Public Health North East

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Regional Director’s Update

I was delighted that our colleagues at Fresh received national recognition last week for their work to reduce rates of smoking in the North East.

They won the gold medal in the first ever Chief Medical Officer’s Public Health Awards after beating off some stiff competition. Further details can be found elsewhere in this bulletin.

It was a richly deserved reward for their imaginative and hard-working approach to arguably our biggest public health challenge – and a timely reminder that we still have a long way to go.

Encouragingly, the General Household Survey shows that the prevalence of smoking in the North East dropped to 22% in 2007, the biggest regional reduction over the previous two years.

But more than 5,000 of our people still die from smoking-related diseases every year. That represents an awful lot of avoidable suffering, not to mention grief and heartache for families.

A lot of the public health focus now is on obesity and excessive drinking, which are undoubtedly major concerns.

With both of these issues we need to change the culture around them. To some extent that has been successfully done with smoking, as the large numbers in favour of the two-year-old legislation show.

The laws on smoking in public places are only the first step, though. We need to make sure the recent reductions in the number of North East people smoking becomes an established trend.

I know we can count on our award-winning colleagues at Fresh, our highly successful NHS Stop Smoking Services and other partners to keep up the fight.

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

Big Drink Debate

People living in the North East are being encouraged to share their views on alcohol.

Organisers Balance, the regional alcohol office, hope it will be the biggest public health debate ever held in the region.

New prevention programme
A new initiative to prevent heart disease and stroke in vulnerable patients was launched in Durham this week.

The NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington Assessment and Management Pathway was part of an NHS Health Checks event at the Durham Centre, Belmont Industrial Estate.
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CMO gets swine flu close-up
Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson took the opportunity to see how swine flu was being tackled in the North East last month.

He was in the region to chair the second meeting of the North East Public Health Board, which shapes implementation of the Better Health Fairer Health strategy.
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Health tips for summer
Households across the Tees area were receiving timely advice last week when information about summer wellbeing dropped through their letterboxes as temperatures soared.

The 16-page leaflet contains practical advice about staying healthy during the summer months.
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Fresh scoops gold

Fresh Smoke Free North East has won the top Chief Medical Officer’s public health award for its work in tackling smoking.

The country’s first regional tobacco office, set up five years ago to reduce appalling smoking rates in the North East, scooped gold at a prestigious ceremony at the Royal College of Physicians in London.

Cash boost for cancer project
A Tyneside project which raises awareness of the symptoms of cancer will be extending its work thanks to recent funding from the local NHS.

The Healthy Communities Collaborative has received over £100,000 from NHS North of Tyne to continue its work to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel, breast and lung cancer.
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Falls service ‘changed our lives’
Alan and Val Waller have paid tribute to Northumberland Care Trust’s falls service for changing their lives.

The husband and wife became virtually housebound last year as they were unsteady on their feet.
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Health trainer first for Liam

A North East resident is set to help spread healthy living messages in his local community after landing a job with the NHS.

Liam Ford, of Stobswood in Widdrington, recently became a health trainer after successfully completing a course supported by Northumberland Care Trust.

Dementia improvement plan

North of Tyne has been chosen as an early adopter site for the national dementia strategy.

It aims to improve life for people with the condition and their carers no matter what the stage of their condition or where they are in the health and social care system.

Holiday prize for chlamydia test
Young people aged 16-24 in the North East have the chance to win a holiday for themselves and three friends – if they pee in a pot and take a test for chlamydia.

The primary care trusts in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Country Durham, Darlington and Teesside are campaigning to get as many young people as possible screened for the sexually transmitted infection.

Get going get rowing

A regional public health initiative was put through its paces at a major event in London to showcase innovation in the NHS.

Get going, get rowing is the result of a partnership between North East Strategic Health Authority and the Tony Blair Sports Foundation.