Public health: policy and reports - Northern Ireland
Introduction
Men living in the 10 per cent least deprived areas in Northern Ireland can expect on average to live almost 12 years longer than their counterparts living in the 10 per cent most deprived areas. For women, the gap is more than 8 years. This is a statistic quoted in the new 10-year public health framework for Northern Ireland Fit and well: changing lives which builds on the aims and guiding principles of the earlier 'Investing for health' initiative. The consultation on the framework documents closed in November 2012.
The framework proposes a more focussed collaboration across departments and agencies and provides strategic direction for partnership working at regional and local level. The framework is structured around five life course stages and sets out the policy aims for each stage and the outcomes to be achieved by 2015, highlighting the key partners for each outcome.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is a multidisciplinary and multiprofessioanl body bringing together health and social wellbeing improvement and health protection functions and support for these in Northern Ireland. The Institute of Public Health promotes collective action for sustained improvements in health across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
A common focus across all agencies and activities is tackling health inequalities.
For further information see the policies below. See also agencies and topics.
Policy and reports
The following section includes key strategic documents and related reports which shape the public health agenda - most recent first.
These resources were last accessed on 19 April 2013. Some of them are in PDF format - see How to access PDF files.
Chief Medical Officer annual reports
Annual reports on the health of the population in Northern Ireland. Each report focuses on a range of current issues in public health.
Fit and well: changing lives - 2012-2022. A 10-year public health strategic framework for Northern Ireland: consultation document (2012)
The document is in three sections the first of which covers the background issues. The second section discusses the 'whole systems approach' and presents the strategic framework with information on the challenges at each life stage. It proposes six Priority Areas for Collaboration with the aim of providing a focus for partnership working at strategic and local levels. The final section outlines proposed arrangements for implementing and monitoring the framework. The consultation period closed in November 2012. The strategic framework builds on and promote the values, principles and successes of the earlier strategy Investing for health.
Transforming your care - a review of health and social care in Northern Ireland
In 2011, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) announced a review of the provision of health and social care in Northern Ireland. The review highlighted a major shift to care delivered within people’s homes, a greater access to care in the local community, and a move away from residential care and those who need 24 hour care will be cared for within nursing homes. The report set out 99 recommendations for the future shape of health and social care services. See: Health and Social Care Review Report (Transforming your care) (PDF 5MB).
The Transforming Your Care consultation ran over a 14 week period from 9 October 2012 to 15 January 2013. The consultation outlined the proposals for change in Health and Social Care services in response to the Report 'Transforming Your Care: A Review of Health and Social Care Northern Ireland' (2011). See the post consultation report and related Transforming Your Care documents.
Nursing for public health: realising the vision (2005) (PDF 561KB)
This report, published within the Chief Nursing Officers pages on the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety website, is the outcome of four years of joint working between nurses in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to develop a vision and action plan for strengthening the nursing contribution to public health. It outlines a model for embedding public health into education and practice across the range of clinical areas and community settings in which nurses work.
A healthier future: a twenty year vision for health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland 2005-2025 (PDF 672.1KB) (2004)
The strategy, designed around five cross-cutting themes, provides and overarching framework for the development of health and social services across Northern Ireland.
Public health function review in Northern Ireland (2004)
Key objectives of this review were to establish an agreed vision for the role of the public health function in Northern Ireland, and to make recommendations to strengthen the future provision of the Public Health Function in Northern Ireland, particularly in meeting the challenges of implementing the Investing for Health strategy.
Investing for health (2002)
This strategy provides a framework for action presenting the goals objectives and targets for improving the health and well-being of all people in Northern Ireland and reducing health through effective partnership working at regional and local levels. The strategy identifies four priority settings where programmes for improving health can be developed, and underlines the importance of different kinds of partnership working at regional and local level.