Welcome to Your Quarterly Newsletter from RSPH

Merry Christmas from RSPH Training Solutions

As we draw to the end of 2011, Training Solutions would like to highlight all the great work that we have been doing this quarter of the year towards improving health and wellbeing.  A special thanks to all of you who have participated, including our speakers and trainers, who have helped to make our programmes and seminars a huge success.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year – which will be equally busy and packed with more good work. 

JSNA update and Health and Wellbeing Boards

This year RSPH Training Solutions successfully ran three JSNA programmes, and an introductory seminar on Health and Wellbeing Board principles.  Due to popular demand and as requested from our contacts, we will be repeating the seminars again next year.

Delegates who attended the Health and Wellbeing seminar this month commented:

“Very good course, highly recommended” Richard Tolson, Early intervention Development Manager, Action for the Blind

“Much better informed and able to advise partners and colleagues” Angus Robertson, Director, Proactive London

Our next Health and Wellbeing Board introductory seminar will be held on the 3rd February 2012. For further information and to book a place, please click here or contact Gina Mohajer.

For further information on our JSNA programmes, download our  JSNA FLYER and click here to view upcoming dates for 2012.  

House of Lords presentation for RSPH Health Promotion Award Winners

Last week at the House of Lords, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) presented certificates to the winners of the Health Promotion and Community Well Being Awards 2011.
The Awards scheme has been further enhanced by the participation of a diverse range of organisations, ranging from local authorities to community radio.

The winners are:

• School Food Trust
• Sefton Partnership
• East Herts Council
• Awaaz Radio
• St. Mary’s University College – Centre for Workplace Health
• Well London Partnership
• Purely Nutrition

The RSPH would like to congratulate the winners and we would like to thank them for their outstanding work and commitment with the health and well being of their communities.  Click here to read more. 

Helping People Lead Healthier Lives Through Behaviour Change

Prevention has always been better than cure, and never more so than now. Worrying health trends mean the financial burden of preventable ill health on the NHS and on our wider society is running at unsustainable levels. Simply put, many people continue to damage their health through poor diet, smoking, alcohol misuse and lack of exercise.
This results in an economic cost to the taxpayer of over £60 billion through lost income tax revenue, increased expenditure on state benefits and the cost to the NHS.  Click on the  Behaviour Change  article to read more on the critical role healthcare professionals can play to bring about positive changes in peoples lives.  

Newham Community is Key to Health

NHS East London and the City know that community is the key to health. The NHS in Newham started a programme, this year, to raise health awareness and give basic public health skills to community leaders in the voluntary sector. On Tuesday 18 October an award ceremony was held for over 60 local graduates of the programme.

The Community Health Awareness Programme was run by NHS East London and the City Newham public health team and the Royal Society for Public Health. It has been a real success. With over 30 local leaders collecting their Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Level 1 in Health Awareness and RSPH Level 2 in Understanding Health Improvement certificates at a graduation award ceremony held St Marks Community Centre.  Read the full  Health Awareness Press Release 

Youth Health Champions

We are pleased to announce that the development of the Youth Health Champion Qualification is now underway. 

Following on from the May 2011 seminar, about the vital role that youth champions can play in improving health, many of you have been eager to see how the scheme could be rolled out nationally.  The RSPH Qualifications Team are currently in the early stages of developing a qualification suitable for youth health champions.  The Qualifications Team are currently exploring what programmes are already in existence or being planned in this field so that the qualification meets all the requirements.

The Qualifications department will then prepare drafts of the qualification for consultation.  If you would like to be a part of the consultation process, please send your contact details to Richard Burton, Head of Qualifications Development.

Download the report from the Youth Health Champion seminar Briefing Report - Youth Health Champion

Are Our Children Health Literate?

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) with support from a broad range of experts from the health and education sectors, has published a report on health literacy in primary schools.

The concept of health literacy can be interpreted in different ways, from the ability to read health information and comply with instructions, through to gaining an understanding which enables people to make judgements and change their behaviour.

