This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the February 2010 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six ke areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the January 2010 issue here

Self Care for You is a 9 hour free course funded by the Department of Health. Covering 6 activities designed to support you to improve your health and change your lifestyle, this course will make your life sing!!
improve your confidence levels, learn about nutrition & exercise, manage stress and more!

The forum's next meeting is Feb 5th 10am till 12 at St Judes Church Laygate, South Shields

Agenda: Council Funding (see below)

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the November 2009 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the December 2009 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the October 2009 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the September 09 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the August 09 issue here

National Primary Care Research and Development Centre
Current awareness bulletin for May-June 2009
This bulletin, produced by the Library & Information Services at NPCRDC, is an extensive collection of references, including abstracts, of recently published research articles on a wide range of primary care topics:

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the July bulletin here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the June bulletin here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the May bulletin here

The Equity Update newsletter for March 2009, vol.3(1), contains the latest news from the Field.

The Cochrane Health Equity Field is part of the Cochrane Collaboration.
The Cochrane Collaboration's purpose is to ensure that relevant, accurate, and current research about health interventions is available worldwide. Cochrane contributors conduct and distribute systematic reviews (available full-text in the Cochrane Library via NHS Evidence national library for health).

The Cochrane Health Equity Field encourages authors of both Campbell and Cochrane reviews to include explicit descriptions of the effect of the interventions not only on the whole population but to describe their effect upon the disadvantaged and/or their ability to reduce socio-economic inequalities in health and to promote their use to the wider community.

For more information on the Field, the Cochrane Collaboration or the Campbell Collaboration, visit the Cochrane Health Equity Field website.

The May 2009 newsletter is now available on the NHS Evidence national library for public health website

Archived newsletters are now at:
http://www.library.nhs.uk/publichealth/page.aspx?pagename=NEWSLETTER

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the March bulletin here

The April 2009 newsletter is now available on the NLH Public Health Specialist Library website or you can download it here.

Archived newsletters are now at:
http://www.library.nhs.uk/PUBLICHEALTH/ViewResource.aspx?resID=313467

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the April bulletin here

Success in achieving current national targets for reducing health inequalities will be evaluated in 2010. 2010 is almost upon us and the Government has recently announced a major review of health inequalities.

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the January bulletin here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the December bulletin here

Gateshead has had a Healthy Communities Collaborative (HCC) since 2001, working to reduce falls and promote access to a healthy and affordable diet. In June 2007, Gateshead was invited to take part as one of ten, first wave sites in England in the promotion of earlier presentation of the symptoms of breast, bowel and lung cancer. Their findings are now available in an interim report.

Download Interim Report: HCC Interim Report July 08. Word: 4,453KB

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the November bulletin here

Measuring material deprivation among older people: Methodological study to revise the Family Resources Survey questions
Department for Work and Pensions, October 2008
Working Paper No. 54
by Stephen McKay

This report details findings from new quantitative work on what are regarded as necessary items for older people, as well as new cognitive testing work to better understand how to ask older people about material deprivation.
Read the report here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the October 2008 bulletin here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the September 2008 issue here

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.

Read the August 2008 bulletin here

The bulletin is produced collaboratively by the Health Improvement Library, the Primary Care Library, St Helens Health Partnership and Halton Health Promotion Service.

“Average life expectancy is rising and the health of the population is improving both locally and nationally. However, major health inequalities endure. For most of the population of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland, the gap in average life expectancy between the local population and England as a whole – roughly 2 years – is wider now than it was in 1996.

In a new national report, “Health Inequalities - Progress and Next Steps”, the Government outlines its approach to hit its 2010 Health Inequalities targets, assessing what has and hasn’t worked, and setting the direction of travel beyond 2010

Download “Health Inequalities – Progress and Next Steps” from the Department of Health website.

The third issue of the electronic newsletter from the Centre for Health Economics (CHE), at the University of York, is available at: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/che/pdf/chenewsapril08.pdf

Contents include:
* Measuring health outcomes - putting theory into practice
* Assessing the challenges of applying standard methods of economic
evaluation to public health interventions
* Publications list

Tackling health inequalities: 2007 Status Report on the Programme for Action. Department of Health, March 2008

The status report provides a review of developments against the data since the publication of the Programme for Action in 2003. It considers progress against the Public Service Agreement (PSA) target, the national headline indicators and against government commitments. The report highlights the challenging nature of the health inequalities PSA target for 2010.
Download 2007 status report

The North East Teaching Public Health Network (NETPHN) invite you to attend their Inaugural Conference “NETPHN: Helping Bridge the Health Inequalities Gap”

Wednesday 30th January 2008 at the Sunderland Marriott Hotel

No Conference Fee

Download further information and a conference booking form now:

NETPHN: Helping Bridge the Health Inequalities Gap Invite, MS Word 959KB

Health inequality target monitoring: update to include data for 2006

These reports summarise progress against Department of Health inequality targets for 2010 in the following areas: Infant mortality; life expectancy at birth for males and for females; cancer (premature mortality rate) and all circulatory diseases (premature mortality rate).

Published 14 December 2007, Department of Health

Tackling health inequalities: 2004-06 data and policy update for the 2010 national target

This document provides an update on progress to meet the health inequalities national target to reduce the gap as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy, by 10% by 2010. It includes an assessment of whether the 70 spearhead area local authorities, which map to 62 PCTs, are on track to meet the life expectancy target.

