About the East Midlands Teaching Public Health Network
Background
The Choosing Health White paper published in 2004 highlighted the need for strengthening capacity and capability across not only the public health workforce, but also the wider NHS workforce and the workforce of partner organisations, to support behaviour change and the adoption of healthier lifestyles and policies at every level – local, regional and national.
The figure below highlights that health is influenced by a wide range of determinants (for example, education, transport and social gradient) which includes the availability of and access to health care. In this context, there is increasing recognition that health care services have a responsibility not only for treatment and cure, but also for prevention, and for promoting health and well-being among patients and staff.
The figure below also demonstrates that the wider determinants of health are mediated by diverse workforces ranging from teachers and built environment professionals to health care workers. Strengthening their capacity and competence to support health improvement is an important step to addressing the national public health priorities.
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| The determinants of health and well-being in our neighbourhoods, and a sample of workforces with the potential to mediate these determinants. |
Why teaching public health networks have been established
The establishment of a teaching public health network in each English Region was a key development initiative for the DH during 06/07. The networks were established in response to the need for much greater awareness of public health across wider groups in the workforce if health inequalities were to be tackled successfully.
The Delivery of Choosing Health requires educating the whole workforce (NHS, local government, voluntary and private sectors) about the determinants of health on a scale which has never been attempted before. Everyone needs to understand the opportunities they all have as individuals to contribute to population health improvement for themselves, their families, their local communities and within their sphere of influence at work. In addition, everyone needs to understand that public health is not an add-on, but a fundamental way of working within any role.
The creation of Teaching Public Health Networks (TPHNs) is a way to facilitate the above, bringing together public health teaching and public health practice.
The launch of a teaching public health network in each English region was as a key milestone in terms of workforce development for health improvement. A total of £2m was initially agreed by DH to support the networks during 2006/7 and 2007/8. A further £1m has now been agreed to support networks during 2008/9.
The scope for the networks is to increase both public health educator capacity (academic and service) in the breadth as well as depth of the workforce exposed to public health skills/awareness – that is not just those groups traditionally exposed to public health education (specialists and practitioners) but the wider workforce. This latter group includes those at the operational level who can influence through their work the public’s health such as care assistants as well as those at the strategic level such as chief executives, directors of finance and commissioning. The groups extend beyond the health service and will particularly include local authority staff and the third sector.
The TPHNs programme links closely to other DH commissioned and funded workforce initiatives. Among these are:
- the development by Skills for Health of a Public Health Career Framework which is competency based across all 9 career levels
- the UK Voluntary Register project to map practitioner regulation with a view to establishing a common regulatory framework.
- work on health trainer competences, other public health discipline-specific workforce developments, Foundation Degrees and the NHS Induction Programme.
Who is the network for?
The network is for:
- those who have a role to play in teaching or delivering training in a public health related area
- those who have a role to play in influencing the health and wellbeing of the population, including providers and commissioners of health and social care
- the broad range of specialists, practitioners and wider workforce interested in developing public health skills
These colleagues may work in the NHS, Local Authorities, Voluntary sector, Higher and Further Education settings, and may have diverse roles (e.g. FE college tutors, commissioners, clinicians, environmental officers, health improvement practitioner, house officers, etc)
What is the purpose of the East Midlands Teaching Public Health Network (EMTPHN)?
The EMTPHN is one of 9 in England hosted by East Midlands NHS, currently championed by Dr Jas Bilkhu (East Midlands Postgraduate Dean) and coordinated by Dr Isabel Perez (consultant in Public Health).
The objectives of the network were initially identified in November 06 when the EMTPHN Steering Group was first established. Details of these can be found in the EMTPHN Steering Group section of this web site.
The network aims to support the teaching and learning of health and wellbeing, to promote communication, partnership and to increase public health capacity and capability across our region. It also aims to build on work to date and encourage involvement and engagement from partner organisations that have a role to play in improving the health of the population, including NHS, local authorities, voluntary and independent sector, higher and further education institutions.
The network brings together academic and service public health to:
- Increase public health teaching capacity
- Promote a learner-centred approach to the development of public health teaching
- Promote flexible learning tailored to the needs of the public health workforce at all levels and to
- Raise awareness more widely on the impact of health on economic well-being, inequalities and specific outcomes underpinning the White paper ‘Choosing Health’