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JIGSAWNEWS
A Monthly Newsletter on Public Health for EHPs in Hertfordshire and Beyond
Issue 4
Nudge Nudge......not
Wimbledon is just around the corner so it must mean more rains on the way, so to keep you company under your umbrella here is the latest Jigsaw News. This month were delighted to be able to bring you an interview with our colleague Jim McManus DPH at Hertfordshire County Council as well as the usual mix of stories. One of the governments main policies around Public Health is to nudge people away from unhealthy behaviours so its interesting to see that this month there seems to be a move back to enforcement with bans proposed on chips and smoking in cars. The Food Hygiene Rating System has also hit the headlines thanks to research by Which? The scheme should be the perfect example of a mixture of both approaches, the public being nudged away from poor food businesses and EHPs seeking compliance through the law. With 13% of the population not using the internet its difcult to see why there is still no requirement to prominently display ratings. If we are serious about nudging people in the right direction why is making the healthy choice usually the most difcult. Try eating healthily at a sporting event! Perhaps its time we started to incorporate nutrition into the remit of EHPs and make it part of the Food Hygiene Rating System. Supermarkets are already looking at the commercial opportunities of promoting healthy eating so why are Local Authorities so slow to act?
Institute of Environmental Health Eastern Region Spring Forum 80% of those present admitted they didnt know the name of their Director of Public Health. Given the news Janet Atherton Chair of the Association Of Directors of Public Health said We like to chat and generally dont bite unless we have missed lunch!
where the forum will be combined with the Jigsaw Blog and links to the Im a Public Health Professional Get Me Out of Here podcast. Jigsaw co founder Pete Hill is excited about the new start. Its what we have been aiming at for sometime keeping all the various Jigsaw products in one place. Id like to give a big vote of thanks to everyone at RHEnvironmental for making it happen. Now I cant wait to get going.
mindset that ask the right questions about their leadership now back where it belongs in Local role and get them to do that. Government? A: I think Local Government is the Q: Within Hertfordshire there is a two tier structure how do you natural place for Public Health for harness those 10 authorities three reasons. Firstly most of the together to move forward on Public determinants of health sit within Health? the remit of Local Government. A: I said that the biggest Weve 30 years of policy and challenge would be in the two evidence that have told us that, the tier areas because the system Marmot report was the latest and has been designed like perhaps the most eloquent. community safety was to t into Secondly the spread across the life course that Local Government does a unitary model. Thats not a criticism its just something makes it a natural ally for Public about how we design systems. Health to want to inuence and be The counties and the districts part of. The third reason is a lot of have to work together to create a the things you need to do with system that works. You cant do children sit in the gift of Local Public Health without District Government. Public Health is more Councils, starting at Housing, than just the clinical stuff its more which was always a big issue for than what GPs do its more than me going through health behaviours its lots of other stuff that I feel ts naturally in Local Environmental Health and the myriad of things those guys do, Government. then working on Leisure and a Q: With Local Government come whole range of other things. elected members and political pressures how are you finding that side Similarly you cant do it without the county council in terms of of the job? Adult Social Care, Childrens A: I love it really, I love Local Services and other things. Now Government anyway The NHS was what weve done in every bit as political but just in a Hertfordshire is create a Public different kind of way. What I think Health Board that has all 10 elected members bring is a level of district councils enthusiastically public transparency, that the NHS on it along with the county, the didnt have in quite the same way. Local Government does things very crime commissioner and the publicly its much more transparent NHS. Its a sub group of the than the NHS because of its culture County Chief Executives Group and the Health & Wellbeing of operating. The other thing it Board. They will specically look brings is if you get your elected at how we work together to get a members with a Public Health mindset they become real allies. The joined up Public Health vision. big issue is how you support Our thanks to Jim. members in getting a Public Health
d.m.dixon@stir.ac.uk
JIGSAW WORLD
London Underground have found that the playing of classical music has been effective in reducing levels of crime and assaults on staff at Elm Park Station on the District Line. It could bring a whole new meaning to the phrase catching the Tuba!
More Community Services Needed A report by the Care Quality Commission has called for more investment in community services to ease the burden on A&E Departments. Current gures show the minimum cost of a visit to A&E to be 76 with over 21 million attendances each year the cost to the NHS is approximately 1.6 billion. A gure that could be drastically reduced by greater focus on the wider determinants of health. No Smoking, Children on Board Scottish Liberal MSP Jim Hume wants to introduce a private members bill which would make it illegal to smoke in vehicles when children are present. A survey has found that eight out of 10 people north of the border would support such a ban.
JIGSAW NEWS
Editing and Design: Pete Hill & Sarah James Jigsaw Northern Ireland Anthony McCloskey JigsawNews is an independent production all views expressed are solely those of the editorial team and do not represent those of any other organisation.
Did You Know: a 20dB increase in aircraft noise is enough to delay a childs reading age by 8 months
Did You Know: The cost of noise pollution in Europe is approximately 20 billion
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Im a Public Health Professional Get Me out of Here! http://jigsawpsph.podomatic.com JigsawPSPHs weekly Podcast Featured on UK Health Radio Download from the iTunes Store
Alberts Square
Coopers Corner
I knew a hypochondriac who wouldnt visit the Dead Sea until he found out what it died of!