From the President
Welcome to April's ebulletin.
March was a particularly challenging month at St Andrew's Place as we developed our position on the responsibility deal, worked on the programme for our July conference and finalised our responses to Healthy Lives, Healthy People and other key consultations.
I am enormously grateful to everyone who has contributed to the discussions and to the drafting – and redrafting. It has been a huge effort and I really hope the responses have the impact they should on the emerging public heath system.
Hope won't be enough, though, for this public heath issue any more than it is for any other. Our next steps must be to use the themes in our responses to shape and inform discussions, nationally and locally. The FPH officers and staff and I will do what we can nationally – but local discussions are just as important. Please let us know if you need help with these at any stage.
The Health and Social Care Bill is making slow progress in the Commons and we expect there to be much more debate – and, we hope, some changes – in the Lords. The events in Japan this month have demonstrated only too clearly the importance of an expert and resilient public health system, not only in Japan itself but also here in the UK where the HPA responded with awesome efficiency, putting in place real-time modelling remarkably quickly to support the government's national response to the radiation risk.
As I have mentioned before, one of the pleasing spin-offs from the discussions on the various white papers has been the joint working between national public health organisations. FPH is deeply committed to the continuing development of public health as a strong, multidisciplinary profession – now more important than ever, as the current English context demonstrates – and inter-group discussions are making a big difference.
Most recently, building on a discussion at the Public Health Workforce Advisory Group (now confirmed as the professional advisory group for the developing national public health workforce strategy), FPH, UKPHR and RSPH have agreed to work together on regulation in public health. Read the joint statement. This is a very welcome development and we will be setting up a time-limited working group to take things forward, drawing on expertise from all four UK nations.
For the moment, though, I hope many of you, like me, will be able to take some time during April for rest and recreation. Our health and well-being is important, too!
Lindsey
FPH news
Government proposals may not be so good for the public's health
Lack of clarity and detail in the Government's public health white paper, Healthy Lives, Healthy People, could lead to failure in tackling the big public health challenges, says FPH, and may not be so good for the public's health.
FPH has published its response to the Government's proposed reforms to public health, Healthy Lives, Healthy People, which sees the establishment of Public Health England (PHE) and the proposed move of directors of public health (DPHs) to local authorities.
Despite months of consultation and discussion, the white paper still fails to set out a clear vision for public health, in particular, the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of those with the power to change the public's health, and the structure of PHE.
And it fails to recognise the vitally important contribution public health expertise makes to the planning, commissioning and evaluation of health services for local people – even more important with the move to GP commissioning consortia.
Of key concern is the very real danger that, if the proposals go through unchanged, directors of public health – who make life and death decisions about the health of their local communities – may not be required to have any public health training at all.
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Trainer award
Please be aware that the deadline for nominations for the 2011 FPH Trainer Award is 1 May 2011.
This award aims to celebrate those Educational Supervisors who demonstrate educational impact, exceptional commitment and/or innovation to the specialty in their remit as a trainer not just to individual registrars who need extra support but to the wider training community.
Please see the FPH faculty prizes page for further details and the nomination form. Nominations should be submitted to educ@fph.org.uk
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Public Health Innovation and Ideas - call for ideas
Current challenges facing public health require new and innovative ways of thinking.
For the first time, a Public Health Innovation and Ideas session at the FPH conference on 4 July 2011, University of Birmingham, provides an opportunity for you (either individually or in teams) to present your innovative ideas for improving public health.
This will encourage further development of the idea, allow the innovation to spread and provide access to networks with expertise to aid implementation.
A rigorous process of selection will identify the best ideas for presentation to a distinguished public health panel and a national audience.
There will also be a prize from FPH for the best idea.
Please complete the application form and send it to Suchi Yarlagadda, Specialty Registrar Public Health at s.yarlagadda@nhs.net
Last date for submission of ideas is 7 May, 2011.
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In the next edition of the Journal of Public Health
Researchers have found that bad diet is the most serious drain on the NHS in the UK compared to physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol.
In 2006/07, poor diet-related ill health cost the NHS £5.8 billion. The cost of physical inactivity was £0.9 billion, smoking £3.0 billion and alcohol £3.8 billion.
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FPH Annual General Meeting
Members are given advanced notice of FPH's AGM which this year will take place at the annual conference at 5.15pm on Monday 4 July 2011 at the University of Birmingham.
All members are invited to attend.
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Public health white paper – online resource
For up-to-the minute information on FPH's work on and response to the public health white paper, Healthy Lives, Healthy People, and other related consultations, including press releases, letters and replies, as well as responses to previous consultation documents visit the White Paper page on the FPH website.
We also want to hear your thoughts/views/comments. Send them to: whitepaper@fph.org.uk
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Continuing Professional Development reminder for all FPH members
The deadline for submitting CPD returns for 2010 (or applications for exemption) was 31 March 2011. If you have not already done so please submit your 2010 CPD return to FPH as soon as possible.