Key topics in health education such as obesity, are increasingly included in the Science and PSHE curriculums. However, although children are often aware of specific health messages, these messages are not always promoted in a broader context. Consequently children are not equipped with the skills needed to evaluate health and lifestyle choices effectively, or to assess the risks associated with new experiences.

In response to this the RSPH invited more than 20 experts in health and education to contribute to the debate on health literacy in primary schools, assess the current situation, look at case studies and make recommendations on how to move forward.

The report concludes that the priority should be to develop a coherent methodology for teaching health literacy, and to provide training for teachers to enable them to implement that methodology. There are excellent case studies that can be used to demonstrate strategies that work, and most importantly young people should be involved in the process. 

Download Health Literacy Report If you would like more information about the Health Literacy project, please visit www.rsph.org.uk or contact Heather Davison.   

Clearing the Fog: a closer look at what the changing policy landscape means for public health improvement, education and learning
(Research Report Coming Soon)

Achieving effective education and learning for public health improvement is complex. There is no single solution. The political context, the language and organisational complexity, together with the current economic climate are dramatically altering the landscape within which public health is commissioned, led and delivered, setting a challenging agenda.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) have been working to determine the implications of the changing policy landscape for future education and learning for public health improvement. In this short study we have followed the policy journey as it unfolds, building on earlier research. We have engaged in a series of focussed discussions with over twenty-five specialists in a wide range of public health roles in both practice and learning settings; local authorities, NHS, third and the independent sectors.

The learning from this study provides a snapshot of the changing landscape bringing together multiple perspectives. It highlights emerging themes and considerations to inform future education and learning in the light of the anticipated passing of the Health and Social Care Bill and the forthcoming Public Health Workforce Strategy.

RSPH wants to share the learning from this work with practitioners and policy makers to stimulate, inform and shape on-going discussions that bridge the gap between the policy and practice.

For further information please contact Heather Davison

Health Champions Programme

The RSPH and North West Employers first ran the Ward Councillor Health Champion programme in September 2011. The programme is aimed at ward councillors who are interested in tackling health inequalities in their local communities.  With a practical focus, it encourages councillors to think about what health and wellbeing means and how they might go about tackling this issue in their local community. Due to the successful and positive feedback received from the programme, North West Employers will be running five more courses (one for each sub-region) during January, February and March 2012. The Health Champions programme forms part of a wider package we are delivering around supporting local government in their changing role in public health. Click here for further details.

“Good course. Well worth attending for all councillors” – Cllr Don Lawrenson

RSPH Accreditation supports “Cancer Champion” programme

Early detection of cancer can save lives – this is the message which the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network (GMCCN), supported by COI, is spreading throughout their region via their “Cancer Champions” programme.

The GMCCN brings together providers and commissioners, as well as local authorities, voluntary organisations, charities and users of cancer services (patients and their carers) to work collaboratively to plan and deliver high quality cancer services.
The two day training programme for the Cancer Champions has been supported by the Royal Society for Public Health through its training programme accreditation service. This confirms not only the accuracy of the content of the programme, but also its high standard of education, learning and development. Download the full article on Cancer Champion Programme

Well London

Well London is a community action for Health and Wellbeing programme.  It is funded by the Big Lottery, that has taken place in 20 of London's most deprived areas. The programme, which started in 2007, was developed and delivered by the Well London Alliance, a partnership of 7 statutory and charitable organisations. Well London piloted an integrated, community-led approach that equipped local residents with the skills and confidence to improve and sustain their own health and deliver positive change in their neighbourhoods. The approach adds value to what’s already going on locally that builds social capital, and reduces the barriers that make healthy choices difficult. The programme focused on five key themes: healthy eating, physical activity, mental well-being, healthy spaces, and culture and arts.

Project delivery in the 20 target areas finished in March 2011 and an exciting legacy strategy has been developed that will take Well London into a second wave of communities.
More information can be found at www.wellondon.org.uk