Exciting times for public health in Wales
Tuesday 3 June 2008
‘These are exciting times for public health in Wales,' Chief Medical Officer for Wales Tony Jewell told delegates at the opening session of the FPH annual conference. Opportunities exist to make real and sustainable progress in improving the health of the population, he said, and the country has genuine joint working between the sectors and a real commitment to social justice and developing a public health strategy. ‘Wales has a proud history of public health, epidemiology and evidence-based practice,' he continued, and is also determined to promote ‘small country governance' and remain close to its citizens.
'With vision and action we can change the world. Working with communities and building bridges needs to be at the heart of what we do'
Tony Jewell, CMO for Wales
2008 is an auspicious year for public health – not only the 60th anniversary of the creation of the NHS but 90 years since the Spanish influenza outbreak, and also the 160th anniversary of the Public Health Act. It is essential that we continue to learn from the past for solutions to challenging problems, he stressed. This was not about the new, but rather about new ways to challenge the ‘big four' – climate change, emerging infections, reducing inequalities and long-term chronic conditions.
Climate change
Climate change poses enormous challenges about where we get our food, the risks from flooding to people living in low-lying areas and the risks to older people from extreme hot weather, as events in France in 2003 have too aptly demonstrated. ‘Our trips to the supermarket may provide us with healthy options but at what price?' he said, and this is now a serious challenge for public health professionals. ‘Can we ethically continue to promote five-a day-when much of that five-a-day is flown in from thousands of miles away?' The Faculty's sustaining a healthy future document sets out both what individuals and organisations could do, he said, but it's also about convincing the people who write the cheques that achieving best value is not just about value for money, it's also about sustainability.'
The rise of global air travel meant that emerging infections could pose a real threat. ‘Speed of movement presents immense challenges for public health professionals and governments,' he said, and communication, organisation and good relationships within the international community are all essential ingredients in facing these.
Inequalities
In terms of the challenge of reducing inequalities and improving health, major inequalities still exist in the UK. ‘Despite talking about this for years, the gap can often seem to be getting wider,' he said. ‘Are we becoming like a stuck record and losing our value?' Having an affordable future means managing long-term chronic conditions, he stressed, and things like smoking, alcohol and substance misuse, mental ill health and obesity are all time bombs that are storing up problems for the future. What is needed is structured, co-ordinated continuous care. ‘We need to tackle chronic conditions upstream before they cause irreparable damage.'
The Welsh government is committed to equality of opportunity for its entire people and to sustainability, he said, as nothing is more important than the health of the population you govern. Wales is committed to reducing inequalities, including by giving children the best start in life and encouraging healthy behaviours at a young age – the Welsh Assembly Government has a strategic commitment to reducing child poverty, he said.
The government is also committed to ensuring that health was in all policies and that all policies contribute to health, through its policy integration tool, as well as ensuring that people have a responsibility for their own health and creating a sustainable future. The latter means using resources wisely and thinking globally while acting locally.
We need to have the ability to cross boundaries and spread news of positive public health interventions,' he said. ‘We need to take the first step – reach out to groups we don't normally connect with and see things through their eyes. With vision and action we can change the world. Working with communities and building bridges needs to be at the heart of what we do.'
Watch Tony Jewell's speech in the online recording of the opening session.