June 2013

JIGSAWNEWS
A Monthly Newsletter on Public Health for EHPs in Northern Ireland and Beyond

Issue 4

Nudge Nudge......not

Something in the Air!

Both ne-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a persons risk of developing cardiovascular disease according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study in which they considered both factors simultaneously. "Many studies have looked at air pollution, while others have looked at noise pollution," said study leader Barbara Hoffmann, MD, MPH, from the IUF Leibniz Research Institute in Germany. "This study looked at both at the same time and found that each form of pollution was independently associated with subclinical atherosclerosis."

Wimbledon is just around the corner so it must mean more rains on the way, so to keep you company under your umbrella here is the latest Jigsaw News. This month were delighted to be able to bring you an interview with our colleague Jim McManus DPH at Hertfordshire County Council as well as the usual mix of stories. One of the governments main policies around Public Health is to nudge people away from unhealthy behaviours so its interesting to see that this month there seems to be a move back to enforcement with bans proposed on chips and smoking in cars. The Food Hygiene Rating System has also hit the headlines thanks to research by Which? The scheme should be the perfect example of a mixture of both approaches, the public being nudged away from poor food businesses and EHPs seeking compliance through the law. With 13% of the population not using the internet its difcult to see why there is still no requirement to prominently display ratings. If we are serious about nudging people in the right direction why is making the healthy choice usually the most difcult. Try eating healthily at a sporting event! Perhaps its time we started to incorporate nutrition into the remit of EHPs and make it part of the Food Hygiene Rating System. Supermarkets are already looking at the commercial opportunities of promoting healthy eating so why are Local Authorities so slow to act?

Wider Role for HealthWatch At the recent Chartered

Last month Jigsaw met with Sarah Wren Chair of HealthWatch Hertfordshire to discuss the importance of lower tier Local Authority services and their inuence on the wider determinants of health. Sarah shared our concerns that resources which underpin health improvements are currently at risk due to budget cuts. Communication was another area for improvement to ensure messages ow in both directions between the Health & Wellbeing Board and ofcers on the front line. Sarah fully supports the approach which we have taken with Jigsaw and hopes this can continue in the future.

Institute of Environmental Health Eastern Region Spring Forum 80% of those present admitted they didnt know the name of their Director of Public Health. Given the news Janet Atherton Chair of the Association Of Directors of Public Health said We like to chat and generally dont bite unless we have missed lunch!

Jigsaw Public Health Forum on the Move

Tuesday June 4th will be a busy day for the JigsawPSPH Public Health Forum as it will be moving house. Started in December 2012 the forum has been hosted on LinkedIn where members have been enjoying some lively debates. The new home will be at www.rhenvironmental.co.uk

Pete & Sarah

where the forum will be combined with the Jigsaw Blog and links to the Im a Public Health Professional Get Me Out of Here podcast. Jigsaw co founder Pete Hill is excited about the new start. Its what we have been aiming at for sometime keeping all the various Jigsaw products in one place. Id like to give a big vote of thanks to everyone at RHEnvironmental for making it happen. Now I cant wait to get going.

Poor layout of communities contributing to obesity

The claim was made by health experts at a major conference at University College Cork (UCC) which heard that existing community structures are creating serious medical problems for people in later life. According to the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, less than one in three people currently meet the minimum weekly physical-activity levels for a healthy body. The independent group which joined forces with other experts from Queens University Belfast and the HRB Centre for Health and Diet Research at UCC said a key reason for this is the way estates, villages, and towns are developed. Calling for a change in direction to address the health problem, it said doing nothing will simply result in obesity, heart and other physical conditions continuing to rise. The low level of physical activity across the island has many implications for public health. Recent studies suggest that by 2020 there will be large increases in the number of people with obesity-related chronic conditions, said Dr Kevin Balanda, Institute of Public Health Associate Director. We forecast that, by 2020, there will be 366,000 people with hypertension, 176,000 with diabetes, and 29,000 with stroke.

10% Of Health Budget Spent On Diabetes Treatment

10% of Northern Ireland's health budget is estimated to be spent on managing diabetes and its complications, according to Health Minister Edwin Poots. Mr Poots said projections estimate the proportion could rise to 17% in just over two decades. The Minister was addressing delegates attending the launch of Diabetes Week UK in the Long Gallery at Stormont. "There are approximately 76,000 adults or 4% of the population with diabetes in Northern Ireland and some 1,000 children," he said. Outlining the Department of Health's plans to address the increasing number of people with diabetes in Northern Ireland, the Minister said: "My Department is finalising a new 10-year Public Health Strategic Framework, which will set the overall framework for action, across Government, to improve public health by addressing the causes of ill-health and health inequalities.

