Report from the Director of Health Improvement
Author:Andrew Jones – Director of Health Improvement
Date:04/09/07 / Version:1
Status:Final
Intended Audience: Public Health Division (Intranet)
Meeting Date:SMG 06/09/07
Purpose and Summary of Document:
Purpose – to provide an update report on the work of the Health Improvement Domain
Summary – This report summarises the progress made by the Health Improvement Strategic Management Group in implementing the NPHS national work plan for 07/08. It also highlights relevant issues from the North Wales region in relation to the delivery of NPHS services.
Publication/Distribution:
- Publication in NPHS Document Database (Public Health Strategic Management Group)
- Link from NPHS e-Bulletin
1Work Plan Delivery
1.1Key work in progress
1.1.1Development of the Health Improvement Domain
The Health Improvement Domain Management Group met for the first time on 13June 2007. The minutes of the meeting are attached.
Having accepted the roles of ‘lead consultant’ for the three areas of the domain, the three consultants in public health have taken on responsibility for implementing those work plan actions which had commenced and are currently starting to progress the remaining work planpriorities within each area. The Director of Health Improvement met with the lead consultants in July and a regular schedule of contact is being put in place. Current work in developing the domain includes:
How best to deliver the priority work plan objectives (task and finish groups, roles of ‘specialist practitioners’)
How best to support and engage with the LPHDs/teams. The Director of Health Improvement has held a preliminary meeting with LPHDs (as part of the recent National Forum) and further meetings will be undertaken during the year as plans develop.
- Review of existing workplan objectives
Work is ongoing in consultation with the lead consultants to develop the Job descriptions for the public health practitioner posts to support the domain
1.1.2Communities and Families (lead Dr Sarah Aitken)
Child Poverty Action Plan
- Task and finish group established to oversee the production of action plans for oral health, childhood pedestrian injuries, teenage pregnancy and low birth weight/infant mortality.
- Completed action plans for oral health and child pedestrian injuries submitted to WAG.
1.1.3Influencing Behaviour (lead Dr Julie Bishop)
Tobacco Control
- Task and finish group established to bring together the three components of cessation, prevention and environmental control. First meeting scheduled for the autumn.
Obesity
- Task and finish group under establishment to bring together previous work on nutrition and physical exercise and take forward work plan priorities on Obesity.
1.1.4Economic and Physical Environment (lead Dr Stephen Monaghan)
Sustainable Development
- Task and Finish group is being established to take forward the NPHS Division implementation of Sustainable Development NHS toolkit. First meeting is scheduled for the autumn.
Welsh Backs
- Task and finish group overseeing the implementation of Welsh Backs Project established. Co-ordinator Dr Sally Venn. Additional funding available from WAG. Costed project proposal including temporary staff submitted to Director of Health Improvement for consideration.
Regional Waste Plans
- Task and finish group established (co-ordinated by Dr Angela Tinkler) to provide input to existing Health Impact Assessment exercise and co-ordinate NPHS response to consultation document once received.
1.1.5Directly Managed Services
Smoking Cessation
- Service specification and framework nearing completion for implementation of additional smoking cessation services for pre-operative service, maternity and mental health services. Final report to be submitted to Health Improvement Domain Management Group in September.
- Development of robust plan for use of smoking cessation budget underspend for 07/08 to be approved by Health Improvement Domain Management Group in September.
- Re-launch of AWSCS as ‘Stop Smoking Wales’ arranged for 28th November. Sub group established to oversee re-launch involving Head of Communications.
- Final draft of Annual report to be submitted to Health Improvement Domain Management Group in September.
- Specific guidance provided to WAG during July in relation to a CMO letter on publication of NICE guidance on Varenicline for smoking cessation.
Workplace Health
Detailed review of current position following transfer of service to NPHS completed.
- Review of existing SLA nearing completion including identification of areas requiring further discussion with WAG.
- Director for Health Improvement nominated as lead for Corporate Health Standard for NPHS Division. Position statement including proposal for further implementation to be submitted to Health Improvement Domain Management Group in September.
1.2Unscheduled work undertaken
1.2.1Completed reports:
Current NPHS position on Obesity (circulated to LHBs)
NPHS contribution to Olympics 2012 (submitted to WAG)
1.3Barriers to work plan delivery
- Continued development of the domain and recruitment to key vacancies including Domain general manager and public health practitioner posts.
2Risks
2.1Risks to public health
None known
2.2Risks to the organisation
- Current budget deficit identified in relation routine implementation of Corporate Health Standard Service. Issue brought to attention of WAG. Budgetshortfall identified and request for additional recurring resource to be submitted to WAG for approval.
3Stakeholder Communication and contact
3.1Welsh Assembly Government
Regular update meeting with PHHPD (Chris Tudor Smith) – complete May, June, July.
Invitation to attend PHHPD (Health Improvement Section) management meetings received by Director. Invitation to attend Health Improvement DMG offered to Chris Tudor Smith.
- Meeting with WAG colleaguesto discuss development of Smoking Cessation service including review of draft annual report (July) – complete.
3.2Stakeholders
Strategic meeting with WLGA (Beverley Frowen) – complete. Further meetings scheduled for autumn.
- Attendance at Directors of Public Protection Wales meeting.
4Events and Conferences
4.1Welsh Assembly Government
- Director of Health Improvement (together with National Director and other NPHS colleagues) made a significant contribution to the WLGA ‘Connect 4 Health’ conference in June.
5Research and Development
5.1Reports on new agreed research programmes or projects
- NPHS (through the Health Improvement Domain) has agreed to support the Wales Centre for Health in a European research project entitled DETERMINE: An EU Consortium for Action on Socio-Economic Determinants of Health. DETERMINE will build on and take forward existing work in the area of the social determinants of health and on health inequalities in an EU context, to ensure policy coherence and make concrete, sustainable progress towards policy developments that positively influence social and economic determinants of health.
- Preliminary discussions have taken place to establish a research/evaluation project around the implementation of pre-operative smoking cessation services. The proposal will be further discussed with academic colleagues through PHIRN and a project group will be established. The research project will be funded through the 07/08 under spend from the smoking cessation service budget. WAG have given approval in principal for the under spend to be used in this way.
6Personnel Changes
- Three public health consultants have accepted specialist roles in support of the Health Improvement Domain. Dr Stephen Monaghan has been appointed as the lead consultant on Economic and Physical Environment. Dr Julie Bishop has been appointed as the lead consultant on Influencing Behaviours. Dr Sarah Aitken has been appointed as the lead consultant on Communities and Families. The three lead consultants will be members of the Health Improvement Strategic Management Group and will support the Director of Health Improvement.
- Martha Da Gama Howells has been appointed as a support officer to the National Co-ordinator for Smoking Cessation. Martha joins NPHS on secondment from Welsh Assembly Government.
7NPHS North Wales Region
- A recruitment process to appoint 3 Consultants in Public Health has commenced. The interviews are scheduled for 22 and 23 October.
Author: Andrew Jones
Director of Health Improvement / Date: 04/09/07 / Status: Approved
Version: 1 / Page: 1 of 7 / Intended Audience: Public
Public Health Division – Velindre NHS Trust / Report from the Director of Health Improvement
Author: Andrew Jones
Director of Health Improvement / Date: 04/09/07 / Status: Approved
Version: 1 / Page: 1 of 7 / Intended Audience: Public