It is always gratifying when innovative public health ideas with their roots in the North East spread further afield.

So I was pleased when Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced during a visit to the region last month that an initiative piloted in our region will now be rolled out across the country.

The Change4Life corner shop scheme was launched at 12 locations in the North East last November and has been a major success.

Almost 90 more stores joined in over the next nine months with sales of fruit and vegetables increasing on average by 40 per cent.

The idea is to make it easier to buy fresh fruit and vegetables locally, thus increasing consumption and improving diet.

The corner shop scheme is just one of the ways we are tackling one of our major public health challenges.

The Obesity, Diet and Physical Activity regional advisory group is one of 10 set up to implement our 25-year Better Health Fairer Health strategy.

It has already developed a childhood obesity training pack for front line staff that is currently being piloted with a range of audiences

A subgroup has been established to evaluate and support the commissioning of bariatric prescribing and surgery in the North East.

And an annual audit of obesity services - coordinated by North East Public Health Observatory - is currently being carried out across the region. 

 

 

 

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

Edmondsley Primary School in County Durham won an award sponsored by Public Health North East last month. 

The Healthy School Award was one of ten presented at a ceremony held at the Centre for Life in Newcastle.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced the major expansion of a scheme to promote fruit and vegetables in corner shops during a visit to the North East last month.

 

Following a successful pilot in the region stores across the country can now join Change4Life and work with the local NHS to promote healthier eating in their communities.

Doctors in North Tyneside are to test a new way of working with patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as part of a national project.

 

The aim is to join up the care patients receive in hospitals and the community to improve their experience and enable them to stay as well as possible.

A seemingly fit and active father who suffered a heart attack has welcomed a new screening programme which aims to target people at risk.

 

Dinesh Rawlley of Jesmond (pictured) suffered a heart attack without warning while he was cooking dinner for his two grown up children.

Carers living in Northumberland will be given better access to health checks as part of a £16 million demonstrator site programme launched by the government last month.

 

Northumberland Care Trust successfully applied to be one of 25 areas across the country that will test different ways of supporting people who care for family or friends.

Darlington’s local NHS and council are asking for more views about how services and support can be improved for people living with dementia and their carers.

 

Local people and care professionals who attended an event at the town’s football club in June identified a number of issues.

Staff from NHS County Durham and Darlington took to the streets to mark the National Falls Awareness Day 2009.

 

They set up a stand at the Castle Dene Shopping Centre in Peterlee to give information and advice to the public.

This section provides an update on the work of the ten regional advisory groups set up to implement the North East’s Better Health Fairer Health strategy.

 

The Later Life group continues to focus on reducing the number of excess winter deaths in the North East.