New Year's honour for Dr Anthony Hill... MBE!

Dr Anthony Hill, 60, worked in public health for 33 years prior to his retirement as Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health in October.

Speaking to the Leader on Friday, Dr Hill said it was a ‘complete surprise’ 
to receive news of the prestigious award a couple of weeks ago.

The first he knew about it was when he received a letter from the Cabinet Office to ask whether he would accept the award – and Dr Hill gratefully accepted.

He said: “It was a complete surprise – I had absolutely 
no idea!

“I am very pleased, and I’ve been told I will be invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the honour at some point in the next six months, which will be lovely.”

Although Dr Hill was not told who had nominated him for the MBE, he suspects that some of his former colleagues may have been behind it.

He said: “If this is the case then it is gratifying and pleasing to know that they consider me worthy.

“My achievements in public health have always been the result of successful work as a team.

“I have always had very good teams of people, and I feel that perhaps I am reflecting in their glory a bit!”

Dr Hill, who moved from his previous home in Market Rasen to Louth around 10 years ago, was the Director of Health for Lincolnshire County Council for three 
years until his retirement in October 2016.

This followed the 
transfer of public health responsibilities from the former Primary Care Trust (NHS Lincolnshire) where he had held the same role.

Earlier in his career, Dr Hill was a hospital doctor and general practitioner after training in Dundee, before becoming a public health consultant with Somerset Health Authority 
in 1987.

He later became Director of Public Health at South Humber Health Authority from 1996 until 2002, and Director of Public Health for both North East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and North 
Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust until March 2007.

Subsequently, he was the Executive Director of Public Health for the NHS and Council in North East Lincolnshire.

Although Dr Hill has stepped down from these top roles, he says he still has ‘a lot of public health work to do’ including consultancy work.

“I am going to keep going as long as I can and keep my mind active – I want to get on in the next few months,” he said.

Dr Hill is also the vice-chairman of the University Council at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, in addition to being one of the key members behind the formation of a new charity – the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctors Project – which will support refugee doctors through the bureaucracy involved in getting back to working in the field.

In retirement, Dr Hill has been able to spend more time with his wife Peta, his four grown-up children, and his garden and allotment.