In the news
FPH comments on the new report on adult obesity trends
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, FPH President, said: “Fundamentally, we need to work together to create opportunities and remove barriers to help people help themselves to better health and wellbeing. A fairer society is a healthier society and an economically stronger society.
17 February 2010
President comments on Marmot Review
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, FPH President, said: “Fundamentally, we need to work together to create opportunities and remove barriers to help people help themselves to better health and wellbeing. A fairer society is a healthier society and an economically stronger society.
11 February 2010
FPH Presidential and Vice-Presidential election results announced
Professor Lindsey Davies will become President of FPH from the AGM in July 2010. Professor Davies is currently interim Regional Director of Public Health London and formerly National Director of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Director of Olympic and Paralympic 2012 Programme at the Department of Health.
The Vice-Presidents will be Dr Steve George and Dr John Middleton, DPH for Sandwell.
The FPH would like to offer its congratulations to Lindsey, Steve and John and would also like to thank the other candidates for participating in this important and close-run election.
29 January 2010
FPH signs a statement on MMR
Today the General Medical Council has announced that Dr Andrew Wakefield, who first suggested a link between MMR vaccine and autism, "failed in his duties as a responsible consultant.”
28 January 2010
MP asks trans fat questions
Following the publication of the FPH manifesto, Michael Meacher MP, has put down two parliamentary questions to the Health Minister in support of the FPH stance on trans fats.
In his blog Meacher said "The President of the UK Faculty of Public Health, Prof. Alan Maryon-Davis, has today asserted that trans fats are much more damaging than saturated fats. Every year more than 140,000 Britons suffer a heart attack from which over half die. So why are trans fats still used?"
25 January 2010
FPH publishes manifesto
With the general election approaching, the Faculty of Public Health, which represents 3,000 leading public health specialists in the UK and around the world, and the Royal Society for Public Health, representing over 6,000 members from a wide range of health-related professions, have published a package of 12 practical recommendations that, if adopted by the next government, will improve the UK’s health and well-being for the new decade.
Read more / Download the manifesto [pdf]
18 January 2010
A message from FPH President regarding Haiti
The scenes of devastation and suffering in Haiti are truly horrific, and the international emergency reponse has been agonisingly slow in getting help through to where it's most needed. But beyond the immediate essentials, with hospitals and health centres wrecked and many staff killed or injured, Haiti will struggle to rebuild its public health infrastructure and services.
This will take time. But the the UK Faculty of Public Health, with over 3000 public health specialists, has expertise and experience which I'm sure could be brought to bear in helping Haiti recover from this dreadful setback. We stand ready, willing and able to help in whatever way we can.
15 January 2010
FPH welcomes Health Select Committee report on Alcohol
The House of Commons Health Select Committee today published their first report of 2010 on Alcohol. The Committee calls for the introduction of minimum pricing, a rise in the duty on spirits and industrial white cider, tighter and totally independent regulation of alcohol promotion, vastly improved alcohol treatment services, better early detection and intervention, a mandatory labelling scheme for alcoholic drinks, and much better use of expert advice.
FPH President Alan Maryon-Davis commented "These are important and timely recommendations. Excessive drinking is massively damaging the nation’s health. We simply cannot afford to pussyfoot around with ineffectual voluntary approaches any longer. Mandatory regulations are needed to control price, availability and marketing. It's time for the Government to get tough on the misuse, and mis-selling, of alcohol."
8 January 2010
Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson to step down
England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson will be stepping down in May 2010, after 12 years of service.
The longest serving Chief Medical Officer of modern times, Sir Liam has led many reforms to the NHS and improvements to the nation’s public health. Some of the major achievements include:
- Smokefree public places and work places
- The creation of the Health Protection Agency
- The introduction of clinical governance in the NHS
- The setting up of the National Patient Safety Agency
- New legislation for research using embryonic cells
- New legislation on consent for removal of organs and tissues
- Action plans in key areas of infectious disease control such as tuberculosis, West Nile fever and health care associated infection
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, FPH President, paid tribute:
"Sir Liam has been a truly innovative and campaigning CMO and rightly deserves to be regarded as one of the greats.
