NHS in Devon welcomes call to tackle public health issues

The NHS in Devon has welcomed the launch of a new national website to help councils and the NHS tackle public health challenges.

Rebecca Harriott, chief officer of Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, said the website, which provides statistics on the number of premature and avoidable deaths from public health issues such as smoking, will help identify the challenges for the NHS and local authority.

“We welcome Public Health England’s introduction of mortality data for preventable diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, lung disease and liver disease,” she said.

“We will work closely with our local authority colleagues to identify the public health challenges in each area of Devon so we can develop services to meet their needs.

“People living in more rural communities tend to have a lower mortality rate even when factors such as deprivation are taken into account. Of course the rates for more urban areas are naturally higher, but Plymouth has lower mortality rates compared with similar sized cities.

“One of our main objectives with our local authority colleagues is to improve prevention and early diagnosis. For example if we reduce the number of people who smoke the number of people who die because of conditions such as cancer, heart disease and stroke will reduce.

“We will also work closely with our acute hospital trusts to make improvements to cancer services, and services for stroke and respiratory disease.”

Debbie Stark, Plymouth Interim Director for Public Health, said: “This data highlights the challenges we face and the import role Public Health plays in Plymouth.

“When looking into the reasons of premature deaths we often find it is associated with lifestyle choices such as high rates of smoking, alcohol misuse and unhealthy overweight and obesity. This can also be linked to high levels of deprivation.”

Devon and Plymouth have also each set up a HealthWatch, part of a national network of organisations that means local voices are able to influence how local services are designed and delivered.

The responsibility for the health of Devon and Plymouth’s communities transferred to the local authorities in 2010 as part of the Health and Social Care Act.

The move means local authorities are now responsible for delivering services that improve the health of people in Devon and Plymouth, prevent ill-health and reduce current inequalities that exist from region to region.

This includes stop smoking advice, drug and alcohol services, sexual health clinics and advice and intelligence to health commissioners.

Rebecca Harriott continued: “The transfer of public health to our local authorities has meant it now works alongside many of the key services that influence the health of our communities, such as housing and employment.

“It should make a real difference to people’s health, for example by providing NHS health checks for everyone over the age of 40, and by tackling some of the contributory factors of health inequalities in the county, such as poverty, obesity and alcohol.”