All FPH members must meet minimum CPD requirements in order to remain in good standing, either by submitting an annual return or by ensuring that FPH has formally agreed to the reasons for your exemption.
Submit a return at the FPH CPD Portfolio and Online Diary page. If you have any queries about the completion of your return or your application for exemption, please contact cpd@fph.org.uk
If you wish to discuss your CPD requirements, please contact your regional/country CPD co-ordinator.
Public health news
New opportunities for public health commissioners to work with voluntary and community organisations
The London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) is alerting public health commissioners to the On the Radar project. This is intended to result in a database of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations that deliver public health services in London to be used by commissioners appointing new health service contracts.
The project will also enable London's public health commissioners to identify gaps in services and new development opportunities for VCS organisations.
Interested individuals should contact research@lvsc.org.uk to get involved in the project.
In this issue:
From the President
FPH news
FPH events
Public health news
FPH in the news
Public health events
FPH 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Lansley keynote speaker at FPH conference
We are delighted to announce that our keynote speaker at the FPH Annual Conference will be the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley.
Mr Lansley will share with delegates his assessment of progress so far in achieving his vision for public health and the challenges to seeing it through to completion.
The conference, entitled Public Health in a Changing World, will take place on 4 July at the University of Birmingham.
You can register or read more on our conference webpage or contact Karen Tidy at karentidy@fph.org.uk or on 020 7935 3115.
FPH in the news
Government's public health responsibility deal is met with scepticism
BMJ
More health bodies criticise Government deal with industry
Telegraph
Nottinghamshire women in high-profile roles - discussion with Lindsey Davies
BBC Radio 4
Government's tobacco plan - debate with Alan Maryon-Davis
Sky News
Public health events
For more information on any of these events please visit the FPH events website
Having Babies at Older Ages
Date: 05 April 2011
Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Wolfson Institute, Charterhouse Square, London
A Smith Institute inquiry into the strengths and weaknesses of the NHS Reform Programme
Date: 06 April 2011
Venue: 3 Albion Place, Leeds, LS1 6JL
The Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Spring Conference
Date: 08 April 2011
Venue: The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Fuse, Knowledge Exchange in Public Health Conference
Date: 11-12 April 2011
Venue: Ramside Hall Hotel, County Durham
Society for Genomic Policy and Population Health Spring Conference and General Meeting
Date: 11 April 2011
Venue: Cardiff University Council Chamber, Cardiff
Hunting for the Causes of Asthma and COPD: An Epidemiologist's Journey
Date: 03 May 2011
Venue: Perrin Lecture Theatre, Whitechapel, London
Public Health Congress
Date: 04-05 May 2011
Venue: Birmingham
Truth, Commerce and the Academy: When Can We Trust Public Health Research?
Date: 17 May 2011
Venue: Perrin Lecture Theatre, Whitechapel, London
Five Nations Health Protection Conference
Date: 17-18 May 2011
Venue: The Quay Hotel and Spa, Deganwy Quay, Conwy, North Wales
A Smith Institute inquiry into the strengths and weaknesses of the NHS Reform Programme - Bristol
Date: 19 May 2011
Venue: Elton Room, Armada House, Telephone Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4BQ
Occupational Asthma Workshop (one-day course)
Date: 24 May 2011
Venue: National Heart and Lung Institute, London SW3
Summer Scientific Meeting 2011
Date: 25-26 May 2011
Venue: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Frederick House, 19 South Frederick Street, Dublin
19th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services
Date: 01-03 June 2011
Venue: Hotel Caribia, Turku, Finland
Birth of a Network: Developing Women's Health Research
Date: 07 June 2011
Venue: Perrin Lecture Theatre, Whitechapel, London
A Smith Institute inquiry into the strengths and weaknesses of the NHS Reform Programme - Manchester
Date: 16 June 2011
Venue: The Conference Hall, Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5DB
The Food for Life Partnership and FPH conference
Date: 22 June 2011
Venue: London
Workshop on Lung Function Tests, Asthma and Work (one-day course)
Date: 24 June 2011
Venue: National Heart and Lung Institute, London SW3
Public Health Cycle Ride
Date: 03 July 2011
Venue: Oxford to London
IEA World Congress of Epidemiology
Date: 07-12 August 2011
Venue: Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Health and Wellbeing – the 21st Century Agenda
Date: 08-09 September 2011
Venue: London
Health Protection 2011
Date: 13-14 September 2011
Venue: Warwick University
Health and Social Care Conference 2011
Date: 14 September 2011
Venue: Central London
Society for Social Medicine 2011 Conference
Date: 14-16 September 2011
Venue: Warwick University
For more information please visit the FPH events website
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