Message from the President 

Fellowship Awards Luncheon

On Monday 18 December 170 new Fellows of the Faculty were honoured at an Awards Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel off London's Grovesnor Square. I said at the end of the ceremony that seeing the pride and sense of achievement in so many faces as I shook hands with them was an experience I will treasure.

The awards were followed by this year's Annual Public Health Lecture, given by Baroness Julia Neuberger. In her address on mental health, Baroness Neuberger challenged the Faculty and its members to take action on behalf of the 16% of UK citizens who battle the effects of mild and moderate depression.

England - workforce update

In December's edition of ph.com I set out the Faculty's concerns about the way that the Commissioning a Patient-led NHS reorganisation in England is developing. Since that article, I have met with the Chief Medical Officer for England and the Department of Health, examined data from members who are facing changes to their employment, and discussed our concerns with other organisations, including the BMA and the Association of Directors of Public Health.

To get a full picture of the problems currently facing members, we will be running a repeat survey in early January. The survey will be sent to all members in England, and will include a more detailed update on action taken by the Faculty on behalf of its members in England. If you work in the NHS in England please look out for the survey and get it back to us as quickly as you can.

I am sorry to lay this burden on you so soon in the new year. The past year has been long and difficult for many and hopefully by the time the survey arrives you will all have had a good holiday, enjoyed the festivities that you value and be ready for the next year.

We will continue to work to make it a better year than the last!

Rod Griffiths,
President

Faculty guidelines for NHS consultant staffing

Adequate specialist public heath staffing is essential to achieving the ambitious targets for improving health and reducing health inequalities set by the Government. In spite of this, overall consultant numbers, which have remained static since 1998, look set to decline as a direct consequence of the current restructuring of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts in England.

This clearly makes neither health nor economic sense, and the Faculty has issued guidelines to assist chief executives and directors of public health make adequate provision to meet the public health challenges that they face.

These Guidelines NHS Consultant Staffing for England can be viewed in full on the Faculty website.

Public health reps for NICE review panels

NICE is currently seeking public health representatives to sit on its review panels. Each panel reviews about four or five complete guidelines each year, and about the same number of scopes for guidelines.

Panel members may be asked to look at guidelines on any clinical topic. The work is usually by e-mail and teleconference. There are also three meetings each year where members of all the panels meet together in London.

Further information can be found in the NICE guidance [Word] for members. If you would like to be nominated by the Faculty contact lindseystewart@fph.org.uk by Tuesday 2 January 2006.

Public health in NHS research spotlight

The NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme is inviting proposals for research into some of the most pressing health issues facing the NHS. Topics advertised cover a broad range of health areas, including public health matters such as:

• obesity prevention in children;
• drop-in centres for promoting sexual health;
• behavioural approaches to preventing STIs;
• and interventions to help overweight adults maintain weight loss.

To view the full list of topics, commissioning briefs, the application form and associated guidance notes visit the HTA programme website at www.hta.ac.uk/calls.

The deadline for applications is 1pm on Wednesday 7 February 2007. All proposals received will be considered by the HTA Commissioning Board at its July 2007 meeting.

Prioritising Health Services - Conference

The Faculty is sponsoring a one-day conference aimed at bringing together public health practitioners who have an interest in health service provision and quality. Prioritising Health Services - Threats and Opportunities will take place on the 26 April 2007 in Birmingham.

The conference supports the need for greater public health engagement in priority setting, commissioning and quality assurance in the context of healthcare provision within NHS organisations.

Further information is available on the Faculty's conference website.

National Salt Awareness Week 2007

Consensus Action on Salt and Health will be holding its 8th National Salt Awareness Week from 29 January – 4 February 2007. The main theme for the day will be the progress that has been made in terms of salt reduction and labelling in the last 10 years and what consumers can do to lower their salt intake.

Health professionals throughout the country are encouraged to put on their own display or event, so if you would be interested in ordering resources please go to www.actiononsalt.org.uk.

 

Faculty Closing Times

The Faculty will be closed over the festive period from 12 noon on Friday 22 December until 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2007.

Events

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS IN HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
18 January 2007
London
Local Government Chronicle in association with Health Service Journal and the Association of Director's of Public Health

For further information see www.lgc-healthandsocialcare.co.uk

 

WORKSHOP ON DEVELOPING THE ROLE OF SCIENTISTS AS ADVOCATES OF PUBLIC HEALTH
8 February 2007
London
Population Health Sciences Research Network
For further information, contact Claire MacEvilly on comms.sec@mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk or Tel 01223 426356

 

KEY ADVANCES: THE THREAT OF PANDEMIC INFLUENZA
12 February 2007
London
Royal Society of Medicine
For further information see the RSM Website

 

POVERTY & MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION: addressing inequalities in health through linking evidence, policy and practice in an interactive, multidisciplinary conference
Tuesday 13 February 2007
York

For further information contact Linda Baillie - 01904 321679 - lb504@york.ac.uk

 

DIABETES IN PREGNANCY: Are we providing the best care?
Findings of a national enquiry
Sheffield: 26 February 2007
Birmingham: 27 February 2007
London: 1 March 2007
Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health
For further information see the CEMACH website

 

MINAP: from national audit to research
27 March 2007
Royal College of Physicians, London
For further information see the RCP website

PRIORITISING HEALTH SERVICES - THREATS & OPPORTUNITIES
26 April 2007
Birmingham
For further information see the Faculty of Public Health conference website.

 

RESEARCHING SYMPTOMS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
22 May 2007
Keele University, Staffordshire
For further information, please see the Keele University website.

 

MAKING PUBLIC HEALTH WORK
Faculty's Annual Conference
26-28 June 2007
Eastbourne
For further information see the Faculty of Public Health conference website.

 

TOWARDS A SMOKEFREE SOCIETY: Science, policy and implementation
10& 11 September 2007
Edinburgh
NHS Health Scotland, the Scottish Executive, European Commission
For further information see www.smokefreeconference07.com

 

PATIENT SAFETY RESEARCH - Shaping the European agenda
24-26 September 2007
Porto, Portugal
UK Faculty of Public Health, University College London, WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety
For further information see www.patientsafetyresearch.org