Local Tobacco Control Profiles for England

The Local Tobacco Control Profiles for England provides a snapshot of the extent of tobacco use, tobacco related harm, and measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level. These profiles have been designed to help local government and health services to assess the effect of tobacco use on their local populations. They will inform commissioning and planning decisions to tackle tobacco use and improve the health of local communities. The tool allows you to compare your local authority against other local authorities in the region and benchmark your local authority against the England average.

PHE-CRCE-010: Estimating Local Mortality Burdens associated with Particulate Air Pollution

The increase in mortality risk associated with long-term exposure to particulate air pollution is one of the most important, and best-characterised, effects of air pollution on health. This report presents estimates of the size of this effect on mortality in local authority areas in the UK, building upon the attributable fractions reported as an indicator in the public health outcomes framework for England. It discusses the concepts and assumptions underlying these calculations and gives information on how such estimates can be made. The estimates are expected to be useful to health and wellbeing boards when assessing local public health priorities, as well as to others working in the field of air quality and public health. The estimates of mortality burden are based on modelled annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in each local authority area originating from human activities. Local data on the adult population and adult mortality rates is also used. Central estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to long-term exposure to current levels of anthropogenic (human-made) particulate air pollution range from around 2.5% in some local authorities in rural areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland and between 3 and 5% in Wales, to over 8% in some London boroughs. Because of uncertainty in the increase in mortality risk associated with ambient PM2.5, the actual burdens associated with these modelled concentrations could range from approximately one-sixth to about double these figures. Thus, current levels of particulate air pollution have a considerable impact on public health. Measures to reduce levels of particulate air pollution, or to reduce exposure of the population to such pollution, are regarded as an important public health initiative.

Health inequalities: A toolkit to support local conversations

The National Conversation on Health Inequalities is a programme by Public Health England to start a conversation with the public about health inequalities and solutions to reduce these inequalities. This toolkit shows you how to start a conversation in your community.

A Cannabis Reader: Global Issues and Local Experiences

The EMCDDA’s cannabis monograph addresses one basic question. How can I find quality information on cannabis, amid all the bias and opinion? The monograph is divided into two volumes. The first volume centres on political, legislative, commercial and social developments relating to cannabis. Its core audience thus comprises policymakers, sociologists, historians, journalists and those involved in enforcement. The second volume is targeted at drugs professionals working in the fields of treatment, prevention and healthcare.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A Report from a Local Initiative Concerning Alcohol / Drug Use Among Teenagers 1998-1999

This study was carried out by participants in a North Tipperary Community Services drug/alcohol awareness course. Its objectives were to: assess the level of drug and alcohol awareness among second-level students under the age of 18 years; to find out the extent of under-age drinking;to find out the extent of the use of illegal substances as well as stimulants such as glue and solvents in this age group; and to use this information to develop educational programmes for parents and students. Date was obtained through a survey of 1500 secondary school students in the North Tippeary area. The survey found that, although ilict drug use was very low, abuse of alcohol was quite common.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Local and regional drugs task forces: handbook.

This handbook has been developed within the context of the institutional structures recommended under the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 and within the overall framework of the National Social Inclusion Plan 2007-2016. It sets out the role of the Drugs Task Forces within the national and local framework required to address the existing and emerging problems associated with drug use for individuals, families and communities in the context of the long term development of the work of the Drugs Task Forces.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Using Local Evidence to Motivate New Interventions to Reduce Childhood Obesity

Presentation by Margaret Eames at the Regional meeting on measuring body mass index (BMI) in the child population.

Health Equity Audit Made Simple: A briefing for Primary Care Trusts and Local Strategic Partnerships

A working/ consultation document outlining the key drivers and steps for undertaking health equity audit as required in the Performance and Planning Framework (PPF) 2003-2006

How to set and monitor goals for prevalence of child obesity: guidance for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and local authorities

This guidance follows on from the publication of the Government's obesity strategy Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government strategy for England. The guidance provides advice to PCTs and local authorities on how to set child obesity goals as part of the Vital Signs and the National Indicator Set. This will be followed shortly with full guidance on developing local plans.

Closing the gap: Setting local targets to reduce health inequalities

This briefing paper provides a summary of the policies, theory and practice of setting targets to reduce health inequalities. It offers some guidance for those responsible for setting local targets and sets this in the context of local experience drawn from documentary evidence from health improvement programmes (HImPs), community strategies and health action zones (HAZs).

Assessing, measuring and monitoring local health inequalities

This briefing has been put together by Eastern Region PHO outlining how to measure and monitor health inequalities in a local area, such as a primary care trust (PCT) or a local authority. It has been designed to help support action to tackle health inequalities in new NHS organisations and for Local Area Agreements (LAAs). Click on the link to view the document.

Naming the Reformed Junior Cycle Proposals for the Minister for Education and Skills - Irish Second Level Students Union (ISSU)

It was important to us to engage with as many students as possible throughout the process of developing a new name for the reformed junior cycle. In this vein, we used a wide variety of methods to engage with students in order to capture as many ideas as possible; text messaging, Facebook, Twitter, email and consultation sessions. We circulated posters to all schools via post and/or email, and contacted schools in catchment areas for the consultation sessions by phone. In our consultation sessions, we had discussions with the participating students about what the new junior cycle would be, closely guided by the content of “Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle” from the National Council for Curriculum and assessment. In these sessions, students then gave feedback on what they thought of the reformed junior cycle, developed their own ideas, and identified what they thought should be reflected in the name of the reformed junior cycle

Policy for annual leave/ leave of absence cover for the Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officer (LSAMO)

This guideline relating to cover for the absence of the LSAMO for annual leave covers the period from 2012-2015.The policy sets out the arrangements to be put in place for cover for the LSAMO role and the contact details.

Mind your head, a student guide to mental health

This booklet is full of practical tips and information on managing stress and achieving and maintaining positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. It also contains a comprehensive list of helpful local organisations and websites. The booklet targets first year students at university and further and higher education colleges as the transition from school to further education can be a very stressful time. It��'s distributed at universities and colleges during freshers week and is also available on request from student services or the students union at many campuses.