Workshop Information

1A – Sharing Lessons – Health Protection Case studies

Aims:  To share and review the response to 3 very different (Modern Slavery, TB and Anthrax) health protection events and consider the lessons these teach us for the future.

Learning Outcomes:  Delegates will gain a useful insight into 3 challenging health protection incidents and will contribute and take away valuable lessons learned which can be applied to future incidents in their own areas.

Workshop will be split into 3 sections, to individually work through 3 different health protection case studies.  In each section participants will asked to consider what they think they may have done differently and what could be useful learning to take back to their own workplace from each study.

Workshop leader:

Deborah Haynes, Consultant in Public Health, Wiltshire Council

1B – Inequality and inequity: learning to walk with our ethos

Aims:   This workshop will aim to stimulate shared learning on how the public health community can measure, analyse and act to address inequality and inequity, particularly in ever evolving organisational structures. With the public health workforce spread across many different organisations and with the evolving and broadening landscape of providers – the workshop will elaborate on how to navigate the system and how to influence separate  and independent organisations to prioritise equity as a key component of the quality of public health programmes.

Learning Outcomes: 

Some of the key objectives to be addressed during the workshop include:

-Overview of policy on equity in health –is  the concept of equity being profiled in health policy

-Refresh what health equity audits are and why we undertake them

-Use a bowel cancer screening health equity audit as an example for exploring how to plan a health equity audit, interpret the results and identify recommendations.

-Stimulate discussion about how public health communities can maintain and deepen understanding of health inequities and inequalities in evolving systems with some consideration of how to address them.

During the workshop we will work with the participants to get a snapshot of the current profile of equity (measured via health equity audits or alike systematic methods) in our health services and programmes.

We will use a combination of presentations, small group exercises and whole group discussion.

We will facilitate table top exercise in small groups to measure inequity based on data presented ; and then for the group to generate recommendations for the stakeholders based on the findings.

Data from bowel cancer and diabetic eye screening programmes will be used.

No prior knowledge of   screening programmes or of health equity audits is required. Equally, the sharing of experience is very welcome.

Workshop leaders:

Ardiana Gjini, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire: Screening and Immunisation Lead,  Facilitators: Charlotte Matthews, Filiz Altinoluk-Davies, Leanne Straus.

1C  – Great expectations antenatal programme – a multidisciplinary approach

Aims:   The aim of workshop is to focus on Great Expectations antenatal education programme; to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, children and families by addressing key public health priorities and to work in collaboration with partner organisations to successfully deliver a quality antenatal education programme.

Learning Outcomes:  To empower parents-to-be to make healthy lifestyle choices during pregnancy, following birth and for their families.

The importance of maintaining good working relations with partner organisations to sustain the delivery and quality of the programme.

Evaluate through participation involvement the effectiveness of the programme and update as required.

The workshop will follow the below format:-

20 minutes power point presentation

20 minutes group activity work

10 minutes questions

Workshop leaders:

Leeshia Walton, Specialist Health Improvement Practitioner, Livewell South West
Maria Birch, Health Improvement Manager, Livewell South West

1D – Clinical Governance in a Local Government setting

Aims:   To introduce the concept and importance of clinical governance (CG) for public health services, and to share the experience of Somerset County Council in how they fulfil their CG responsibilities.

Learning Outcomes:  Introduce the principles of clinical governance (CG) relevant to public health services

• Describe how a local authority has delivered their statutory responsibilities around CG
• Support participants to analyse a case study
• Share an incident response with participants and ask them to evaluate the LA response
• Provide tools, tips and pitfalls of CG

PH training Learning Outcomes: 1.2 and 3.1

A safe and effective PH team can only exist where there are robust Clinical Governance (CG) arrangements in place. However, with PH now based within local government this has risked distancing public health from previously well-established NHS arrangements.  

Participants will be introduced to CG, its importance, and how it works in practice. They will get the opportunity to reflect on their own arrangements in all parts of the PH system and to take forward learning for how such arrangements could be improved.

CG theory & practice(10 mins) –

Elements of CG(10 mins) – Overview including delegate participation

Somerset system(10 mins) – How CG is organised within Somerset

Incident management(15 mins) – The CG process  illustrated using a recent incident, including delegate participation

Other aspects of CG(5 mins) – Remaining elements of CG

Workshop leaders:

Alison Bell, Consultant in Public Health, Somerset County Council

Rob Tolfree, Specialty Registrar in Public Health, Somerset County Council

2A –Evidence in public mental health; What’s in your stress bucket and how can you prevent it overflowing?

