Sir – I got to know Alex Gatherer in the 1980s when I was health correspondent for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times and in the 1990s as adviser to the Oxfordshire Department of Public Health when he was director.
Your obituary underplays his role in forging links between the NHS and local councils to develop and implement a coherent public health strategy.
He supported Oxford to become a leading city (and Oxfordshire to become a leading county) in the fight against Aids, in developing policies for smoke-free public places and in highlighting inequalities in health related to income, social status and ethnicity.
Dr Gatherer and his colleagues in health and local government put their belief in collective public health policies into practice.
By reaching out to local councils, they gave their actions greater authority and credibility. Dr Gatherer was capable of inspiring people to make a difference.
His vision of a public health movement contrasts with the current trend to simply issue top-down advice and to turn health into a private responsibility.
He and his generation have a lot to teach us.
Peter McIntyre, Oxford
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