Public health

Welcome to this Royal College of Nursing (RCN) resource on public health.

It is an exciting time for nurses working in public health as all four countries of the UK seek to address the underlying causes of ill health such as unhealthy lifestyles and social inequalities.

Public health deals with and supports measures at an individual level, within organisations and at a wider society level to tackle the causes of disease and preventable mortality and disability. These approaches can be broadly grouped into three categories.

Prevention (for example, immunisation and screening).
Protection (for example, safety and protection from abuse).
Promotion (such as health education and supporting evidence based commissioning about health needs).

“Nursing's presence at almost every stage and setting of care means that nurses are engaged across a whole spectrum of public health interventions” (RCN Policy and International Department 2012, p.7). The RCN is an advocate for the nursing contribution to minimising the impact of illness and promoting health and function so that people can maintain roles at home, at work and at leisure in their communities.

Maximising the role that all nurses have in supporting health and wellbeing is essential.

See: RCN (2012) Going upstream: nursing's contribution to public health (PDF 342KB) [see how to access PDF files].

RCN Policy and International Department (2013) Public health reforms in England: a guide to the changes and the RCN position (Policy briefing 5/13) (PDF 174KB).