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Essay Unit 8 - Promoting Public Health
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
criteria included - P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, D1, D2, D3, D4 (entire unit).
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P1:Contributions for the public health system from 1942:
The contributions to public health systems from 1942 consist of the Beveridge report 1942, the National Health
service act and the anxiety surrounding epidemics, such as, measles.
Beveridge report 1942:
Another origin and aim of the public health policy were the Beveridge report, which was developed by Sir William
Beveridge in 1942. He did this to investigate the ways in which the country would be able to significantly recover
from the after math of the second world war. Beveridge had
previous and extensive knowledge on the problems of
unemployment. The Beveridge report was finally published in 1942,
where it stated that the post-war period was time for significant
change. Beveridge had one recommendation for the government,
which included them finding new and improved ways of combating
disease. From the graph below, we can identify that health
inequalities after the Beveridge report were significantly lowered.
National Health Service Act 1946:
Following the Beveridge report, the Labour government
implemented the National Health Service Act and it eventually
passed in 1946. When it came into force, the NHS was to be funded
by tax. The National Health service would ensure that individuals of
any financial status had access to free health care. It was to be
available from cradle to grave. The National Health service act
improved the health and wellbeing of millions and ensured that the
nationals health recovered post-war.
Risk of epidemics:
In 1940 measles became a notifiable disease in England.
Previously there had been an epidemic of measles in 1940,
which at the time was an extremely serious illness. During this
period there was an estimated 400,00 cases recorded and with
this meant that 1 in twenty babies died before they reached
their first birthday. There was a clear desperation in public to
receive health care for all the infectious diseases which were
becoming fatal for many people.
Planning national provision of health care and promoting the health of the population:
The government has a moral goal to ensure that the health of the population is paramount, this became even more
important following the second world war, due to the physical and emotional needs of the nation. When the NHS
was introduced, it provided accessible health care to meet the goals of the public health policy through ensuring that
the nation can receive good standards of care regardless of their social status or income. The government needs to
be actively responsive to efficiently meet the needs of a persistently changing demographic. To plan to provide care
in small situations, the government must gather commission
reports and statistical data looking into the current trends that
may be occurring within health care. In addition to this it is also
important that the government attempt at making accurate
predictions for future developments of the nation’s health
status. Lifestyle factor’s such as, unemployment aids the
development of planning health provision. Promoting the
health of the population is also extremely important to relieve
stress from public health systems and vastly improve the
citizens health. one of the ways that is used to promote the public health is to use campaigns to increase physical
activity, this will promote the health of the population because it will encourage individuals to lead an increasingly
healthy lifestyle. For example, in Stoke-on-Trent it is stated that 89,500 adults are not meeting the recommended
levels of physical exercise. This is a clear indicator that Stoke-on-Trent are not putting enough campaigns or
,strategies in place to promote physical exercise. It can also be identified that within England more than a third (46%)
of adults within England are not meeting the recommended levels of exercise. From these two statistics we can see
that it is not just Stoke-on-Trent but the whole nation that need to improve their exercise levels. By doing this it will
significantly improve the public health policy because ill-health will be reduced across the nation.
Identifying and monitoring needs of the population:
It was acknowledged that around 10 years following the second
world war, the national’s health significantly improved due to
better and more sufficient diets, after food rationing. Around the
same period, authorities enforced children’s mental health
departments to support them in anyway following the war or
even poverty. The government’s role in predicting and
understanding social change is necessary in treating and
controlling disease. As peer pressure and the media become
more prevalent, it would mean that the public health policy
needs to become increasingly more responsive to this. Such as, campaigns that actively promote the dangers and
long-term effects of smoking to reduce the rates of bad influences or peer pressure into smoking. Following this,
there have been several restrictions related to smoking to reduce the rates, this will help to relieve pressure off the
public health systems by deducting the illnesses associated with them. Within the JSNA for Stoke-on-Trent it was
stated that within 2015-2017 that there were approximately 1,474 deaths that was a result of smoking. This can infer
that there is not enough stuff in place within Stoke-on-Trent to warn people of the dangers of smoking and the long-
term effects.