Published 14 December 2007, Department of Health

This consultation period has now closed.

Health inequalities can exist in many dimensions including ethnicity, age, gender, geography and socioeconomic status. The causes and definitions of such health inequalities are complex. Inequalities in health or outcomes such as life expectancy and ill health can be investigated along four broad themes:

• wider determinants of health such as employment, education, housing and environment;
• lifestyles or health behaviours such as smoking, drinking and sexual behaviour;
• secondary prevention e.g. screening, early treatment of conditions to prevent deterioration;
• access to services such as health and social care. Equity of access means equal access,
equal need, where need relates to the level of illness.

This monthly bulletin covers national, regional and local (St Helens & Halton) news, events and other relevant information which relate to the six key areas of the 'Choosing Health' white paper, and some wider public health information.
Read the August issue here

The bulletin is produced collaboratively by the Health Improvement Library, the Primary Care Library, St Helens Health Partnership and Halton Health Promotion Service.

This publication brings together a range of indicators of health outcomes related to cancer in Gateshead. It also summarises trends in the uptake of screening programmes. The chapter is part of the 2005 Gateshead Compendium of Health Related Statistics.

Download Chapter 3 Cancer

Tackling health inequalities: status report on the programme for action – 2006 update of headline indicators
Department of Health, 2006
Download report

This update provides a review of headline indicators since the publication of Tackling Health Inequalities: Status Report on the Programme for Action in 2005

Communities for health: learning from the pilots.
Department of Health, Februrary 2007
Best practice guidance
Download report

Learning case examples and best practice from the pilot areas of Communities for Health. These pilots detail how communities have addressed a wide range of health issues and tackled health inequalities. Rural and urban deprived areas have worked to address obesity, healthy eating, mental health and sexual health.

Second Choosing Health progress report
Department of Health, October 2006
Download report (84 pages)

Tabular report in topic sections showing Commitment/Action achieved in May 2006 report; Commitment/Action achieved in this report; Commitment/Action still outstanding

Factsheets covering specific topics on health improvement including the Public Service Agreement target areas specifically associated with the achievement of improvement of overall public health, and the reduction of health inequalities.

Download factsheets file
Contains the following 13 factsheets:

Alcohol misuse
Helping children and young people lead healthy lives
Diet and nutrition
Health inequalities
Health, work and well being
Obesity
Physical actvity
Sexual health
Tobacco
Workforce
Mental health
Social marketing
Local government & communities

or download individual factsheets from the Department of Health web site at:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4139513

The Citizens Council of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) met in London on 8-10 June 2006 to discuss health inequalities. The Council has now produced a report of their meeting, which they will present at the NICE Board meeting in November 2006.
The report is open to public comment until 17 October 2006 - please let NICE know what you think of the report by completing the questionnaire - this and the report are on the NICE web site at:
http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=355633

(It's an interesting and very readable report - SA)

Making a difference. Tackling poverty - a progress report.
Department for Work and Pensions, March 2006

Download report (38 pages)

Health equity audit - learning from practice briefing.
NICE, February 2006
(Commissioned by Health Development Agency)

Download briefing (32 pages)

Summary of intelligence:

Inequalities

Publications from NICE Public Health Excellence, December 2005:

Housing and public health: a review of reviews of interventions for improving health - Evidence briefing
(66 pages)

Download briefing

Housing and public health: a review of reviews of interventions for improving health - Evidence briefing summary
(4 pages)

Download summary

Mark Lambert video contribution now available for viewing.

View Mark Lambert video: (hi-band - windows media - 11mins)

There's an interesting article, looking at the evidence of the impact on health of regeneration, in the new issue of Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, February 2006, vol.60(2), p.108-122.

Do urban regeneration programmes improve public health and reduce health inequalities? A synthesis of the evidence from UK policy and practice (1980-2004)
Hilary Thomson, Rowland Atkinson, Mark Petticrew, Ade Kearns

Available in the library at Team View, Gateshead PCT
Email: HILS@ghpct.nhs.uk

There's an interesting article, looking at the evidence for impact on health of regeneration, in the new issue of Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, February 2006, vol.60(2), p.108-122.

Do urban regeneration programmes improve public health and reduce health inequalities? A synthesis of the evidence from UK policy and practice (1980-2004)
Hilary Thomson, Rowland Atkinson, Mark Petticrew, Ade Kearns

Available in the library at Team View, Gateshead PCT
Email: HILS@ghpct.nhs.uk

Health Inequalities - Rising to the Challenge was published on 27 October 2005 by the Municipal Journal on behalf of the Department of Health inequalities unit, in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Local Government Association.

Download file

Tackling health inequalities: status report on the programme for action.
Department of Health, August 2005

Download file

Tackling Health Inequalities - A Programme for Action. Department of Health, 2003

The key government document on health inequalities

Download file

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/
HealthInequalities/fs/en

This is the link to the section of the Department of Health's web site which focuses on health inequalities and tackling inequality. It includes an introduction to health inequalities and links to strategy, programme for action, status reports and Good Practice tools and resources

Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (Cm 4386, 1999)
http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm43/4386/4386.htm

Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health: Report (Chairman: Sir Donald Acheson) (The Stationery Office, 1998)
http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/ih.htm

Inequalities in Health: The Black Report (Pelican, 1982; originally
DHSS, August 1980)

Copies of these 3 publications are also held in the library at Team View