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
Continue reading "CHE (Centre for Health Economics) news - April 2008" »
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
Continue reading "An Invitation from the North East Teaching Public Health Network" »
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.
Continue reading "Invitation to Submit Evidence: Gateshead Overview and Scrutiny Committee" »
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
Health equity audit - learning from practice briefing.
NICE, February 2006
(Commissioned by Health Development Agency)
Summary of intelligence:
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)
Housing and public health: a review of reviews of interventions for improving health - Evidence briefing summary
(4 pages)
Mark Lambert video contribution now available for viewing.
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.
Continue reading "HEALTH INEQUALITIES - RISING TO THE CHALLENGE" »
Tackling health inequalities: status report on the programme for action.
Department of Health, August 2005
Tackling Health Inequalities - A Programme for Action. Department of Health, 2003
The key government document on health inequalities
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