PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE
LINCOLNSHIRE GOVERNMENT
Isabel Perez,
Consultant in Public Health
17th June 2014
OBJECTIVE
• To have a better understanding of the
opportunities and challenges of Public Health in
local government one year on
What is public health?
The science and the art of improving health,
prolonging life and preventing disease through the
organised efforts of society
• Health improvement and health promotion eg lifestyles, wider
determinants of health
• Health protection eg communicable disease control, emergency
planning, screening
• Healthcare public health eg needs assessment, evidence of
effectiveness and cost effectiveness
Factors which influence health and health inequalities
One year on key opportunities
1
Public Health became a local government responsibility in April
2013 for the first time since the 1970s
2
Health improvement is not new to local government
•
Council working in great projects
•
Span of influence much better
•
Major
opportunities
workforces
outcomes.
in
to
skill
delivering
on
up
local
health
government
improvement
One year on key opportunities
3. New perspectives
•
Politically aware
•
Wants and demands to add to needs
4. Moving towards focusing on commissioning and on quality
assurance
5. Opportunity to breach the gap between health and social care
6. Health
and
Wellbeing
Boards,
Joint
Strategic
Assessment, Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies
Needs
One year on key opportunities
5. Public Health Advice to CCGs
6. Independent professional view statutory function
7. Joining up working
•
Within council
•
Within County
One year on challenges
1
A new public health system still in phase of implementation
• Working out how the parts fit together
2
Changes, Changes and Changes ……… testing resilience
3
Continuing spending reductions across the public sector testing
security and stability (peoples’ basic needs)
4
New ways of working, testing skills and competencies
• Members versus officers
• New processes for decision making
One year on challenges
5
Maintaining objectivity
• Evidence based decisions versus political driven
6
Maintaining identity
Public Health Function and PH directorate
Risk of loosing critical Mass
Risk of isolation of Public Health practitioners
7
Health improvement having to compete with a wide range of
local issues
One year on challenges
8
Ring fenced budget. For how long? What is the impact on
capacity building?
9
Learning the language and culture of local government.
10 Capacity and recruitment
SOLUTION?
Solution
"We can't solve problems by using the same
kind of thinking we used when we created
them.”
(Albert Einstein)