The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other Arms Length Bodies, the Department of Health and the Devolved Administrations. The Agency was established as a special health authority (SpHA) in 2003.
The HPA has a large network of approximately 3000 staff based at three major centres (Colindale, Porton and Chilton) and regionally and locally throughout England. There is a small central office based in London. The Agency works closely with locally based colleagues employed within the Devolved Administrations.
The Centre for Infections at Colindale is the base for communicable disease surveillance and specialist microbiology. The Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards is based at Chilton and the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, focusing on applied microbiological research and emergency response, is based at Porton.