Health Impact Assessment contributing to Healthy Public Policy

Published by Public Health, April 2009 IPH recently coordinated and was guest editor for a minisymposium on Health Impact Assessment for the journal, Public Health. Three aricles contributed to the minisymposium which included an article from IPH on how HIA can contribute to healthy public policy. An article reviewing the right to the highest attainable standard of health from Paul Hunt and Gillian MacNaughton and a review of the strengths and weakneses of quantitiative methods used in HIA from Emer O'Connell and Fintan Hurley. The minisymposium evolved from the 8th International HIA conference ‘Healthy Public Policy – is Health Impact Assessment the Cornerstone’ hosted by IPH.

Review of Health Impact Assessment

IPH commissioned a review of HIA work in 2009 to detail progress and achievements of HIA from 2001.  This included an assessment of current levels of HIA awareness and activity and suggestions for the direction of future work.

Consideration of health in Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) on the island of Ireland

This IPH report explores the extent health was incorporated into SEA in a manner which would suggest a good understanding of the many social and economic factors which strongly influence health. The research identifies that a consideration of health is not routinely included in SEAs. There is a need to build capacity and change mindsets in how SEAs are undertaken to more completely factor in the health impacts.

IPH response to the Environmental Protection Agency Consultation on Stategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Process Checklist

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland is an all-island body which aims to improve health in Ireland by working to combat health inequalities and influence public policies in favour of health. The Institute promotes co-operation in research, training, information and policy in order to contribute to policies which tackle inequalities in health. Over the past six years the Institute has worked closely with the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland to build capacity for Health Impact Assessment. The Institute takes the view that health is determined by policies, plans and programmes in many sectors outside the health sector as well as being dependent on access to and availability of first class health services. The importance of other sectors is encapsulated in a social determinants of health perspective which recognises that health is largely shaped and influenced by the physical, social, economic and cultural environments in which people live, work and play. Figure 1 illustrates these multi-dimensional impacts on health and also serves to highlight the clear and inextricable links between health and sustainable development. Factors that impact on long-term sustainability will thus also impact on health.

Response to Draft Guidance on Health in Strategic Environmental Assessment

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Draft Guidance on Health in Strategic Environmental Assessment.  Our organisation aims to improve health on the island of Ireland by working to combat health inequalities and influence public policies in favour of health. The Institute applies a holistic model of health which emphasises a wide range of health determinants, including economic, environmental, social and biological factors. Our work is based on the premise that improving health and reducing health inequalities can only be achieved through addressing these broad determinants of health.

Proposed Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax: Health Impact Assessment

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) was requested by the Department of Health (RoI) to undertake a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of a proposed tax on sugar sweetened drinks (SSDs) in 2012. The public health priority for this proposal was to consider the potential of such a tax to address the problem of overweight and obesity in Ireland. The HIA was overseen by the Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO) and guided by a steering group. The HIA process involved a population profile, a stakeholder consultation event and a literature review. This information, paralleled by a modelling exercise undertaken by Dr. Mike Rayner and his team in the University of Oxford was presented to the steering group to inform their conclusions.

Proposed Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax: Health Impact Assessment Technical Report

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) was requested by the Department of Health to undertake a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of a proposed tax on sugar sweetened drinks (SSDs) in 2012. The public health priority for this proposal was to consider the potential of such a tax to address the problem of overweight and obesity in Ireland. The HIA was overseen by the Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO) and guided by a steering group. The HIA process involved a population profile, a stakeholder consultation event and a literature review. This information, paralleled by a modelling exercise undertaken by Dr. Mike Rayner and his team in the University of Oxford was presented to the steering group to inform their conclusions.  This is the Technical Report.

RQIA Review of the implementation of Promoting Quality Care (PQC) Good Practice Guidance on the Assessment and Management of Risk in Mental Health and Learning Disability Services (PDF1.07MB)

Overview Report October 2012

Promoting Quality Care - Good Practice Guidance on the Assessment and Management of Risk & Dementia Toolset August 2012

Good Practice Guidance

An evaluation of pharmacy prescribing in Northern Ireland-a quantitative and qualitative assessment (PDF 62KB)

Independent research jointly commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and the HSC R&D Division.

Impact Assessment 2005/06 (PDF 286 KB)

Section 75 analysis of Suicide and Self-harm in Northern Ireland

Free Nursing Assessment Tool (PDF 159 KB)

A component of the Nursing Needs Assessment Tool. This document is the format for the Free Nursing Assessment Review. First review should be carried out within 3 months and annually thereafter.

Nursing Needs Assessment Tool (PDF 255 KB)

This assessment tool is designed to assess the registered nursing needs of an older person needing long-term care.

Nursing Needs Assessment Tool User Guide 2006 (PDF 207 KB)

The user guide describes how to undertake an assessment using the nursing needs assessment tool.