports and publications. New additions to the CMO webpages and other items of interest are signposted here.

What's new

Winners of Chief Medical Officer’s Public Health Awards 2009 announced

Published: 3 July 2009

Sir Liam Donaldson announced the winners of the inaugural Chief Medical Officer’s Public Health Awards at a prestigious ceremony at the Royal College of Physicians In London. There were 147 initial entries, and the following organisations achieved Gold, Silver and Bronze awards out of a final shortlist of seven:

  • Fresh – Smoke Free North East (Gold)
  • Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Silver)
  • Sustrans (Bronze)

Swine flu alert: Current situation and next steps

Issued: 2 July 2009 18:05:04

The Chief Medical Officer issued a letter to doctors in England via the Central Alert System.

This letter gives:

  • a synopsis of the epidemiology of the new H1N1v (Swine flu) virus so far
  • some pointers as to what might happen next
  • the rationale for the public health and clinical response so far
  • information and guidance on steps that now need to be taken
  • an outline of further planning and policy decisions

1 July 2009: Record keeping - a letter to doctors

The Chief Medical Officer has issued a 'Dear Colleague' letter to doctors in England about maintaining separate clinical and research records. The letter also includes information about acting as an expert witness.

25 June 2009: Chief Medical Officer appointed as Chancellor of Newcastle University

The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has been appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University and will take over from Lord Patten of Barnes on 1 August 2009. The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the University and plays a key advisory role as well as being a public representative and senior ambassador. The Chancellor officiates at some of the University's degree ceremonies and has an important external and internal profile. The position is honorary and therefore not remunerated. The amount of time required to perform the role of Chancellor is flexible, depending on the other commitments and responsibilities of the postholder. Sir Liam's duties as Chancellor will vary, and this appointment will in no way affect his role as Chief Medical Officer.

Sir Liam said: 'l lived and worked on Tyneside in a formative period of my life and career. Nothing could give me greater pride than taking up the post of Chancellor in such a great city and in a university fit for the challenges of the 21st century'.

25 June 2009: New e-learning for Healthcare resource - e-VTE launched

It is estimated that there are around 25,000 deaths from Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) a year in hospitals in England. To raise awareness and reduce the impact of VTE on people's lives, Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, launched a new VTE e-learning tool at a specially convened a VTE summit on 25 June 2009.

e-VTE is an e-learning resource for  Venous Thromboembolism developed by the Chief Medical Officer’s VTE Implementation Working Group (IWG) in partnership with e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH).

Available to anyone with an interest in VTE prevention, e-VTE is written and reviewed by senior practitioners and enables clinicians to take appropriate action in assessing the risk of VTE for an individual and then advise appropriate preventative measures.  e-VTE also explores the challenges and opportunities to prevent VTE in primary care. The e-learning will help clinicians with taking appropriate action in assessing the risk of VTE for an individual and advising appropriate preventative measures.

e-VTE consists of four sessions of e-learning with a pre-learning questionnaire and post learning assessment that can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection, both in the UK and abroad.

VTE prevention – a patient safety priority: Summit resource

This is the resource document issued at the Leadership Summit: Venous Thromboembolism in the NHS, convened by the Chief Medical Officer and the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group.

Swine flu alert: 16 June 2009

Issued: 16 June 2009 12:47

This CMO public health alert was issued today via the Central Alert System.

12 June 2009: Statement by the Chief Medical Officer in response to the A(H1N1) Swine flu pandemic phase 6 declaration

Yesterday evening, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its pandemic alert status to phase 6 – indicating that a global pandemic is now under way. This decision reflects the geographic spread of the virus and not its severity.

The move to phase 6 does not trigger any material change to our response in the UK. Actions taken in the UK are based on the situation here and our preparations are well advanced. The majority of cases of swine flu found in the UK so far have not had severe illnesses and made a full and rapid recovery. However, a small minority have become seriously ill.

We have been preparing for the possibility of a pandemic for a number of years and are recognised by the WHO as one of the best prepared countries in the world. The preparations we have made, and are continuing to make, will help to ensure we are in a strong position to respond to the global pandemic we now face.

At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and report confirmed cases to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and their local Health Protection Units.

For more information from the Department on Swine flu, please click on the link below:

Indications of Public Health in the English Regions 10: Drug Use

Published: 10 June 2009

This report for the Chief Medical Officer has been released by the Association of Public Health Observatories. It reveals the full extent of illicit drug use in England, and explores the impact of drug use across the nine English regions using 46 different indicators related to individual community and population implications of drug use.

Commenting on the report, the Chief Medical Officer said, ‘Drug misuse has a profound impact on health and well being, affecting not only users but also their families and surrounding communities. I welcome this report and the intelligence it provides. It gives a thorough account of illicit substance misuse, which will help inform policy and can be used to improve prevention initiatives and the lives of drug users through a better understanding of their treatment needs.’

Heatwave Plan 2009

Heatwave Plan 2009

Published: 19 May 2009

The Chief Medical Officer issued a joint letter with the Chief Nursing Officer and the NHS Chief Executive, providing guidance to healthcare professionals in order to  raise resilience in the event of a heatwave, alongside the Heatwave Plan 2009.

Swine flu alert: 6 May 2009

Issued: 6 May 2009 13:12

This CMO public health alert was issued today via the Central Alert System.

Swine flu alert 1 May 2009

Issued: 1 May 2009  17:01

This CMO public health alert was issued today via the Central Alert System.

Chief Medical Officer statement in response to pandemic flu alert level five

29 April 2009

Phase five indicates that the WHO considers a global pandemic to be imminent, whereas at phase four a global pandemic is not inevitable. A change to phase five is a signal to countries’ governments to ramp up their pandemic preparations - which we are already doing. We have been planning for a situation like this for some years. The preparations we have in place and are continuing to make will help to ensure we respond well in the event of a pandemic. If you have returned from an affected area and have flu like symptoms stay at home, call your GP or NHS Direct and you will be assessed and receive treatment  if necessary.

Swine Influenza

Published: 29 April 2009

From some affected areas, it appears that early doses of antivirals such as Tamiflu are helping people to recover.  We have enough antivirals to treat half the population of the UK if they become ill.

We have been preparing for the possibility for a number of years and are among the most prepared countries in the world.

There are simple steps that everyone can take to help prevent catching colds and flu based on good respiratory and hand hygiene:

• always use a tissue to catch your sneezes,
• throw away used tissues where germs can linger and
• regularly wash your hands.

Most importantly, if you have come back from Mexico or one of the affected countries and have flu-like symptoms, stay at home and call your GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

We are working closely with colleagues in the devolved countries (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) as well as WHO to monitor the situation. 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are advising against all non-essential travel to Mexico.  For further advice, please check the Government’s FCO website (link below).

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