BMJ

[Guest guest]

PAsted this on as people might find it useful (thanks Woody)note the select

committee web address at the bottom. The named consultants might be worth

writing to also.

Houston

BMJ 2001;322:816 ( 7 April )

News roundup

Health select committee criticises directors of public health

Rhona Mac BMJ

Directors of public health were criticised by the Commons health select

committee last week for not providing the necessary leadership in public

health.

The report, which primarily covers England, set out to establish to what

extent the Department of Health’s actions are taking " public health out of

the ghetto. " The report stated that public health is not a term understood

by most of the public and that " it can be variously defined so as to cover

trends of disease in a population, the provision of preventative and health

improving care, or a range of health-impacting factors. "

The report also criticised the government for the slow development of

initiatives to " battle against health inequalities, " such as health action

zones. It stated that this was due to " profound systemic and structural

problems which relate to the lack of co-ordination between different

Government departments, statutory agents, elected authorities and the

voluntary sector. "

It also said that the precise status of health promotion in England is

unclear and that it does not have " the direction, energy or resources to

make a real difference. "

The committee recommended that:

· The minister for sport should be more involved in public health work

· The public health function should remain in the Department of Health

· There should be " joined up " objectives and a common methodology between

the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment, Transport

and the Regions.

The committee reached its conclusions after speaking to a wide range of

organisations—including the BMA, the NHS Alliance, and the British Heart

Foundation—and individuals, including former chief medical officer for

England Sir Acheson, Professor Margaret Whitehead of Liverpool

University, Professor Wilkinson of Sussex University, and Professor

Sally MacIntyre of Glasgow University. The committee also received and

considered over 100 memorandums.

The Faculty of Public Health welcomed the report and re-emphasised that

tackling inequalities could be achieved only through close partnership

working across many agencies and organisations. It refuted many of the

report's negative comments, however, especially those on the role of the

directors of public health.

The faculty did acknowledge, however, the need for national guidance on the

future role of the directors of public health and stated that it is " keen to

work closely with the Department of Health to establish such guidelines. "

The faculty was also disappointed that the function of communicable disease

control was not given sufficient importance in the report and urged the

government to recognise the " vital contribution " of consultants in

communicable disease control.

The health select committee's report can be accessed at

www.parliament.uk/commons/hsecom.htm

_________________________________________________________________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.