Healthy workplace, Healthy workforce,Better business delivery.

Rising Energy Costs “affect NHS”

NHS set ambitious ‘green’ target

to cut carbon foot print

The Message

The 21st century brings with it significant public health challenges, particularly relating to lifestyle diseases.

Hospitals’ primary responsibility has been towards managing illness among patients within their walls.

Public health departments have concentrated on health improvement interventions in the community setting.

Hospitals are important agents in public health action and can impact significantly on the health of its workforce and that of the community.

NHS employees can influence the health of their families and their communities through their family and social networks.

NHS is the UKs largest employer and has the potential to impact on the health of the entire UK population.

Pleasing to the eye!

The message is delivered using 2 layers:

•The foreground describes some important health challenges and the health, financial and environmental benefits for the trusts in tackling them. These are presented as newspaper headline clippings providing a focused message.

•The background shows the impact an NHS employee can have on the health of the community through his/her social networks and demonstrates the size of the impact of an average NHS employee.

Prudent use of text, only to send a targeted message.

The presentation sends a focused message in an uncluttered way.

Use of soft colours make it pleasing to the eye.

Has the clear potential to help a decision be made (or has realised that potential)The work

I am currently working as part of a team in NHS Solutions for Public Health.

The work involves:

Identifying evidence base for interventions in health improvement and reducing health inequalities in acute and mental health trusts.

Undertaking a survey of acute and mental health trusts in England to identify emerging practice for health improvement and reducing health inequalities. The survey will offer trusts individualised feedback in a format that will be sort of like health profiles.

The work will result in producing a compendium of good practice for health improvement and reducing health inequalities that is useful for commissioners and providers of healthcare. The results will be presented at the International Health Promoting Hospitals and Health services conference in April. http://www.hphconference2010.co.uk/

Has the clear potential to help a decision be made (or has realised that potential)The impact

We are facing immense public health challenges mainly related to lifestyle diseases compounded by environmental concerns and financial constraints.

The WHO has recognised that hospitals are important agents for health promotion and has introduced the concept of health promoting hospitals and its importance for sustained health, quality of life and efficiency as well as the health of staff and its community.

Sickness levels and turnover of NHS workforce result in high agency spend. Therefore workforce health and wellbeing will provide trusts with significant financial savings.

This work will be a call to action to engage hospitals in the health promotion agenda which will result in significant health, environmental and financial benefits.

Demonstrates one or more of the 10 public health competencies

This work will contribute to public health competencies mainly from:

Key Area 2: Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare interventions, programmes and services

Key Area 5: Health Improvement

Dr Sucharita Yarlagadda On behalf of Solutions for Public Healthsuch_y@yahoo.co.uk