There are many ways in which the government study today’s public health, with the aim to improve the health of the population Monitoring the health status of the population. The government works along side organisations to monitor the health status and then by identifying the health needs of the population. They keep a check on the birth and death rates of the population so that they can provide appropriate supporting services in the right areas this could be the number of General Practitioners allocated to a certain area, number of midwives allocated to a certain hospital.
This could also include improving health services such as support for drug addicts, alcoholics, and support for teenagers, sex education and clinics. Also certain statistics within certain areas can effect how the government lays out its budget. They do this by monitoring statistic surveys and creating health profiles for each area and from this we are able to obtain information to identify the needs of the population, once it is known what services are needed where then these services can be improved.
The Health Protection Agency’s role is to provide support and new approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other organisations and the Department of Health. They do this by tracking changes in the health of the population and alerting people to the potential problems. Developing programmes to reduce the risk and screen for disease The NHS has a cancer-screening programme this includes breast screening, cervical screening, bowl cancer-screening programme and prostrate cancer risk management.
Breast screening is an effective part of the UK’s efforts to reduce the death toll from breast cancer and a study in 2000 showed that there were significantly lowered mortality rates in breast cancer in the fifty-five – sixty-nine age group. All women in the UK aged fifty and over are invited for a mammogram- an x-ray of each breast, which can detect small changes in breast tissue. Cervical screening is also very successful where early detection and treatment can prevent 75% of cancers developing.
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, but a method of preventing cancer by detecting and treating early, abnormities which if left untreated could lead to cancer in a women’s cervix. The HPV vaccination programme started in September 2008 with all 12- to 13-year-old and 17- to 18-year-old girls being offered the vaccine. The HPV vaccine protects against the two strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer in over 70% of women. As this programme only started in 2008 it will be a while before we can truly examine the results. The HPV vaccination is a typical example of the prophylactic approach and will save lives as well as money.
The government is continuingly interested in the prophylactic approach, with ongoing research within public health and what more they can do. A report by Derek Wanless (Department of Health) in 2004 “Securing Good Health for the Whole Population” focused on the need to prevent ill health. “The NHS needs to be transformed from a ‘sickness service’ to a ‘health service’ so that prevention is given the high priority” A key message which is set out in the NHS improvement plan. The government sees this prophylactic approach as a cost-effective way of taking action to improve the health of the whole population and to reduce health inequalities.
Prevention will not only avoid somebody developing the actual disease, if detected whilst undergoing a health check or screening it will save the life of a patient but also avoid unnecessary costs to the NHS. Controlling communicable diseases A communicable disease sometimes referred to as a contagious disease or an infectious disease is any disease that can be transmitted from one person to another. This may occur by direct physical contact, by common handling of an object that has picked up microorganisms, through a disease carrier, or by spread of infected droplets coughed or exhaled into the air.
The most dangerous of these diseases are on the list of notifiable diseases. A disease that must be reported to a proper officer of the local authority such as the Department of Health, so that prompt control and preventive action may be undertaken if necessary. Such diseases include diphtheria, food poisoning, malaria, measles, polio, tuberculosis, typhoid, and whooping cough. . The communicable diseases branch of the Department of Health develops policies to help with the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable diseases.
As well as advising the Government about individual diseases and immunisation the branch works to prepare disease outbreak plans and to monitor disease levels elsewhere in the world. You can find information about communicable diseases and contact them via their website http://www. dh. gov. uk/en/Publichealth/Communicablediseases/. htm The immunisation starts at two months old as newborn babies have some immunity to disease passed on to them through the mother. And certain vaccinations will be topped up every few years.
For example diphtheria, tetanus and polio are given at two months, three months, four months, three years four months and between the ages of Thirteen years and eighteen years. Other vaccinations include whooping cough, given at two months, Haemophilias influenza (HIB) given at two months, three months, four months and twelve months and the Measles, Mumps and rubella MMR given at thirteen months and three years four months. Seasonal flu vaccine is also offered to all those aged sixty-five years and over, people with certain long-term medical conditions, health and social care workers and those who work in close contact with poultry.
There has been a lot of controversy over the MMR combined vaccination widely acknowledged by the media, that it might be linked to an increased risk of autism. This has caused some parents delaying the MMR vaccine or not immunizing their child at all, resulting in outbreaks of measles. Since the MMR vaccine, which started in 1988 the UK, is close to wiping out both mumps and rubella and the NHS sends a clear message to promote vaccination.
Currently we are experiencing a pandemic of swine flu- a new strain of influenza it has spread quickly because it is a new type of flu virus that few, if any people have full resistance to. There are many different organisations working alongside the government to help in the support of dealing with a pandemic such as Swine Flu. The Department of Health- is working to support the NHS to reduce the impact of swine flu on the UK population. The Scientific Pandemic influenza advisory committee (SPI)- advises the UK government on scientific matters relating to the health response to influenza
Pandemic Directgov- information on pandemic flu for members of the public via their website www. directgov. com The World Health Organisation – provides leadership on matters critical to health, setting standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation and monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends. Health Protection Agency against pandemic influenza- focusing on improving UK preparedness for a future influenza pandemic and support to the Government, the NHS and the public in responding in the most effective way.
Including the development of information and guidance, emergency planning, exercises, training, laboratory work, and regional, national and international liaison. The media is a good way to reduce the impact of pandemic on society and get information across quickly and efficiently. ” Health secretary Andy Burnham, who visited university Collage Hospital in London to launch the campaign today, said: ‘our best line of defence against swine flu is the vaccine.
I’m very pleased to say that the UK is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating against this virus. ‘ The independent committee of experts in the UK has recommended that all those in the at risk groups should be offered the swine flu vaccine. It is also being offered to frontline health and social care workers to protect them and their patients and ensure the NHS is staffed should it come under pressure this winter” (21st October 2009 Daily Telegraph)