The Public Health Practitioner Role Health And Social Care Essay

The author aims to critically examine the role of the public health practitioner in general, taking into account the current socio-political context, the knowledge and skills required for the job, the issues that face public health practitioners, and the approaches. The writer has picked a project for the second half of this work and will critically evaluate how well it satisfies the requirements for good public health. This project will identify and discuss public health skills and abilities, as well as health promotion theories and methodologies. See Appendix 1 for more information.Essay writing Services of Academic Master is providing help to world wide people in their works for increasing performance.Though there are various definitions of public health, the writer believes it is reasonable to begin with one. The objective of public health, according to the Public Health Resources Unit (2008), is to "improve health and population wellbeing; disease prevention and minimization; lengthen valued life and reduce health inequities" (PHRU, 2008).All of these can be accomplished, according to PHRU, by taking a population-based approach, mobilising society's organised efforts, and acting as a public health advocate; enabling people and communities to improve their own health and wellbeing; acting on the social, economic, environmental, and biological determinants of health and wellbeing; protecting against and minimising the impact of health risks on the population, and ensuring that preventive, treatment, and care are available (PHRU, 2008).Webster and French (Tones & Tilford, 2001) characterise public health as three aspects: population-level health promotion, epidemiological analysis, and health professionals trained in medicine. Public health, according to Naidoo and Willis (2000, p. 181), is defined by several factors and encompasses three domains: population health promotion, health protection (a concern for the prevention of illness and disease), and health service improvement (a recognition of the many factors that contribute to health).Public health practitioners have autonomy in specific areas and are constantly responsible for their own work area while also assisting others in understanding it. Practitioners are more likely to work in a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary environment, whereas general practitioners work as part of a larger team led by someone with a higher level of responsibility (PHRU, 2008).The Faculty of Public Health (2000) describes a public health strategy that emphasises collective responsibility for improving health and preventing disease; recognises the state's fundamental role, coupled to a concern for the underlying socio-economic and wider determinants of health and disease. This strategy is multidisciplinary, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and promotes collaboration with all people who contribute to population health (FPH, 2000)."The science and art of avoiding disease, prolonging life, and promoting, safeguarding, and improving health via the organised efforts of society," according to Sir Donald Acheson (1988). He also describes the function as planning and evaluating services, as well as disease surveillance and coordination of communicable disease control, with public health practitioners providing epidemiological guidance on priority setting. This will involve public health practitioner abilities such as communication, planning, networking, management, and the utilisation of research-based evidence, according to Naidoo and Willis (1998).Naidoo and Willis (2001) and Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) define a public health practitioner as a trained individual whose job it is to make people and the environment healthier, to do research, to advocate, and to collaborate with the community on specific projects. The public practitioner is responsible for implementing government-sponsored health initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities in society. Naidoo and Willis (2008) further state that the health practitioner is guided by three principles: empowerment, participation, equity, and collaborative working, all of which are in agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO, 1986).Reducing health inequities is a top concern, and all health professionals may help by identifying people with poor health or who are unable to access present health services for a number of reasons. The 10-year NHS Plan (DOH, 2000) established a new statutory goal for the NHS to devote resources to help people live healthier lives.Individual understanding of body function and strategies to prevent sickness is increased by public health practitioners, as is skill in using the health-care system and awareness of political and environmental variables that influence health. Increased community capacity can be established by boosting people's ability to participate in health promotion.The government White Paper Saving Lives (DOH, 1999) on public health strategy for England's first response to the Acheson Report set a national agenda for action to reduce health inequalities, including a commitment to action on living standards and tackling poverty, particularly child poverty, pre-school education, employment as a poverty way out, transportation, urban regeneration, crime reduction, and housing improvement for disadvantaged areas, as well as preventative health measures (Hogstedt et al, 2008).The government's aim in "Our Healthier Nation," published by the Department of Health in 1999a, was to guarantee that the public health workforce was competent and skilled, effectively staffed, and resourcefully supplied to handle the important task of implementing health programmes. Health professionals are expected to contribute their expertise and skills to achieving the goals outlined in the "White Paper" (DOH, 1999). Acting as leaders who are knowledgeable and equipped to manage strategic change and collaborate with other agencies, focusing on health promotion for community development, familiarising themselves with public concepts, and using evidence to guide work where appropriate are all skills that public health practitioners possess.

Context Socio-Political

According to Donaldson and Donaldson (2006), there were severe shortcomings in the standards of care delivered in public health in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. According to McKnight (1998), communities were formerly considered as passive receivers of services, and service users were not respected (Gorin and Arnold, 1998). According to Naidoo and Willis (1998, p. 9), modern public health recognises the importance of living conditions in promoting health, as well as action on health inequalities, physical and social regeneration of neighbourhoods, and the development of healthy public policies in the areas of food, transportation, and the workplace.There were insufficient hospital beds, workers, structures, and equipment in the public health system (Tones and Tilford, 2006). The public health movement began with the noble goal of teaching the public about good health, according to Naidoo and Willis (2001). Public health personnel were hired to regularly broadcast health advice on contamination protections under the Public Health Legislation of 1848. It was highlighted that sanitary reform was on the rise, with municipal governments focused on environmental issues.The National Health Service and Community Care Act of 1990 was enacted, and it was a key piece of public health legislation that changed the way health services were given, including the widespread closure of health care institutions and the placement of patients in community care (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006). The launch of the "Health of the Nation" (1992) strategy, according to Naidoo and Willis (2006), targeted five important areas, including coronary heart disease, cancer, mental health, sexual health, and accidents. However, Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) pointed out that throughout the "Personal Hygiene" era, the leading causes of death and disability switched from infections to chronic illnesses like heart disease, stroke, cancer, respiratory illness, and accidents, all of which have a lifestyle component.Another function of a public health practitioner is to promote and safeguard the health and well-being of people and the general public by preventing the spread of infectious diseases and providing protection from chemical radiation and other hazards. Stopping smoking, improving nutrition, and increasing physical activity can all help to improve health and lower the burden of diseases including obesity, coronary heart disease, and cancer. According to Naidoo and Wills (2001), the public health practitioner's intervention was health education with a focus on individual behaviour.Housing, sanitation, potable water, and food were all addressed in the 1994 Public Health Act. According to Ewles and Simnet (2001), the New Labour Party introduced public health in 1997, following the same principles as the World Health Organization and adopting policies similar to the Jakarta (1997) declaration, with an emphasis on infrastructure and investment and the empowerment of service users to make informed decisions.In 1997, the Minister of Public Health was appointed (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006), which resulted in the establishment of the Health Development Agency (1998) with the goal of maintaining and disseminating evidence-based health improvement, advising on public health and health promotion standards, and carrying out campaigns, as well as the establishment of public health observatories linked to universities to monitor health and highlight areas of action.