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This report was published in 2015. Please be aware that more current information may exist and that its positions may no longer reflect those of RSPH.

 

The Rethinking the Public Health Workforce report identifies a number of occupations which have already started to support public health work. It builds on the findings of a separate paper, Understanding the Wider Public Health Workforce, which has also been jointly published by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) and RSPH.

The joint research commissioned by the Department of Health, Public Health England and Health Education England, and produced by the CfWI and RSPH, includes the following estimates for professionals delivering public health outside of core healthcare settings:

  • 172,686 Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) including physiotherapists and podiatrists
  • 292,000 Protective service occupations including fire service, police, ambulance
  • 243,000 Welfare and housing professionals
  • 72,985 Pharmacists and their teams

Many of these occupations have regular contact with the public - the fire service undertakes some 670,000 safe and well checks each year, AHPs see over 4 million patients every week, and 95% of the public visit a pharmacy at least once a year. The report also identifies a new tranche of occupations who could support public health efforts including:

  • 803,000 kitchen, bar and waitering staff
  • 639,000 cleaners
  • 452,000 public service and associate professionals such as postal workers
  • 222,000 hairdressers and related services.
download the report

 

We think that, with appropriate training, the wider workforce could support public health activities in areas including the following:

  • Point of care testing including body fat measurements, finger prick testing, blood pressure, BMI
  • Behaviour change programmes, healthy conversations, and signposting the public on to more specialist services
  • Social prescribing including screening the public for lifestyle health conditions such as inactivity, low level anxiety or social isolation
  • Assisting the public to overcome physical and emotional barriers to health advice including access to GPs and initiating conversations about health

Pharmacy is at the forefront of making every contact count when it comes to improving the public’s health. Pharmacists work alongside fellow medical and nursing health professionals as an active part of NHS delivery of public health. Right now, around the country, pharmacists are helping people with sexual health problems, helping people quit smoking, addressing alcohol and substance misuse, and providing weight management, screening and vaccinations.

Sandra Gidley, Chair, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, English Pharmacy Board

We welcome this report from RSPH, which recognises firefighters’ unique position to help people – especially the most vulnerable – to improve their health and wellbeing. Our firefighters are trusted and respected and visit thousands of residents every year in their own home.

Gary Taylor, Assistant Chief Fire Officer with West Midlands Fire Service

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is already playing its part in improving public health in the city region. Our staff, including firefighters, have been working in our communities to identify those who might be vulnerable or at risk and, where we can’t remove or reduce the risk, passing this information onto other professional colleagues, such as Social Workers, that are better placed to help.

Peter O’Reilly, County Fire Officer and Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

The Allied Health Professions Federation, as a federation of 12 professional bodies, is ideally placed to enable citizens to be aware of living healthier and, if this is not possible, in managing their long term condition as best as they can. As a workforce, we already work across health and care as well as in schools and academia. We have a history of ensuring the health and well being of the population, in delivering the prevention agenda and ensuring people regain their health as quickly as possible after injury or illness.

Lesley Anne Baxter, Vice Chair, Allied Health Professions Federation​

At Pharmacy Voice we know numerous examples of local teams making a difference to peoples’ lives whether it be tackling obesity through weight management programmes or gaining impressive quit rates through smoking cessation programmes. Yet these services are only available in select locations which lets the public down. We need more services to be commissioned via a national framework and ensure that they are fairly remunerated. This will ensure that national and regional health inequalities are reduced as far as possible.

Rob Darracott, Chief Executive, Pharmacy Voice

The housing workforce has huge amounts to contribute to this positive agenda, as one of the key trusted professionals crossing the threshold. In addition, housing provides a critical piece of the healthy living jigsaw, contributing invaluable expertise on the impact of the built environment on an individual’s ability to enjoy healthy independent lives at home.

Vic Rayner, CEO, Sitra

Huge potential exists to build on the relationship between hairdressers and barbers and their customers to discuss lifestyle health issues; obviously this needs to be handled in a sensitive manner, but there is a possibility to develop this further and signpost customers to health advice and support, if customers indicate this is something they’d be interested in.

Mike Taylor, Director, British Barbers' Association