“His push for smoke-free legislation, quality in healthcare, patient safety, sense about MMR, minimum pricing of alcohol, and recently his handling of pandemic flu have, have surely earned him an honoured place in the public health pantheon.
“As a Fellow of our Faculty he has also been a very good friend to FPH and to the development of public health as a profession. We will be sad to see him go."
Sir Liam is the 15th person to take up the independent role since the first Chief Medical Officer was appointed in 1855 as a response to the cholera epidemics that swept Victorian England.
Read more: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/Recentstories/DH_110102
17 December 2009
FPH welcomes the MP vote to ban tobacco displays
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, FPH President, said: "We are delighted with this result. Ending the point-of-sale tobacco displays and getting rid of tobacco machines is the biggest step forward for the nation's health since the smoking ban. This ban will ensure that fewer children will develop a lethal addiction to cigarettes."
21 September 2009
Pandemic Flu Q&A
Q&A with Dr Meirion Evans, Regional Epidemiologist at National Public Health Service Wales and Chair of FPH Health Protection Committee.
21 September 2009
NHS urged to go green to save lives and money
NHS leaders told to join in the fight against climate change. A new handbook, backed by over 20 national organisations, shows how the NHS can make a pivotal difference
18 August 2009
Government action needed to reduce harmful drinking say public sector professionals
A survey of over 1,000 teachers, nurses, doctors, police and public health consultants shows the overwhelming majority wants tougher rules on alcohol.
Leading professional health bodies Alcohol Concern, the UK Faculty of Public Health, the Royal College
of Nursing and the Royal College of Physicians have released today the results of a joint survey on
the Government's proposed code of practice for alcohol sales.
05 August 2009
FPH President responds to the Public Accounts Committee report on health services for alcohol misuse
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health, commented on the publication of the Public Accounts Committee report Reducing Alcohol Harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse.
31 July 2009
FPH welcomes the new salt reduction targets
The Food Standards Agency has published revised salt reduction targets for 2012. These voluntary targets are more challenging than previously, aiming to reduce people’s average salt intake to 6g a day.
19 May 2009
Lords vote to put tobacco out of sight of children
The House of Lords has chosen to put children’s health first by voting to put tobacco out of sight in shops across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The vote to end point of sale displays was won last night by an overwhelming majority of 204 to 110 votes, and will remove tobacco from its prominent position in shops where it is sold alongside sweets and crisps.
7 May 2009
FPH welcomes final report on single scheme for front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) welcomes the final report on nutrition signpost labelling by an independent group of experts, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency and published today. The research shows that shoppers want a simple front-of-pack scheme.
7 May 2009
Influenza A (H1N1) update
The outbreak of influenza A (H1N1), which originated in Mexico, has spread to an increasing number of countries around the world and triggered a major international public health alert.
The pattern of the outbreak is still evolving. Its speed of spread and the dangers it poses are being continuously monitored and evaluated by the WHO and other communicable disease agencies. At present, the onward person-to-person spread of the virus is still fairly slow and the illness itself relatively mild. However, the situation is changing day by day and the true picture has yet to emerge.
In the UK, the four Departments of Health, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Health Protection Scotland are working closely together to monitor developments and to guide the activities of local resilience and response teams throughout the country. Our state of preparedness in the UK is high compared to the rest of the world.
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, President of UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH), says: “Public health specialists are at the forefront of this battle to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure people with flu have access to appropriate treatment. In times of high alert like this, the true value of a well-trained, specialist public health workforce really counts.”
FPH is working to support all those involved in responding to the present threat, at national and local level.
For further information and advice:
- NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx
- HPA: www.hpa.org.uk
For country-specific information:
- Scotland: www.nhs24.com or www.hps.scot.nhs.uk
- Wales: www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk
- Northern Ireland: www.nidirect.gov.uk
Useful websites for health professionals include:
- WHO: www.who.int/en
- European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control: www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/
For media enquiries to FPH, please call Press Officer Suvi Kingsley on 020 7935 3115 (office hours) / 07939 897 448 or email suvikingsley@fph.org.uk .
5 May 2009
FPH statement on the outbreak of swine flu
The outbreak of a human-to-human form of swine flu (H1N1 Influenza A), originating in Mexico, is causing world-wide concern.
The pattern of the outbreak is still evolving. Its speed of spread and the dangers it poses are still being evaluated by global health agencies.
