Director of
Health and Wellbeing
May 2015
Author: Judith Greenacre
Date: 5 June 2015
Version: 1
Distribution:
 Public Health Wales Executive Team
 Public Health Wales Board
 Public Health Wales Internet
Purpose and summary of document:
The purpose of this paper is to provide the Public Health Wales Board and
Executive Team with a report on key issues and work from the Director of
Health and Wellbeing.
This report will be presented to the Board at each formal meeting.
Date of Executive Team Meeting: 12 June 2015
Please state if the paper is for:
Discussion
Decision
Information
1
X
INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND WELLBEING
UPDATE
Julie Bishop has now been appointed as Director of the Health
Improvement Division Julie will be responsible for driving forward Public
Health Wales’s innovative systems approach, as well as a portfolio of
health improvement programmes and strategic priorities to improve health
across all ages, with a specific focus on early years.
Public Health Wales
Director of Health and Wellbeing
Monthly Update Report
We have suspended recruitment to the fixed term post of Director of
Primary, Community and Integrated Care and will now be looking instead
to make a permanent appointment to this role. An announcement will be
made shortly on future short and longer term arrangements for
Leadership of the emerging division. The Directorate is also working to
recruit to vacant consultant posts in Health Improvement and Health
Intelligence divisions.
2
HEALTH IMPROVEMENT
The process of realigning the staff resource in the Health Improvement
Division to support a systems/settings-based approach has begun and
existing staff are expected to be in new roles by mid-June. The emphasis
is on creating a flexible specialist resource able to work across the Division
with a focus on IMTP priorities.
High level strategic work is ongoing to determine the relationship between
the Transforming Health Improvement in Wales programme, the United in
Improving Health leadership collaborative, and the wider work of Public
Health Wales. A new dynamic model of building a prevention system is
emerging with a focus on creating a foundation for a positive future,
specifically by tackling the impact of poverty in the early years.
2.1
Healthy and Well Communities Programme
Discussions have been held with Well London following a visit by Executive
Team members from Public Health Wales earlier in the year. A visit to
Wales has been arranged for 4 June to enable a focused discussion on the
potential learning from the programme and its application in Wales. The
visit will also explore opportunities for a strategic partnership focused on
shared learning and development.
Meetings have also been held with representatives from the Tackling
Poverty Programmes, specifically Communities First to discuss joint
working. The meetings were very positive and they will attend the Well
London visit.
Dr Julie Bishop attended the Annual Conference of the Adult and
Community Learning Network and follow on discussions have begun to
explore how we can work together to develop health literacy, consider the
role of community learning is promoting mental wellbeing and the
potential of building skills for health improvement in communities.
Date: 5 June 2015
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Public Health Wales
2.2
Director of Health and Wellbeing
Monthly Update Report
Healthy Working Wales
The Healthy Working Wales team was represented at a roundtable
discussion on Mental Health at Work that took place in Brussels on
19 May. The event was organised and funded by EuroHealthNet and
included representatives from countries across Europe. It was a valuable
opportunity to learn about the current EU initiatives as well as the
initiatives in different member states, and to influence the development of
a strong EU approach to mental health promotion at work.
Discussions have commenced with Welsh Government over the renewal of
the current agreement for Healthy Working Wales which ends in
March 2016.
2.3
Tobacco Control
Stop Smoking Wales (SSW) has spent several months working with the
database provider to improve the functionality of Quit Manager. Prior to
implementation in May all staff received training, the service will benefit
from improved efficiency and effective data and information.
Development days are being held for SSW staff with the aim of improving
motivation and lead to service improvement.
Stop Smoking Wales staff met the Deputy Minister for Health and Social
Care when he visited North Wales to review the work that has been
undertaken to increase uptake of smoking cessation services. Feedback
from the visit has been very positive.
