"I love it here - why would I leave?"

Thursday 08 July 2021

Guernsey's Director of Public Health has quashed speculation that she is leaving the island.

Dr Nicola Brink said the support she, her family and the wider Public Health team have received from the community throughout the pandemic means everything to her.

However, rumours have been spread recently that she was planning to leave the island, which her family has made its home since 2003. 

Responding on Twitter, the Public Health Director said she was aware of "a number of rumours" circulating, but that they "are absolutely not true".

Speaking further on the subject to Express, she said: "It is inevitable from time to time that you do get approached by other organisations. But 100%, I love living in Guernsey and I love my job. The support we have had from the community has been fantastic. Why would I want to leave?"

Pictured: Dr Brink has become one of Guernsey's most recognisable public servants in the last 18 months. 

When asked, Dr Brink said approaches have been made to her "throughout the course of the pandemic", but that she has no plans to leave the Bailiwick.

Born and educated in South Africa, Dr Brink was presenting research about HIV and Aids at an international conference in Berlin in 1990 when she was approached by the Professor of Virology at University College Hospital.

He was so impressed with her work that a joint clinical and senior lecturer position was carved out just for her at the London-based hospital. 

Dr Brink spent 13 years at the teaching hospital before moving over with her husband in 2003 to take up a position in the local clinical HIV and hepatology service at the Orchard Centre.

I am aware that there are a number of rumours circulating that I am leaving Guernsey. This is absolutely NOT true. I love living and working here and am so grateful to all the islanders who have welcomed and supported me. So I am afraid you are stuck with me!

— Nicola Brink MBE (@DrNicolaBrink) July 8, 2021

She went on to become a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and took on the Director of Public Health position in 2018. 

Since taking up that post, her team has been working on programmes to eradicate Hepatitis-C and cervical cancer in Guernsey, with the introduction of free cervical screening one of the measures taken to help accelerate that process.

While the pandemic response has been at the forefront of people's minds, Dr Brink said that work - which she is passionate about - has continued to progress in the last 12 months.