In the UK, the four Departments of Health, the Health Protection Agency (HPA), and Health Protection Scotland are working closely together to monitor developments.
The situation is changing day by day. FPH is working to support public health and health protection colleagues in other organisations who may be involved in responding to the outbreak.
For further information and advice, visit the HPA website: http://www.hpa.org.uk.
28 April 2009
FPH joins campaign to put tobacco out of sight to protect children
FPH is one of a hundred national, regional and local organisations and medical and scientific experts that have signed a full-page advertisement appearing in The Observer urging members of the House of Lords to vote to end tobacco displays in shops and ban sales of tobacco from vending machines.
The Report Stage of the Health Bill starts on 28 April and FPH is urging the Lords to vote to put tobacco out of sight in order to protect children from the eye-catching tobacco displays that are often sited next to the sweet counters in corner shops.
31 April 2009
FPH welcomes a new survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Doctors and nurses on the frontline of the UK’s battle with alcohol-related harm say that not enough is being done to put a stop to today’s binge-drinking culture.
The snapshot survey has found that
- 84% of respondents thought that public health campaigns were not effective
- 73% felt action on low priced alcohol was needed to tackle alcohol related problems
- 90% believed that all alcohol products should be labelled with unit information and
sensible drinking guidelines - 71% believed that greater investment in treatment services was needed
- 81% thought that if alcohol was more expensive, there would be a decrease in consumption
FPH, a member of the Alcohol Health Alliance, supports these findings. President Professor Alan Maryon-Davis comments:
“Hospital staff see at first-hand the damage that alcohol does, particularly to our young people: the trauma, the illnesses, the deaths. We must focus more on prevention, and clamp down on cheap, easily available alcohol.”
For more information please see the RCP’s press release http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/news.asp
8 April 2009
Faculty of Public Health welcomes the launch of the new Care Quality Commission, but warns against sidelining public health
The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) welcomes the creation of the new Care Quality Commission (an amalgamation of the HealthCare Commission (HCC), Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC)). A new report from FPH, released this week to coincide with the launch of the new CQC, looks at the HCC's public health legacy and sets the agenda for the newly formed CQC to ensure that public health will be at the core of the healthcare regulator's work.
1 April 2009
Asylum seekers should be able to access free health treatment, regardless of status
- Appeal Court ruling goes against all principles of protecting and improving public’s health
- Government must address this vulnerable group’s health needs if it is serious about health inequalities
31 March 2009
The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) welcomes the Chief Medical Officer's proposal to introduce a minimum price per unit for alcohol.
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, President of the FPH, says: "Alcohol can and does destroy lives. There are communities across the country suffering from crime, violence and poverty, and it is cheap and readily available alcohol that too often lies at the root of these problems.
Increasing the price of alcohol would have a huge impact on bringing down the cost of alcohol-related illness to the NHS. It would also reduce the social and health inequalities caused by alcohol misuse. These measures would not only benefit the population at large, but would target effectively the most vulnerable groups, the young binge-drinkers and older harmful drinkers.
We should follow the example set by the Scottish government and start putting the public's health and the well-being of our communities before the economic benefits of a thriving alcohol market."
For further information and interviews with Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, please contact the FPH Press Officer Suvi Kingsley on suvikingsley@fph.org.uk / 020 7935 3115 / 07939 897448 (out-of-hours).
16 March 2009
Strategic Health Authority wins praise for fluoride decision
A national alliance of over 60 health organisations, including FPH, has praised South Central Strategic Health Authority for its decision to fluoridate water supplies in Southampton.
5 March 2009
Be Active, Be Healthy
FPH warmly welcomes the Department of Health's new physical activity plan for England, Be Active, Be Healthy'. The plan aims to get two million more people active by the time by 2012, and focuses on everyday activities rather than sport. Among its recommendations are the need to set up a 'world-class delivery infrastructure' for physical activity and a multiagency, multisector Physical Activity Alliance to steer implementation of the plan.
FPH President, Dr Alan Maryon-Davis, commented: 'This plan is good news. It gives us the basic routemap and describes the necessary local infrastructure. But now we need real investment - from the commercial as well as statutory sectors - if we, as a nation, are going to take those first steps - and keep going.'