Aim:  Making the case for public mental health and changing the focus from treating mental ill health to promoting emotional wellbeing is complicated. In her 2013 Annual Report the Chief Medical Officer called for further work to be undertaken to “build a body of ‘well-being’ evidence based on workable definitions and appropriate metrics”

This workshop will focus on the importance of promoting positive mental health and wellbeing and considering methods of evidencing the benefits to gain commitment of partners and commissioners to invest further upstream.

Learning Outcomes:

Delegates will have the opportunity to explore ideas that contribute mainly to the following Faculty of Public Health  learning outcomes:

Key Area 2: Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare interventions, programmes and services

Key Area 5: Health Improvement

The session will use a variety of methods to explore the subject and will focus primarily on participatory learning  including the following :

What does it feel like to be mentally well? (presentation/discussion)

What’s in your stress bucket? – What things contribute to it overflowing, what life protectors can be used to promote wellbeing. (delegate participation exercise)

The Economics of mental health –where would you invest to improve mental health and wellbeing (delegate participation exercise)?

How will we know it has worked (WEMWBS etc)? (presentation)

Workshop leader:

Karen Spence, Public Health Specialist, Wiltshire Council

2B – Simply Smiling!

Aim:   To raise the profile of oral health and to provide examples of 2 successful projects with a view to encourage participants to include key oral health messages in future programmes and initiatives.

Oral health is a big issue for everyone. There are large numbers of children who are admitted to hospital each year to have teeth extracted under general anaesthetic; this has a huge cost not only in financial terms but also in the pain and suffering these children go through.

Prevention is the answer!

This workshop will give an overview of the current picture of oral health and encourage you to include key oral health messages in projects and activities.

We will introduce 2 of our successful initiatives:

Dental ambassador project – a peer led training programme for adults with learning difficulties.

Brushing clubs – enabling primary schools to include regular, supervised brushing programmes as part of the regular school day, in breakfast club, breaks etc.

Learning Outcomes:   Participants will:

• Be more aware of oral health statistics in the southwest and impact this has on population groups
• Be able to list 6 key oral health messages

• Consider how to include oral health prevention into current activity programmes

This workshop showcases a ‘non clinical’ approach to improving dental well-being.

Its engaging and interactive; join us to learn something new about oral health!

A community engagement specialist and dental care professional will lead the presentation; they will provide advice and information as required.

We will set the ‘oral health scene’ for the region, giving an overview of oral health and its impact well-being, lifestyles etc.

Participants will have opportunity to discuss oral health generally, its effect on everyday lives and why prevention and partnerships is the key to success.

We will encourage participants to consider how they can encompass oral health improvement messages and initiatives as part of existing projects and programmes as well as sharing ideas to develop new activities which are innovative and meaningful.

Examples of successful initiatives will be shown:

1. Dental Ambassadors: a peer support programme for adults with additional needs which builds knowledge and confidence.
2. Brushing Clubs: a project which enables schools and early years settings to establish regular, supervised brushing sessions.

A variety of methods and materials will be used throughout the workshop including:

• Quiz using ‘turning point’ technology
• Discussion groups
• Videos
• Dental models and resources
• Demonstrations

Presentation

Workshop leaders:

Wendy Smith, Strategic Lead for Community Engagement, Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise

Karen Burn, Dental Care Professional, Community Engagement , Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise

2C – Prioritising public health interventions: tools, templates, temptations and evidence

Aims:   This proposal is for a joint workshop delivered by North Somerset Council (NSC), Bath and North East Somerset Council (BaNES) and University of Bristol. 

In recent years public health budgets have been reduced and will continue to face pressures.  This is in contrast to an increasing emphasis on prevention and public health as core parts of a sustainable health and social care system.  Public health departments in local authorities commission and/or provide services across a wide range of topics, some of which follow statutory (mandated) requirements and contribute to partnership work across the health system. 

In 2015/2016 we were tasked with finding 7% in-year budget savings and finding a way to prioritise whilst meeting the range of requirements detailed above.   This workshop is about learning from that collective experience.  

The workshop would cover:

1) A short overview of prioritisation tools and techniques (10 minutes)

2) Descriptive example of a template used in NSC and BaNES (10 minutes).

3) Exercise in prioritisation (15-20 minutes)

4) Academic support to evaluate public health interventions and disinvestments (10 minutes)  

5) Summary and close

Learning Outcomes: 

• Knowledge of range of prioritisation tools
• Learning from others experiences of prioritisation
• Analysing political and external factors in prioritisation
• Ethics and accountability of decisions
• Partnership working and system thinking
• How to involve academic partners

Workshop leaders:

Jon Roberts, Consultant in Public Health, North Somerset Council

Matt Lenny, Public Health Service Leader, North Somerset Council

Paul Scott, Consultant and Assistant Director of Public Health, Bath and North East Somerset Council

Ruth Kipping, Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol

2D – Smokefree prisons – lessons learned from the early adopter sites. Continuity beyond the gate and benefits of collaborative working.