Identifying and reducing inequalities:
There are many inequalities today, which will have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of specific
individuals. It was only 1974 that the National Health
Service was responsible for most of the public health.
previously, the NHS was being put into practice, spreading
throughout the nation, and regaining the responsibilities of
the nation’s health. however, there was inequalities
experienced throughout different communities as their
health needs significantly differed in rural and urban areas.
This was reduced through the development of local
authorities who was able to have a much bigger impact on providing appropriate health services. Following the
inequalities that are faced the Black report was created to aid in relieving the inequalities experienced within specific
groups in communities. The black report was published by the Department of health and social security in 1980,
where it highlighted the social class health inequalities in overall mortality, meaning that increasingly deprived areas
were experiencing more health inequalities than other areas. The black report highlighted that these areas that are
experiencing health inequalities were vastly widening, therefore, it assisted in eliminating the bias that is occurring
to improve the health and wellbeing of many individuals within these areas.
Addressing specific national health problems over a period of time:
The nation’s health problems are issues that can influence all
sectors within society, however, they may be more extensive
in some sectors. For example, air pollution may affect every
individual, but it is more prevalent for the individuals that are
in urban areas, such as, city centres due to traffic congestion.
An example of this is evident when an individual that is
asthmatic may experience more breathing difficulties than the
average person when they are in an area with increasingly
high air level pollution. Another example of this can be seen if
an individual had COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease) and they lived in an urban area with high pollution levels, they may find that their condition will significantly
worsen faster than an individual with COPD who lived in a rural area where pollution levels are low. This shows us
that the health facilities that need to be made available must be specific to that community/area for the population
to receive the most effective care. Within Stoke-on-Trent it was identified within the JSNA that the air pollution in
Stoke was lower than the national average in in 2016, it was 8.9 versus 9.3 micrograms per cubic metre. This could
,mean that Stoke-on-Trent will see increasingly lower levels of disease such as, asthma and COPD compared to the
national average. The graph below shows pollution levels across different areas in the UK, with 1 being the lowest.
Developing programmes to screen for early diagnosis of disease:
Screening for disease is an effective way of being able to identify any individuals who may be at risk of contracting a
disease or even a condition, such as, cervical cancer or glaucoma. An example of a screening test can also be
identified as an individual undergoing a mammogram to diagnose breast cancer. After the screening is complete, if it
is found that an individual may have a disease or condition,
they will have to undergo more investigations to ensure that
something has been found. It is important that a screening
programme is cost effective for the health service that is
providing it. within the UK there are upwards of 100
screening programmes within the National Health Service.
Screening programmes within the United Kingdom are
mainly targeted towards communities within society that
have previously been identified as higher risk. For example,
if someone in an individual’s family has previously had breast cancer, then that individual will be more at risk of
developing the illness themselves. This is because early diagnoses will significantly improve the quality of life for that
individual. It will mean that more treatment options are available, and that individual will have more of a chance of
surviving/eliminating what they may have been diagnosed with. Certain age groups will also have a higher
prevalence of disorders. Cholesterol testing and blood pressure checks are offered to people over the age 40 as the
conditions associated with these can be life threatening and strike without warning. We can see that in Stoke-on-
Trent that the prevalence of cancer stands at around 2.6% in 2017/2018, which is just below the national average of
2.7%. this clearly indicates that the screening programmes within Stoke are not being using effectively and
something needs to be implemented to lower the prevalence of cancers, such as, cervical cancer.
