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Public Health

Use this guide to find information resources about public health including books, reports and journal articles.

Last updated: 01/07/2024

Key Resources

Book cover Royal College of Nursing (2021) Leaving no-one behind: the role of the nursing profession in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals in the UK. London: RCN. 
The National Archives. Healthcare Commission: outbreaks of Clostridium difficile.
  • Healthcare Commission investigations of major outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at NHS trusts, including findings and recommendations.
    View page
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (2015)  All our health: personalised care and population health: a framework of evidence to guide health professionals in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing. Updated 2024.
Royal College of Nursing (2020) RCN issue briefing: update on changes to the public health system in England. London: RCN. 
Nurses 4 public health: promote, prevent and protect. The value and contribution of nursing to public health in the UK. Royal College of Nursing (2016) Nurses 4 public health: promote, prevent and protect. The value and contribution of nursing to public health in the UK: final report. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2019) Public health in England. London: RCN.
Health Foundation (2017) Healthy lives for people in the UK: introducing the Health Foundation’s healthy lives strategy. London: Health Foundation. 
Health Foundation:  A collection of Healthy Lives publications looking at the social determinants of health, public health and inequalities.
The Health Foundation (2018) The nation’s health as an asset. London: Health Foundation.
Hibbard J and Gilburt H (2014) Supporting people to manage their health: an introduction to patient activation. London: King’s Fund.
Marmot M (2010) Fair society, healthy lives: the Marmot Review. London: The Marmot Review.
Marmot M, Allen J, Boyce T, Goldblatt P and Morrison J (2020) Health equity in England. The Marmot review 10 years on. London: The Institute of Health Equity.
Public Health England (2016) The public health skills and knowledge framework (PHSKF). London: PHE.
Townsend P (1988) Inequalities in health: the Black Report and the Health Divide. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
We would like to thank the RCN Public Health member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Public Health

Book cover Aschengrau A and Seage G (2018) Essentials of epidemiology in public health. 4th edn. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Book cover Bambra C, Lynch L, Smith K E and Pickett K (2021) The unequal pandemic: COVID-19 and health inequalities. Bristol: Policy Press. 
Book cover Illich I (1995) Limits to medicine medical nemesis: the expropriation of health. 2nd edn. London: Marion Boyers.
Book cover Marmot M (2015) The health gap: the challenge of an unequal world. London: Bloomsbury.
Book cover Birkhead G, Morrow C and Pirani S (2020) Essentials of public health. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Davies S and Pearson-Stuttard J (2020) Whose health is it anyway? Oxford: Oxford University Press
Book cover DeMarco R and Healey-Walsh J (2024) Community and public health nursing: evidence for practice. 4th edn. London: Wolters Kluwer.
Book cover Donaldson L (2017) Donaldsons’ essential public health. 4th edn. London: CRC Press.
Book cover Friis R and Sellers T (2020) Epidemiology for public health practice. 6th edn. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.   
Book cover Watson K, Gilliam S, Yates J (2024) Essential public health: theory and practice. 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Book cover Kawachi I, Lang I and Ricciardi W (2020) Oxford handbook of public health practice. 4th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.   
Book cover Matheson J, Patterson J and Neilson L (2020) Tackling causes and consequences of health inequalities: a practical guide. Milton: CRC Press.
Book cover Stanhope M and Lancaster J (2020) Public health nursing: population-centred health care in the community. London: Elsevier.
Book cover Thompson S (2023) The essential guide to public health and health promotion. 2nd edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Book cover Webb P, Bain C and Page A (2020) Essential epidemiology: an introduction for students and health professionals. 4th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Prevent

Book cover Matheson J, Paterson J and Neilson L (2020) Tackling causes and consequences of health inequalities: a practical guide. London: CRC Press.
Book cover Nettleton S (2021) The sociology of health and illness. 4th edn. Cambridge, UK: Polity. 
 

Protect

Book cover Hammond M (2020) Epidemics and the modern world. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Book cover Hawker J, Begg N and Reintjes R et al. (2019) Communicable disease control and health protection handbook. 4th edn. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Book cover Veenema T (2019) Disaster nursing and emergency preparedness. 4th edn. New York: Springer.
Book cover Washer P (2014) Emerging infectious diseases and society. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Promote

Book cover Bensley R and Brookins-Fisher J (2018) Community and public health education methods: a practical guide. 4th edn. London: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Book cover Cross R, Woodall J, and Green J (2024) Green and Tones’ health promotion: planning and strategies. 5th edn. London: Sage.
Book cover image Cross R (2024) Health promotion and health education in nursing. London: Sage
Book cover Evans D, Coutsaftiki D and Fathers C (2017) Health promotion and public health for nursing students. 3rd edn. London: Learning Matters.
Book cover image Holland A, Phillips K, Moseley M and Joomun L (2023) Fundamentals for public health practice. London: Sage.
Book cover Linsley P and Roll C (2023) Health promotion for nursing students. 2nd edn. London: Learning Matters.
Book cover Palfrey C (2018) The future for health promotion. London: Polity Press.
Book cover Robinson S (2021) Priorities for health promotion and public health: explaining the evidence for disease prevention and health promotion. London: Routledge.
Book Cover image Scriven A, Woodall J and Morgan G (2024) Ewles and Simnett’s promoting health: a practical guide. 8th edn. Elsevier.
Book cover Taylor J, O’Hara L, Talbot L and Verinder G (2021) Promoting health: the primary health care approach. 7th edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Book cover Wild K and McGrath M (2019) Public health and health promotion for nurses at a glance. London: Wiley Blackwell.
Book cover Wills J (2022) Foundations for health promotion. 5th edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Book cover Wilson F, Mabhala M and Massey A (2015) Health improvement and well-being: strategies for action. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Book subject searches

Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

Events and Exhibitions

Book cover RCN exhibition: A healthful form of work, the history of public health nursing
  • Public health nursing has its origins in the 1800s with the rise of social reform and efforts to improve the health of the poorest in society. This exhibition highlighted the development of public health nursing and the roles nurses have played in improving public health from the 19th century to the present day. From vaccination programmes and health visiting to sanitary and welfare reform.
    View online exhibition

RCN Podcasts

Past Caring: Public health

Nursing history

Book cover Freeman M, Gordon E, Maglen K and Crowther M A (2011) Medicine, law and public policy in Scotland: c. 1850-1990. Dundee: Edinburgh University Press.
Book cover Honigsbaum M (2014) A history of the great influenza pandemics: death, panic and hysteria, 1830-1920. London: I.B. Tauris.
Book cover Honigsbaum M (2019) The pandemic century: one hundred years of panic, hysteria and hubris. London: Hurst and Company. 
Book cover Stewart J (2017) Pioneers in public health: lessons from history. London: Routledge.

This subject guide relates to:

Public health clinical topic
Public Health Forum
RCN Library staff

Anna Shipway

Editor of this guide

RCN Library and Museum

Upcoming events relating to this subject guide

Page last updated - 01/07/2024

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