Aims:   The work shop will provide an overview of smokefree prisons from the early adopter cluster. This will include:

-early lessons learned from early adopter cluster,  identifying and sharing the process and key actions which have contributed to the success

- identify the challenges throughout planning ,implementation and follow up using HMP Erlestoke as a case study example from the early adopter cluster

- learning from an example of system leadership in practice

- wider public health impact of smokefree prisons

-continuity of care beyond implementation and beyond the gate

- developments within the prison service on smoke free prisons

Learning Outcomes: 

-effectiveness of collaborative working across partners, stakeholders and organisations

- the role of the local authority

- link smoke free prisons  to wider public health programmes, including  screening and health checks

- the need for continuity of care

The workshop will be run collaboratively between the 3 colleagues identified

There will be slide presentation support the delegates working in groups.

Workshop leaders:

Rachel Campbell, Public Health Specialist Health and Justice, Public Health England South West

Jo Peden, Consultant in Public Health, Health and Justice, Public Health England National team

3A – NHS Healthchecks: A good public health investment or not?

Aims:    To look at the available evidence and rationale for continuing to invest in the NHS Healthchecks Programme at a Local level

Learning Outcomes:  

1.  Have an overview of how the NHS Healthchecks programme runs in the South West and an outline of what progress since LAs took over commissioning programme in April 2013.

2.  To understand the rationale behind PHE promoting the programme in the face of much criticism.

3.  To understand the current evidence base and what recent national UK evaluations have added.

4.  To learn how a local authority commissioner has promoted and improved the programme in Plymouth, and why they have continued to invest in NHS Healthchecks despite budget pressures.

Workshop will involve a presentation on the making the case for NHS Healthchecks  which will include a section giving an example of how the programme is running and supported in Plymouth.  Delegates will be invited to debate whether the evidence and rationale are robust enough to support the programme in their view or not.

If you plan to attend this workshop it may be useful to read the following article on the bmj website

titled - The NHS Health Check in England:an evaluation of the first 4 years

Workshop leader:

Rosanne Sodzi, Health and Wellbeing Programme Manager, Public Health England

Dan Preece, Advanced Public Health Practitioner, Health Improvement, Plymouth City Council

3B – Planning – a foreign language?

Aims:  The planning functions in local government are an important lever to shape the natural and built environment. Planning can contribute to positive health outcomes through green spaces, housing, transport, and our high streets and town centres. Public Health is now well placed to embed health into the planning system. 

The workshop will help to:

• Demystify the world of planning: we do speak different languages!
• Suggest how to start having ‘those’ conversations
• Provide valuable insight into the mechanisms for affecting change by weaving health into

        council strategies and plans: health is everyone’s business

Learning outcomes:

• To understand the local authority planning process and the requirements for evidence based

        policy options when developing Local Plans and Core Strategies.

• To recognise the need for policy work to address wider determinants of health in local

        authorities

• How to influence professional groups outside of public health

Outline of the workshop:

Fun Quiz – To find out what planning knowledge people have.

Presentation – Brief overview of planning and what we should be seeking to influence

Activity – Participants to be provided with existing planning policies and asked to ‘weave’ health into them and suggest evidence which could be used to influence.

Feedback and Discussion

Workshop leaders:

Rachel Kent, Public Health Specialist, Wiltshire Council

Fionna Vosper, Public Health Specialist, South Gloucestershire Council

3C – Antimicrobial Resistance plans – learning from the Cornwall experience

Aim:  To increase awareness of AMR plans and encourage delegates to explore shape of AMR plans in their locality

Learning Outcomes: 

1. To understand the process of developing an AMR plan- the Cornwall experience
2. To explore how to develop AMR plans in their own locality

Presentation from Kathryn and Lisa about experiences in Cornwall followed by table top discussion on how to develop plans in localities

Workshop leaders:

Kathryn Wisner, Antimicrobial Resistance Pharmaceutical Adviser, NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group

Lisa Johnson, Antimicrobial Resistance Nurse Consultant, NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group

Chaam Klinger, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, Public Health England South West

3D – Sending the ‘Fat letter’:  A supportive approach to the National Child Measurement Programme results letter in Somerset

Aim:  To share learning derived from re-introduction of NCMP results letters in Somerset.

Learning Outcomes: 

1. An overview of LAs statutory duty and a summary of evidence around the impact of results letters on behaviour change.
2. Feedback on Somerset’s experience stakeholder engagement in the development, implementation and evaluation of the programme.
3. Share ideas on how to utilise and amend national NCMP templates to meet local need.
4. Learning from what parents and children have said about the NCMP programme in Somerset.

1. Consider the impact of the programme in relation to the bigger picture around healthy weight and its links to positive mental health and body image.

