The transition of public health from the NHS to local government could see the loss of a third of its current leaders.

The Asssociation of Directors of Public Health anticipates that up to 60 of its members will not find roles in the new structure.

Janet Atherton, President of the ADPH, said the transition posed “real concerns and high risk to local public health”.

Of 77 respondents to the Association’s survey of directors, only 28 were confident that funding for the new public health service was adequate.

The Association commented that public health in England faces a “significant loss of local public health leadership” with a consequent risk to outcomes.

The survey reported “uncertainty” about the imminent transition: neither the organisational structure nor the terms and conditions have been finalised.

This survey and a previous one in November 2011 led the ADPH to predict that only two-thirds of current public health directors will continue in similar roles within local authorities.

Only 28 respondents said the funding baseline for public health was adequate, with 25 saying it was not, 21 ‘unsure’ and three not replying.

Among the concerns expressed were funding shortfalls affecting sexual health, obesity prevention and treatment for alcoholism and smoking.

The NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group is proposing to move certain paediatric and special baby care from Friarage Hospital over safety concerns.

The CCG fears experienced staff retiring will see the hospital struggle to meet national standards and has suggested moving services to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Dr Vicky Pleydell, Shadow Accountable Officer at the group, said that despite the considered switch, GPs shared the “local strength of feeling” for retaining services at the hospital.

The proposals, which would also affect maternity services, have angered local residents served by the hospital. Several thousand people recently took part in a march to demonstrate their opposition.

GPs are considering several alternatives to the proposals and have gauged local opinion through a series of public meetings on the issue. “We are particularly keen to hear the views of young mothers and families across the area,” said Dr Pleydell.

The Department of Health may be leaving the details of its value-based pricing policy for NHS drugs “too late” for industry, Roche has warned.

The Cancer Drugs Fund will end just as VBP is introduced in 2014 – potentially leaving doctors unable to prescribe certain cancer drugs if companies have not had time to make their case.

Gavin Lewis, Roche’s UK Director of Health Economics and Strategic Pricing, said major cancer drugs such as Avastin, Erbitux and MabThera were in danger of becoming unavailable.

Speaking to the National Cancer Intelligence Network, Lewis said that companies whose drugs were only available through the CDF were waiting to be told how to gain NHS access under VBP.

“The reality is there is still silence,” he said. “And if you really want to have continuity of access to these cancer drugs and still have VBP at the end of 2013, then you could start saying it’s too late to start that process.”

Roche’s Avastin, which lacks NICE recommendation, is a leading example of a cancer drug whose future is in doubt as the pricing system changes.

NICE has proved hard to convince that high-cost cancer drugs are cost-effective, but the CDF commits £200m per year to buy them for NHS patients.

The ABPI anticipates that drug pricing negotiations between industry and the DH will begin in September.

Four new non-executive directors have been appointed to the NHS Commissioning Board, completing its team of seven.

The four new names represent expertise in the voluntary sector, legal services, social work and finance.

The Commissioning Board Authority’s previously announced plan to appoint a leading doctor in one of these roles has been abandoned.

The new non-executive directors are:

• Lord Victor Adebowale (pictured), Chief Executive of the mental health and rehabilitation charity Turning Point.

• Margaret Casely-Hayford, Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary at John Lewis.

• Dame Moira Gibb, Chair of the Social Work Reform Board and former Chief Executive of the London Borough of Camden.

• Naguib Kheraj, Vice Chairman of Barclays Bank.

The four will join the CBA from 1 July, completing the non-executive director team together with CBA Chair Malcolm Grant, Provost of University College London; Ciarane Devane, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support; and Ed Smith, former Strategy Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Malcolm Grant said: “These are appointments of the highest quality, and they bring to the NHS a wealth of experience and expertise from a wide range of backgrounds.

“I am pleased that we now have a full group of non-executive directors, with complementary strengths and skills, to work alongside the executive team led by Sir David Nicholson.”