England's ravaged public health system just can't cope with the coronavirus | Gabriel Scally

On top of huge cuts, regional bodies have also been decimated in the past 10 years. It's left us ill-prepared for a crisis like this

• Gabriel Scally is a former regional director of public health

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About 20 years ago I was sitting with my family in a small cafe in the village of Trefin in west Wales. Apart from a small number of family groups, there was a large table with eight elderly women sitting around it. They were chatting and I was paying no attention until my ears pricked up on hearing the term "Spanish flu". Fortunately the table was large, and their voices loud, so I was able to follow most of the discussion.

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