Health Matters is the official blog of Public Health England, updating with new content every Monday and Wednesday afternoon.  It is a resource for health professionals designed to support commissioning and the delivery of services across local areas. In its first year, it is focusing on PHE’s priorities as set out in “From Evidence to Action”.

The information contained within Health Matters is designed to be shared and PHE is keen for people to download the infographics, slide set, and short pdf version to help influence practice at a local level.

In addition to this, they encourage people to sign up to the Health Matters bulletin. If you have any questions about these resources, don’t hesitate to contact the Health Matters team ([email protected]).

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Highlights in the PHE monthly bulletin include:

Highlights for this bulletin include:

  • sustainability and transformation plans guidance
  • report on trends in life expectancy at older ages
  • unnecessary antibiotics prescriptions reduced in new trial
  • results of PHE stakeholder survey 2015 to 2016 published
  • middle aged men rate their health as more important than money or career
  • Scotland leads hepatitis C patient notification exercise
  • renewed funding for drug and alcohol treatment services
  • Zika virus: guidance updated

Child obesity data from 2006/07 to 2014/15 are now available in an online child obesity local authority data tool from PHE.

The tool provides local authority level child data (underweight, healthy weight, obese, excess weight – overweight including obese) for Reception (aged 4–5yrs) and Year 6 (aged 10–11yrs).

The tool also presents trend data and enables easy comparison of local authority data, allowing users to compare regional neighbours and local authorities with similar characteristics. For the first time, the tool now includes inequality data (sex, deprivation and ethnic group).

baby being weighed

baby being weighed

Public Mental Health Summit 2016: Maintaining Momentum

Wednesday 23 March 2016 – 09:30 to 17:00

London

The joint Public Health England (PHE) and Local Government Association (LGA) Public Mental Health Summit 2016: Maintaining Momentum takes place on Wednesday 23 March 2016 in London.

Building on the back of three previous PHE mental health summits, PHE and the LGA are pleased to announce the first joint Public Mental Health Summit. This free to attend summit will provide the opportunity for attendees to network, exchange and share ideas on best practice.

This summit will showcase examples of embedding public mental health into different workstreams and discuss case studies of local public mental health work. Specific focus will be given to practical activity and the importance of local government to promote positive mental health, prevent mental illness, prevent suicide and improve the lives of people with, and recovering from, mental illness.

There are sessions around children’s mental health in the programme.

They will also be considering responses to the imminent Mental Health Taskforce independent report and introduce you to national work on wellbeing and public mental health being taken forward collaboratively between PHE, LGA, NHS England, local government, the voluntary sector and others for 2016/2017 and beyond.

Also announced, to mark the first joint summit on mental health hosted by PHE and the LGA, they are inviting poster presentations to be included in the conference programme.  Please see the Abstract Submissions section of the event website for further information.

Registration and coffee will be from 08:30 to 09:25 and the summit will run from 09:30 to 17:00.

The event will take place at The Kia Oval, Surrey County Cricket Club, Kennington, London SE11 5SS.

If you have any questions about the summit, please send an email to [email protected]

 

PHE’s Obesity Knowledge and Intelligence team has updated their child obesity data slide set – updated January 2016

These PowerPoint slides, which contain the latest HSE and NCMP data, present key information on child obesity in clear, easy to understand charts and graphics.

The slides and accompanying notes can be downloaded and used freely with acknowledgement to Public Health England.

PHE logo

Short weekly update from the CEO of Public Health England (PHE), including:

  • Health Devolution Agreement for London
  • Booze Black Friday, Smokefree and Change4Life Sugar Smart
  • Change in smoking policy in Scotland regarding e-cigarettes
  • Christmas wishes

PHE logo

Short weekly update from the CEO of Public Health England (PHE), including:

  • Impact of the floods in Northern England, particularly Cumbria
  • Impact of the recent the Spending Review on Public Health
  • The Academy of Fab NHS Stuff
  • Health Matters blog on antimicrobial resistance