Walsall health boss who was key figure during pandemic getting ready to leave role

Covid 19 struck just a few months later and the 43-year-old married father-of-two was plunged into 16-hour working days helping co-ordinate the borough’s response in trying to protect residents.

Mr Gunther will leave Walsall later this month to take up an Executive Director of Public Health role at Stoke-on-Trent, with a broader portfolio than his current one.

In his four years, he has tackled major health issues such as Avian Flu and Strep-A but the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic presented the biggest challenge as well as having an impact on his family life.

He said: “I came into Walsall almost four years and didn’t expect a global pandemic.

“My priorities for Walsall was around the mental wellbeing agenda, the children and young people’s agenda and good governance.

“But we first got the call in January 2020. Covid was a roller-coaster ride of emotions in terms of work and everything else.

“I am really proud of the public health team, the wider council and partners in the response.

“I can’t thank enough our businesses, community associations, partners, members and officers across the council who rolled their sleeves up and got on with it.

“The best advice I got before I started the role was to ‘make friends in peace time’.

“I did spend a lot of time working with colleagues, the police, in the community and that paid dividends in terms of early response and being able to pick up the phone to people.

“At it’s height, it was 14-16 hour days, seven days a week, trying to digest how this disease was manifesting and what was the best advice. I said ‘what is my role now’ and where can I add the best value.

“When we were seeing the cases come in and death toll rising, it was a case of thinking what do we do and how do we stop the spread.

“What were the key messages and making sure we were giving the best and clearest advice we possibly could and at the time what we knew.

“I’d try and have breaks during the day and try to see the family buy it was a 24-7 ability to be able to respond.

“It has a personal impact – I wanted to make sure I kept myself as fit and healthy as possible.

“When we were doing the second Operation Eagle during February half term, a quote from my then seven year old daughter was “Does this mean we are not going to see daddy again this week?

“Hearing that from your daughter does have an impact. We are all human.”

Walsall enjoyed success in terms of an uptake in Covid vaccinations – which Mr Gunther again attributed to partnership working between agencies and the community – and he added a lot of what has been learned during that time is shaping other health issues.

Positives include an increase in MMR vaccinations after the numbers tumbled in the past few years and a reduction in teenage pregnancies.

Clear strategies are also in place to tackle issues such as infant mortality, mental health wellbeing, TB, sustainable and affordable healthy food and reducing inequalities.

Mr Gunther said: “I’m sad to be leaving Walsall because it has been a fantastic place with fantastic people.

“It’s a borough of two halves. You have the affluent areas against more diverse and deprived areas. You’ve got to really understand the differences across the borough.

“And there are significant differences and inequalities and that is the raison d’etre of a DPH – to look at inequalities, reduce them and make sure we’re putting our energy and effort into those who need it the most.

“In my time here, we really have focussed those who are the most vulnerable. We have lots of great projects, campaigns and support services for those who need them. We have seen some improvement.

“I’m really proud of the public health team for what they’ve achieved and their resilience through Covid and beyond.

“They continue to do an incredible job, whether it’s Covid, Bird Flu or Strep A – all those things that have been thrown at the team in a really short space of time.

“You never know what is going to come along and the team always responds in a professional, diligent way.

“A lot of things the team does improves the wellbeing of the population and the population don’t necessarily see it.

“The team make my life easy and we’ve got fantastic officers and partners across the borough whilst I’ve loved working with members.

“But the opportunity for Stoke-on-Trent came up with a different, broader portfolio and the real important thing is it’s a new challenge.”