Protecting individuals, groups, and communities in society from threats to health and wellbeing that arise from
environmental hazards and communicable diseases:
After the 1970’s, specific factors such as crime rates, pollution, housing condition and education were observed as
having an impact on health and wellbeing of individuals. There are national and worldwide guidelines about
monitoring these issues and suggesting improvements to protect the population against these hazards. Such as, the
legislation that is in place for the disposal of toxic waste, also, the standards that govern the quality of air within
cities regarding vehicle emissions. A new local authority role (Director of health) requires that local authorities to be
involved directly with the responsibility of the health of their residence. All communicable illnesses are reported
through the GP, regional health team, or local hospital, they will then monitor the overall incidence. If multiple cases
of an infectious disease are reported, this will result in an outbreak management team investigates, monitoring its
spread through the local area. Following, there will then be specific medical resources put in place to prevent further
spread. Another way that it is possible to protect society from health threats can be using preventative measures
against infection, these are most likely to
occur on a seasonal basis. this can be
seen through the flu vaccination being
offered to vulnerable groups within
society such as, those with specific
health conditions or the elderly to
prevent the spread of illness within these
groups. Immunising infants and babies
can also prevent the spread of
communicable diseases such as, mumps or rubella. Through controlling an outbreak that occurs from an infectious
disease would have to include a case definition report. This will contain information regarding the time, place,
person, and the illness itself, this is because it will create a picture to understand where and how the outbreak may
have started. The local health authorities will then use the information provided to report to the national health
body, which allows the monitoring of whether the outbreak is spreading or decreasing. It will also lead to the
appropriate resources being implemented to act against any potential further spread. We also need to ensure that
we are protecting individuals, groups, and communities within society against environmental hazards such as air
contaminants. This is because air contaminants can lead to high levels of air pollution which will put individuals at an
increased risk of developing health conditions which will affect their lungs and breathing. An example of this may be
seen as asthma or COPD. An environment hazards that may be a threat in society to individual’s health and
, wellbeing is recycling. This is because without recycling the levels of air pollutants will significantly increase which
can lead to several respiratory diseases, such as COPD or lung disease. An environmental hazard could be a lack of
hygiene measures to prevent food poisoning in takeaways, they could help to ensure that this doesn’t happen
through inspections of places that serve food to the public. Within Stoke-on-Trent it was identified that childhood
immunisation rates are generally quite high at around 90% of the local children getting vaccinated against the main
health protection outcomes. this is suggesting that the campaigns and immunisations programmes within Stoke-on-
Trent are extremely effective.
P2: Explain how monitoring information to determine patterns of health and ill health is used by government to
inform the creation of public health policy:
in this section I will be explaining how monitoring information to determine patterns of health as well as ill-health is
used by the government to inform the creation of the public health policy.
RIDDOR:
Reporting of injuries, disease, and dangerous occurrences regulation make sure that workplaces keep a report of any
injuries, disease, or dangerous occurrences that occur within the workplace, to ensure safe practice.
Labour force survey:
The LFS surveys more than 40,000 households in Britain to determine whether occupants have work-related
illnesses
This info is fed back to HSE for further investigation
Various government departments use LFS results when checking the effect of existing policies, to inform
future policy changes and when deciding on the best use of public resources
Health and occupational reporting network:
THOR is a group run by the university of Manchester to produce statistical data from specialists seeing
patients for work-related respiratory disorders and skin diseases
More than 1000 specialist doctors voluntarily provide information
The data is used to inform the national agenda and to provide a resource for participating doctors, applied
occupation health epidemiology and other research.
‘Epidemiology is the foundation of public health and is defined as the study of the distribution and determinants of
diseases or disorders within groups of people, and the develop of knowledge on how to prevent and control them’
(Public health education (2020). Epidemiology will use the information that is monitored to help them determine
patterns of ill-health and health. for example,
Epidemiology will look at the spread of influenza to
determine the patterns of the ill health to create a plan
to limit the number of cases of infectious disease. They
would do this by identifying when it is the most
contagious, what social groups are most at risk, and
what measures are needed to prevent influenza from
becoming an epidemic to be able to improve the health
of the nation. In the case of influenza, epidemiology is
offering free annual vaccinations to groups such as, elderly or individuals with asthma, who are high-risk. This
information provided by epidemiology is used to inform the creation of the public health policy because it looks
closely at the public’s health and determines the spread and prevention of infectious diseases or disorders. For
example, it is used to inform the creation of the public health policy by identifying in what circumstances diseases
are contagious and what is needed to limit this spread. Such as, chicken pox among young children is extremely
contagious, so to stop this from becoming an epidemic, epidemiology has implemented a chickenpox vaccine which
is available for children, infants, and adults who haven’t previously had chickenpox (Healthline 2019). Therefore,
epidemiology will have a huge impact on informing the creation of the public health policy through preventing
infectious diseases and disorders developing into an epidemic and impact the public’s health significantly.
The World Health Organisation is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health
research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical
support to countries and monitoring, and assessing health trend (UN 2015). The World Health Organisation (WHO)
will look at the information that is gathered upon research and monitor it to determine patterns of health and ill-
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