The workshop will provide an introduction, background and context to delivery of NCMP in Somerset.  Participants where possible are encouraged to bring along their own NCMP results letter and supporting materials. Small group discussions will be facilitated to share learning across the region to consider how we ensure communication with families is sensitive, encourages behaviour change and avoids disengagement.

Workshop leaders:

Fiona Moir, Health Promotion Manager, Children and Young People, Somerset County Council

4A – Stand up NOW! – for the Public Health Agenda

Aims: To support participants in developing strategies and behaviours to have “in the moment”

impact in perceived high-power, pressure environments.

Learning Outcomes:  On completion of this workshop, participants will:-

• have explored barriers to speaking up, challenging and making a point, in high power environments 
• understand the spectrum of behaviours available to make an impact and assess where on the spectrum they prefer to operate
• develop strategies to move up and down the spectrum as they perceive appropriate in any given moment / environment
• have increased confidence and ability to be heard in meetings and environments where various other agendas may be at play

This is a fun, energetic and highly participative workshop requiring individuals to “have a go” at speaking out in front of the group utilising different behavioural approaches.  In addition individuals will have the opportunity to reflect honestly on their own behaviour patterns, and perceived barriers to “speaking up”

There is no paperwork associated with the workshop; individuals will leave with the memory of their experience and opportunities to employ these various behavioural approaches in perceived challenging environments.

Individuals will be invited (not forced) to work in their personal stretch zone, as learning will not happen in a 75minute workshop if we each stay in our comfort zone!

Workshop leaders:

Jon Toulson, Managing Director, TTS Ltd

4B – Public Health Ethics: Improving Health and Equity

Aims:  The workshop aims to explore how ethical theories and frameworks relate to public health policy and practice. There will be particular attention to the following potential tensions:

• An ethical mandate to improve population health and an ethical mandate to decrease health inequalities;
• The wide-ranging, and sometimes contradictory, views on what constitute fair or equitable public health interventions.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will have engaged in active, critical reflection on the nature and meaning of ‘public health ethics’, and considered the significance of different sorts of ethical concern as applied to areas of public health policy and practice. This will be achieved with a view to encouraging ongoing reflection.

The workshop will use a mixed teaching approach, incorporating both lecture-style training from the workshop leader, and delegate participation in structured ‘work point’ activity and group discussion.

Workshop leaders: 

John Coggon, Professor, University of Bristol

4C – Effective Searching: Information and Evidence to Inform Public Health Commissioning and Practice

Aims:  To equip Public Health practitioners with the skills to effectively search for and find relevant evidence from a range of sources to inform decision-making

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• appreciate the necessary steps involved in effectively searching for evidence
• recognise the principles of how to search for public health evidence and information, via the Internet.
• be familiar with a range of evidence sources available for public health

"People today are in danger of drowning in information; but, because they have been taught that information is useful, they are more willing to drown than they need be. If they could handle information they would not have to drown at all." Idries Shah

This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the most effective ways of finding relevant evidence, through the following content:

• Brief consideration of “Evidence”
  • Commissioning decision-making, questions and evidence types
  • A search strategy
    • HOW to look for information
    • Constructing and developing an organised search
    • WHERE to look for information
    • Key sources of public health-related information

This will be provided through a mix of didactic training to illustrate the principles involved and activities to practice these principles.

NB Please can participants bring to the workshop an example of an information need from their own practice for them to begin to work on during the activities.

75 minutes is too short! Additional resources will be supplied for participants to take away to further support them to conduct searches after the workshop is finished.

Workshop leaders:

Caroline De Brún, Knowledge and Evidence Specialist – South West and Thames Valley, Public Health England

4D – Power and Influence – how to influence across local authority agendas – working with elected members

Aims:  To give delegates an overview of the political system within local government and how best to influence.

Andrea will speak for approximately 30 minutes then answer questions for the remainder of the time.

Please can participants who have chosen this workshop, come with questions in advance to discuss with Andrea.  There will be a time for groups to discuss questions.

Workshop leaders:

Councillor Andrea Davis, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, Devon County Council

Fionna Vosper, Public Health Specialist, South Gloucestershire Council

The session will include:

Topical debate in which members of the panel will answer questions that have been posed by members of the audience.

The audience is a key factor in this session and moves the debates forward.  Questions that have been put forward in advance will be placed on tables for a delegate sitting on that table to pose to the panel.

The panel will comprise of:-

Gabriel Scally, Moderator

Maggie Rae, Head of School for Public Health

Kevin Elliston, Deputy Director of Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England South West

Marcus Grant, Environmental Steward for Health, Co-ordinator of the SHINE Health Integration Team, Bristol Health Partners

Paul Pilkington, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, University of West of England

Caroline Gamlin, Medical Director, NHS England