Tracy Daszkiewicz
- Open University
- Manchester University
- Nottingham Trent University
- Hill College
- University of the West of England
- University of Hertfordshire
- Public Health England
- Wiltshire Council (–2020)
- (2022)
Tracy Daszkiewicz (born 17 November 1973)[1] is a Deputy Director of Population Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England. She was formerly the Director of Public Health and Safety for the county of Wiltshire, England, where in 2018 she played a leading role in the response to the Novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.[2][3][4]
Career
She began her career as a health clinic receptionist in Coventry, then undertook a degree in social work with the Open University.[5]
Novichok poisonings
Although she had worked for Wiltshire Council for ten years, she had only been in post as Director of Public Health for three months at the time of the Skripal poisonings in March 2018[4] (she had previously served in the post in an interim role[6]). Her work on the incident, and the subsequent poisonings of Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess (the latter fatal), resulted in her being profiled by The Guardian in January 2019.[7]
She was portrayed by Anne-Marie Duff (and was briefly seen, as herself, in a non speaking role[8]) in the three-part BBC Television drama The Salisbury Poisonings, screened in June 2020,[4] in preparation for which she was "interviewed extensively" by the programme makers.[9] Lawrence Bowen, the series' executive producer, said:[9]
When we met her and spoke to her, we felt that we'd sort of found a core point of view that sort of made sense of all these multiple points of view that we’d discovered in the research.
Daszkiewicz was reported as saying that her character in the series is a composite of many different people who dealt with the aftermath.[10] The series resulted in her receiving renewed media attention, including an interview in The Telegraph, which described her as:[5]
instrumental at every stage following the Skripal poisonings, from the initial response to declaring Salisbury safe.
Later work
She also played a leading role in Wiltshire Council's response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]
In June 2020, she joined Public Health England as Deputy Director of Population Health and Wellbeing for South-West England.[8][12][13]
Awards
Daszkiewicz received an honorary degree from the University of the West of England in 2022.[14]
Personal life
Daszkiewicz is married to Ted (played by William Houston in The Salisbury Poisonings[15]), with three daughters and a son.[5] As of 2020, the couple live near Salisbury.[8]
References
- ^ Companies House
- ^ Morris, Steven; Bannock, Caroline (18 April 2019). "No children or ducks harmed by novichok, say health officials". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ Anderson, Hayley (14 June 2020). "Tracy Daszkiewicz: What happened to Tracy Daszkiewicz Director of Public Health and Safety". Express. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ a b c McIntosh, Steven (14 June 2020). "TV drama revisits Salisbury poison attack 'horror'". BBC News.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Guy (14 June 2020). "How the Salisbury poisonings prepared us for a pandemic". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020.
- ^ "News - Council supports police drug operation". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Morris, Steven (1 January 2019). "'People just want their lives back': Salisbury dreams of a calm 2019". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Episode 3". The Salisbury Poisonings. Episode 3. 16 June 2020. BBC Television. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ a b Griffiths, Eleanor Bley Griffiths. "Who is Tracy Daszkiewicz? Meet Anne-Marie Duff's character in The Salisbury Poisonings". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ @emmavolney (14 June 2020). "The real Tracy Daszkiewicz says her character is a composite of many different people who dealt with the aftermath – Emma Volney, journalist, BBC Wiltshire" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Dunford, Peter (12 March 2020). "Fourth confirmed COVID-19 case in Wiltshire". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ a b Finnis, Alex (14 June 2020). "Meet Tracy Daszkiewicz, the woman the centre of the response to the Salisbury poisonings". iNews. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Trim, Liam (16 June 2020). "7 unanswered questions you will have after The Salisbury Poisonings". Somerset Live. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Honorary Graduates". UWE Bristol. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Meet the cast of The Salisbury Poisonings". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
External links
- Tracy Daszkiewicz on X
- Video of Daszkiewicz presenting a public health report in 2019
- BBC Promo film for The Salisbury Poisonings, with Daszkiewicz interview
- Interviewed by Jenny Hair for 'Her Salisbury Story'