South West Teaching Public Health Network
The delivery of ‘Choosing Health’ (DH, 2004)* and the fully engaged scenario envisaged by Wanless (HM Treasury, 2002)’ requires the whole workforce to have an understanding of and an involvement in, key public health issues. This is an ambitious undertaking.
The SW teaching public health network aims to assist academic institutions and public health colleagues in the South West to work together to tackle this agenda. The network is the start of a process which can capitalise and energise existing resources towards public health educational goals, and lever in additional resource to this end.
The vision is of a structured partnership between teaching Primary Care Trusts (t-PCTs), academic institutions and key public health bodies at regional and strategic health authority level, that will harness existing resources to ensure the availability of a comprehensive programme of public health education. These developments will be available to a wide range of individuals and agencies working at all levels, including those in local authorities, the voluntary sector and other parts of the community to improve the public health in the South West.
The immediate aim is to develop a regional, comprehensive, geographically rationalised resource structure founded on existing education and training programmes, courses and activities around public health. The objective is to enable a very wide cadre of professionals to access, within or near their localities, incremental, staged education and skills training provision in public health. The goal is to widen participation in public health learning and training to support public health oriented ‘careers’ that are not restricted by traditional professional boundaries, levels of seniority, or experience. The method is based on a detailed monitoring, mapping and classification of the existing provision of learning opportunities in public health throughout the region, followed by selective expansion by network partners to fill local gaps where needed. Using an interactive web-based resource, individuals wishing to climb the public health training ‘escalator’, will obtain details of a bespoke programme of opportunities covering locally-run modules, training and skills courses and CPD sessions, focused on their personal development requirements in public health. The prize is an increasingly public health-oriented, aware and skilled workforce from health or social care assistant through to senior public health practitioner level.
*Department of Health (2004) Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier. London: Department of Health
‘ HM Treasury (2002) Securing our Future Health – Taking a Long-term View. London: HM Treasury
For Further Information on the network please contact either Selena Gray or Paul Pilkington:
Professor Selena Gray - South West Teaching Public Health Network Lead, University of the West of England, Bristol
0117 3288560/3288849, selena.gray@uwe.ac.uk
Paul Pilkington - South West Teaching Public Health Network Co-ordinator, University of the West of England, Bristol
0117 3288860 (direct), paul.pilkington@uwe.ac.uk
