Public Health

Question 1

Current public health headlines in the UK?

Answer 1

• britain is the most obese nation in England
• increasing rates of STIs
• increased numbers of problem drug users
• increased levels of harm from alcohol
• increased health inequalities between rich and poor

Question 2

Overall strategy of healthy lives, healthy people?

Answer 2

• place communities at the heart of their public health by ending central control and giving government freedom, responsibility and funding to innovate and develop own ways of improving public health
• providing financial incentives to reward progress on improving health and reducing inequalities
• introducing a new dedicated public health service Public Health England
• promoting innovation by working with industry and other partners

Question 3

Policy commitments of Healthy Lives, Healthy People

Answer 3

LAs have responsibilities, not NHS

• responsibility for public health locally to improve health and wellbeing
• allocate ring-fenced budgets for public health
• established health and wellbeing boards to co-ordinate services
• responsible for commissioning of public health services - e.g. pharmacy services like smoking cessation

Question 4

What else was implemented as a result of healthy lives, healthy people?

Answer 4

• local authorities are nationally supported by a new public health service - Public Health England (part of the DH, ring fenced funding from NHS)
• evidence based public health, established a School for Public Health Research

Question 5

Why was public health england established?

Answer 5

to bring together public health specialists from over 70 organisations into a single service

• it is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care
• 8 local centres across 4 regions (nort, south, midlands and east, London)
• employs 5500 staff, mostly scientists, researchers and public health professionals

Question 6

Implications of Health Lives, Healthy People on pharmacy?

Answer 6

• can utilise strengths to promote health living: pharmacies are accesible, no need for appointments, relaxed atmosphere and private areas
• develop services
• collect evidence of impact of pharmacy on public health

Question 7

Place of the national government in the public health system?

Answer 7

responsible for national strategy, legislation and policy on the public’s health and other decisions that influence the wider determinants of health

Question 8

Place of the local government in the public health system?

Answer 8

responsible for improving the health of the people in their area, addressing the full range of factors determining good health and developing healthy and sustainable communities

Question 9

Place of the NHS in the public health system?

Answer 9

responsible for supporting patients to live more healthily, as well as delivering health improvement interventions such as health checks and support to stop smoking.

also delivers specific public health services such as vaccinations and screening

Question 10

Place of Public Health England in the public health system?

Answer 10

• protects the country from threats to health, including outbreaks of infectious disease and environmental hazards
• improves public’s health and wellbeing
• improves population health through sustainable health and care services
• build capacity and capability of the public health system

Question 11

Strategic plan for Public Health England?

Answer 11

• country kept safe from threats
• scientists are providing expert advice to government, NHS and public based on own evidence and expertise
• improving health outcomes
• prevention is core to government’s agenda
• demonstrate effectivenss and efficiency
• early intervention and prevention is an integral part of tackling NHS’s current challenges
• regarded as the go-to partner for authorities and NHS

Question 12

Public health services commissioned to pharmacy?

Answer 12

• weight management
• smoking cessation
• alcohol interventions
• sexual health
• health checks/vascular risk
• cancer screening and detection
• immunisation programmes

Question 13

What is the healthy living pharmacy framework?

Answer 13

a tiered commissioning framework aimed at achieving consistent delivery of a broad range of high quality services through community pharmacies to meet local need, improving the health and wellbeing of the local population and helping to reduce health inequalities”

Question 14

What is a healthy living pharmacy?

Answer 14

demonstrates consistent, high quality delivery of services e.g. smoking cessation, weight management, EHC, chlamydia screening, MURs

Question 15

Evidence supporting healthy living pharmacies?

Answer 15

indication that HLPs have higher productivity and higher quality services