The report can be downloaded here
4 March 2009
Rebuilding public health in Gaza – a press statement on behalf of the FPH International Committee
Following the destruction and loss of life in Gaza, there is an urgent need to prevent further suffering by providing food, clean water, shelter and essential healthcare. Not only must relief agencies be allowed full and protected access, but concerted international efforts must be brought to bear to help restore Gaza’s devastated infrastructure as soon as possible.
A public health tragedy is unfolding before the eyes of the world and we must all work together with the people of Gaza to rebuild their health system and their lives. The UK FPH is ready to join with other international organisations in helping to make this happen.
Dr Alan Maryon-Davis, President, UK Faculty of Public Health, 30 January 2008
Government's Change4Life campaign for healthier lifestyles
The Faculty of Public Health has welcomed the Government’s ambitious new Change4Life campaign
to create a healthy lifestyles ‘movement’ across the country.
The campaign, with TV, billboard and magazine advertising, is primarily intended to stem the rising
tide of obesity in the next generation and is targeted at families and children. It adopts a ‘social
marketing’ approach – borrowing ideas from other movements such as ‘Make Poverty History’ – and
its messages are based on in-depth analysis of people’s beliefs and behaviour around the health aspects
of eating and exercise.
FPH President Dr Alan Maryon-Davis, an advisor to the national obesity task force, says ‘What I think is different about Change4Life is that it starts from where people are at and aims to be inclusive, informative and supportive rather than finger-wagging and ‘nanny-knows-best’.’
The multi-million pound campaign, which is England only, will also harness the persuasive powers of
big companies like Tesco, Kelloggs and Unilever to bring people on board. ‘I think using food industry
muscle could work well – as long as there are careful checks on how the campaign branding is used,’
says Dr Maryon-Davis. ‘The Government have tried really hard to get this right. So let’s get behind
it and give it the best shot we can. After all, we are pretty well in the last chance saloon with obesity.’
8 January 2009
Budget response
In his first speech as Chancellor, Alistair Darling today announced a rise in the tax on alcohol of 6% above inflation. This is the biggest increase in terms of monetary value since the 1970s. However, public health organisations, including the Faculty of Public Health, don't believe this is enough to have an effect on binge drinking levels.
“It's a good start, but still way short of what's needed to make a real dent in binge drinking” says FPH President Professor Alan Maryon-Davis.
“Current prices are so low that young people can binge for less than the cost of a burger and chips. The Chancellor's tax hike will help to deter some of them some of the time, but needs to go much further to make a real difference.”
See the BBC website for the full article.
12 March 2008
Anti-obesity drugs
The BBC today reported an eight-fold increase in the prescription of anti-obesity drugs in the past seven years. FPH President, Alan Maryon-Davis had this to say...
31 January 2008
"Doctors and other health professionals do not have the time to spend on the in-depth diet and exercise advice that is really needed.
"So my fear is that these drugs of last resort are actually used quite early on. It is too easy to turn to the prescription pad."
See the BBC website for the full article.
Food Labelling
The UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) has expressed its disappointment over the decision by the European Commission to support the use of the ‘guideline daily amount' food labelling system.
31 January 2008
EU backs rival food label scheme
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, of the UK Faculty of Public Health, said:"This is a potential disaster for the health of European consumers.
"The GDA system is too complicated and applies only to adults of average build. But what about everybody else?
"The EU has yet again bowed down to the food industry. We urgently need the much simpler traffic-light system to help us make healthier choices."
See the BBC website for the full article.
Related items:
- FPH supports new fat fighting strategy (press release 24/01/08)
Climate Change
29 January 2008
Climate Change Health Catastrophe Warning: Climate change could lead to a "global public
health catastrophe", according to the president of the faculty of public health, Dr Alan Maryon-Davis.
Dr Maryon-Davis is one of the speakers at an international conference on climate change, to be held
at the Royal College of Physicians.
He said: "As a health and healthcare community we must use our knowledge, skills, influence and networks
as urgently and effectively as possible to reduce its impact...
See www.staffnurse.com for the full article
Related items:
- Climate change: health sector must lead by example (press release 22/01/08)
- Sustaining a Healthy Future - take action on climate change (FPH guide 22/01/08)