2.4
Early Years
The Division worked with the Health Intelligence Division on the launch of
the Child Measurement Programme. The launch event introduced the work
that has been undertaken on 10 Steps to a Healthy Weight in the early
years. These actions, based on evidence of the factors that increase risk of
obesity will be used to help align action across the system.
Representatives from Public Health Wales, Welsh Government and
Directors of Public Health attended a five national Roundtable Event on
early years to share learning and experience.
2.5
Substance Misuse Programme
Date: 5 June 2015
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Public Health Wales
Director of Health and Wellbeing
Monthly Update Report
The second stage of the Participatory Action Research Study with
prisoners from Parc Prison has been completed. This involved working with
focus groups from both the main adult prisoner and vulnerable prisoner
blocks to prioritise the main health themes and issues that prisoners
consider needs to be addressed both within and on leaving prison. The
next stage of the study will include the recruitment and training of
prisoners as co-researchers.
3
HEALTH INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
Ciarán Humphreys takes up post for one year as Director of Health
Intelligence.
3.1
Child Measurement Programme for Wales
Annual Report published – Figures from the 2013/14 cohort of reception
year children were reported as official statistics. These have received
widespread interest across Wales.
A launch event was held in Cardiff. This included guest speakers from
Millennium cohort study, CMO and Julie Bishop. It was well attended with
good feedback.
3.2
Public Health Wales Observatory
Health Assets Reporting Tool published – The tool presents 13 indicators
of health assets across the 410 middle super output areas in Wales.
Ethnicity and Health in Wales Report published – This report used the
2011 census data to explore ethnicity and health in Wales including
changes from 2001.
3.3
Congenital
(CARIS)
Anomaly
Register
and
Information
Service
CARIS held its Wales meeting in Powys
4
DIRECTORATE PARTICIPATION ACTIVITY
Date: 5 June 2015
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Public Health Wales
4.1
Director of Health and Wellbeing
Monthly Update Report
Health Improvement
4.1.1
Natural Resources Wales Llynfi Valley Woodland Creation
Scheme partnership and planning event, 11 May 2015 – the
National Exercise Referral Coordinator for Wales attended the
event to meet local residents and raise awareness of the National
Exercise Referral Scheme.
4.1.2
Public Health Network Cymru Launch Event, 14 May 2015 –
the National Exercise Referral Coordinator for Wales attended the
event at the Swalec Stadium Cardiff.
4.1.3
Physical Activity for Health Network meeting, Public
Health England, 28 May 2015 – the National Exercise Referral
Coordinator presented the Welsh National Exercise Referral
Scheme to the meeting and considered the actions required to
take exercise referral forward in London.
4.1.4
Mental Health Today conference - Exploring Mental Health
across the Lifecourse – members of the OPVGI team attended the
conference, which focused on some of the main issues affecting
children and adults in Wales such as maternal and peri-natal
mental health; the promotion of good mental health in schools
and the community; and access to talking therapies, as well
suicide, self harm and more specialist topic areas. The conference
also showcased examples of good practice across Wales.
4.2
Health Intelligence
The Public Health Wales Health Intelligence Liaison Group meeting
was held on the 26th May, bringing together stakeholders with an
interest in Health Intelligence work.
4.2.1
Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) - A number of
Public Health Wales staff recently attended the Cynnal Cymru
hosted events which are to support the development of the
Statutory Guidance to support the Wellbeing of Future
Generations (Wales) Act. The meeting held on the 11th May
2015 was specifically aimed at health bodies – both statutory and
non statutory organisations. The draft guidance will be put out to
consultation in the Summer/Autumn.
To further support this work, initial discussions have commenced
with Welsh Government with regard to the development of a new
Date: 5 June 2015
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Public Health Wales
Director of Health and Wellbeing
Monthly Update Report
Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) which it is also
proposed will be used to support the Wellbeing of Future
Generations Act. An initial face to face meeting will be held in
mid to late June 2015 to further this discussion.
4.2.2
Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU) WCISU IT section participated in the initial PHW Informatics Estrategy work.
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