Public Health North East

If this bulletin does not display correctly click here to view in your browser

Regional Director’s Update
This week we took another important step along the road to reducing the devastation and death caused by smoking.

New restrictions on tobacco promotion aimed at reducing the number of children who smoke were announced by the Government.

The measures mean that cigarettes will no longer be on display in shops - and such a temptation for impressionable youngsters.

Currently around 10,000 children aged 11-15 in the North East smoke, a worrying statistic we want to change.

Across the whole population smoking remains the main cause of premature death in the region – about 5,500 a year - and the greatest cause of health inequalities.

The NHS provides the best help anywhere in the world to the 70% of smokers who want to quit, and our services in this region are the best in the country.

But it’s also vital that we do all we can to prevent children from starting in the first place.

We have proved we are serious about improving the health of the North East by making a flying start on implementing Better Health, Fairer Health.

We can make even more progress if we focus energy on this important issue so the region is no longer blighted by smoking-related illnesses.

Professor Stephen Singleton
Regional Director of Public Health

Welcome to the monthly e-bulletin produced by Public Health North East. It is designed to keep you up to date on the latest developments in the region. Please send details about any public health-related events to simon.p.mills@dh.gsi.gov.uk.

Mental health first aid

Ambitious plans to train thousands of people to spot the signs of mental illness are underway in the North East.

Mental Health First Aid is an internationally recognised programme designed to catch problems early before they become more serious.

Transport and health links explored

Ground-breaking research into how transport can help to improve people’s health is underway in the North East.

The results of the pioneering work will become part of an ambitious strategy to tackle obesity and transform the health of the region.

Health trainers watch open heart surgery

Health trainers helping people who have undergone heart operations on the road to recovery were given a unique insight into their patients’ journeys.

They were invited into a hospital operating theatre to observe open heart surgery.

Fuel poverty declaration

Public Health North East has signed up to a regional fuel poverty declaration to help raise its profile.

The revamped document was launched by the North East Domestic Energy Forum last month.

You are the cure for colds and flu

People suffering from colds and flu are best placed to make themselves better, according to a new campaign currently running in the North East.

The idea is to persuade the public that the overuse of antibiotics is making some infections difficult to combat.

Better diet, more exercise in Derwentside

Over 7,000 people in Derwentside have taken part in an exercise to evaluate lifestyles and assess health inequalities.

Several organisations including NHS County Durham joined forces to repeat surveys looking at health-related behaviour originally run in 2005 and 2006.

Foster fact: new sexual health centre is great

Metro Radio’s Anna Foster dropped in to a new state of the art sexual health 'one to one centre’ recently to help celebrate the improved service.

North Tyneside Primary Care Trust moved the sexual health service’s main base from North Shields to new premises at Brenkley Avenue, Shiremoor, following a complete refurbishment of the building.

Playing out to get healthy

Stockton Borough Council has been appealing to local sports clubs, community groups and children’s organisations to apply for grants to encourage outdoor activities for the under 19s.

The Playing Out scheme aims to get more young people aged 19 and under taking part in outdoor physical activity.

New tobacco display laws welcomed

Health campaigners in the North East this week welcomed new restrictions on tobacco promotion aimed at reducing the number of children who smoke.

Around 10,000 people in the North East responded to the record breaking Department of Health consultation, including all of the region’s primary care trusts and key regional agencies such as the Association of North East Councils.

Breastfeeding action plan

An action plan workshop about breastfeeding will be held in the North East next week.

The aim is to identify regional priorities in relation to current practices and implementing best practice, key objectives and actions.

Sunderland’s healthy heartbeat

Providing nutritious meals in healthy surroundings has earned civic recognition for this year's recipients of the annual Healthy Heartbeat Awards in Sunderland.

For almost two decades the awards have been presented to caterers and employers in the city who demonstrate a real commitment to providing customers with a menu containing low-fat, low-sugar choices prepared by trained staff and a hygienic, smoke-free environment in which to enjoy the food.

Social care praised

People in Northumberland are judged to be receiving a ‘good’ adult social care service in the seven judgement areas according to a national inspection body.

The service also has ‘excellent capacity’ for improvement and rates as ‘promising’ in its use of resources and commissioning.

Elaine maps social marketing activity

Social marketing expert Elaine Wilson is coming to the end of an exercise mapping health-related regional activity in her field.

She was appointed earlier this year as the Department of Health’s lead on social marketing in the North East.