Food safety body issues warning after 'shocking' fall in standards

May was one of the worst ever months for serious food safety problems in restaurants, shops and takeaways.Health inspectors took action against 19 food businesses over hygiene and safety problems that could endanger public health during the month.The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) warned businesses to clean up their act as warm summer weather greatly increases the risks of food poisoning. It was "shocking" that such a high number of food businesses were not compliant with food law, said FSAI director of service contracts Dr Bernard Hegarty."The risks for food-borne illness increase as bacteria can multiply rapidly in the warmer temperatures," he said. The 19 enforcement actions last month matches

Children buzzing after Bee Safe event Local primary school children were given some potentially lifesaving advice at the annual Bee Safe event which took place over a few weeks across a number of council areas.The events are organised through local Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSP) working with Local District Councils Environmental Health Departments and local partners. Pupils who attended the two day events across the province are now buzzing with knowledge on how to keep themselves safe thanks to this multi-agency community safety initiative which gave children the chance to learn some key messages. The event aims to encourage ten and eleven year olds to adopt good safety habits and to learn about a wide range of safety issues in a fun and interactive way.

the previous highest monthly total recorded last October. So far in 2013, some 61 food
businesses have received enforcement actions, compared with 109 in the whole of 2012, and the numbers falling short of food safety standards have risen dramatically over the last six years.

Jigsaw on-line: Podcast - http://jigsawpsph.podomatic.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/JigsawPSPH

d.m.dixon@stir.ac.uk

JIGSAW WORLD

Thinking Outside The Box

Two studies have suggested innovative ways of reducing crime and improving wellbeing. In Pennsylvania vacant plots of land were improved by planting grass and trees and providing fences. The changes led to reductions in gun crimes and improvements in residents perceptions of safety. Research has shown that negative perceptions can have a detrimental effect on health.

London Underground have found that the playing of classical music has been effective in reducing levels of crime and assaults on staff at Elm Park Station on the District Line. It could bring a whole new meaning to the phrase catching the Tuba!

More Community Services Needed A report by the Care Quality Commission has called for more investment in community services to ease the burden on A&E Departments. Current gures show the minimum cost of a visit to A&E to be 76 with over 21 million attendances each year the cost to the NHS is approximately 1.6 billion. A gure that could be drastically reduced by greater focus on the wider determinants of health. No Smoking, Children on Board Scottish Liberal MSP Jim Hume wants to introduce a private members bill which would make it illegal to smoke in vehicles when children are present. A survey has found that eight out of 10 people north of the border would support such a ban.

Jigsaw on the Road

We have been invited to facilitate an hour workshop on Social Media at the forthcoming CIEH Annual Meeting on 13th June at Chadwick House. Unfortunately the event is fully booked but you will be able to follow events on Twitter @JigsawPSPH.

Public Health Outcomes Framework Updates Now Out

Public Health England have issued a series of updates to the Public Health outcomes Framework. The documents which include a progress report to March 2013 and Technical Specications of Public Health Indicators provide statutory guidance for Local Authorities exercising their Public Health functions. You can download the documents from: http://bit.ly/17UExtr Its NICE to Have Standards The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence are to develop three new Public Health Quality Standards. These will provide a set of statements designed to drive and measure improvements in health care. NICE has had a Public Health remit since 2005 before that time it dealt solely with clinical matters. The new quality standards will apply to both top and lower tier Local Authorities and integrate with the Public Health Outcomes Frameworks. http://bit.ly/19oMd7Y

When The Chips Are Down

Councillors in Salford are looking to use Planning regulations to ban take aways near local schools from serving hot food before 5pm. Margaret Morris Deputy Mayor for Health said. "Public health and helping to reduce obesity levels are a top priority, and while planners cannot control the food that is sold, we would like every new premise to offer well promoted healthy alternatives so people can have an informed choice about the food they eat.

Bexley in Kent has the worst food hygiene in Britain

Daily Mirror

Housing Research Bulletin

A new information source for Housing professionals was launched last month. The Housing Health International Research Bulletin can be found at: www.housinghealth.com

Jigsaw on-line: Daily News - http://paper.li/JigsawPSPH Blog - http://jigsawpsph.wordpress.com

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JIGSAW NEWS
Editing and Design: Pete Hill & Sarah James Jigsaw Northern Ireland Anthony McCloskey JigsawNews is an independent production all views expressed are solely those of the editorial team and do not represent those of any other organisation.

The Month on Twitter

Stanley Says: The number of adults accessing the internet has now reached 84%, the percentage using a smart phone is now 53%. Local Authorities are waking up to Social Media with 54% now using it at service level and only 30% blocking staff use. Two thirds of LAs now believe that wise use of Social Media can save them money. The biggest increase in Twitter users in the past 12 months has come in the 50-65 age group.
Coming Next Month............. We ask is the generic EHP an endangered species, take a look into the world of privatisation and round up the rest of the months Public Health news. Dont forget if your colleagues havent seen Jigsaw News why not get them on our mailing list. jigsawpsph@gmail.com BCC Env. Health @JigsawPSPH @foodgov Making it a legal req for all businesses to display their FHRS score would make a huge diff to #food safety Graham Burgess @The_CIEH @JigsawPSPH @foodgov @WhichUK Sloppy food hygiene standards should not be tolerated. Neither should reductions in EHOs. Crazy Dr Jeremy Leach of course establishments should display their FH ratings, thereby harnessing consumers.

Did You Know: a 20dB increase in aircraft noise is enough to delay a childs reading age by 8 months

Contact Us: JigsawPSPH@gmail.c om @JigsawPSPH 07917704429

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Delivering quality services to a wide range of businesses and Public Sector bodies since 1999 http://www.rhenvironmental.co.uk

Did You Know: The cost of noise pollution in Europe is approximately 20 billion

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Alberts Square

Coopers Corner
I knew a hypochondriac who wouldnt visit the Dead Sea until he found out what it died of!