People in Public Health





		In June 2008 a series of three expert hearings, or discursive workshops, were held at Carnegie Headingley Stadium at which a range of speakers presented evidence from their own experience to an inquiry panel and a public audience. Invited experts came from around the country and represented NHS, local authority, voluntary and third sector stakeholders and a range of perspectives including academics, practitioners supporting lay workers, commissioners and lay people. Speakers were asked to address two of the following four questions, aimed at generating debate around the ‘thornier’ issues relating to lay involvement in public health: Why should we bother involving lay people in public health roles? Why should lay people bother getting involved? What has been found to work and in what contexts, and what has not? What are the best approaches to involving lay people in public health? What are the challenges in involving lay people in developing/delivering public health/health promotion activities and how do these impact upon sustainability and practice? What should the government/public sector be doing to support local people to be active in their communities? A summary of the report can be downloaded here, Accompanying Powerpoint presentations and external links are available below. NICE Guidance on Community Engagement Springhead Tenants’ & Residents’ Association ‘Making Breastfeeding Fashionable’ Thornhill Health & Wellbeing Project, Southampton Health Communities Collaborative, South of Tyne and Wear June 13th 2008 The Community Health Educators Project Lay Health Trainers: Learning from the USA Speakeasy Healthy Communities Programme Practice Experience of Involving People in Public Health June 25th 2008 Volunteer Tutors and the Expert Patients Programme Making Public Health & Health Promotion Everyone’s Business Commissioning for Health and Well-being A Long-term and Strategic Investment: Hull PCT Walking the Way to Health			Jane South (PI) Anne-Marie Bagnall Tim Bickerstaffe Peter Branney Dr Mima Cattan Mark Gamsu Marianne Kennedy Karina Kinsella Diane Lowcock Dr Angela Meah Martin Purcell Sue Rooke Dr Pinki Sahota Jan Smithies Judy White