PHAST CIC

Latest News

Updated 5th November 2011

Better integration of diabetes care could save London £190 million

Click here to read the press release from London Councils and Diabetes UK, detailing findings from their recent collaborative work.

PHAST Launch New Online CPD Training Website

PHAST CPD Webinars allow you to gain CPD credits at the comfort of your own desk listening to and watching top speakers from the UK health industry. There are numerous advantages to webinars: you can train where and when you want, there’s no travel time involved, and the cost is a fraction of attending a face to face training seminar.

All our webinars come with full access to a video webinar which you can watch online at any time, downloadable supporting literature & web links for further reading, and a short online multiple choice test which when successfully answered correctly will generate a digital CPD certificate.

PHAST CPD Webinars are a stimulating, enjoyable, cost effective and an easy way to obtain CPD credits for all health professionals – try us out today!

PHAST Education, Training and Development Autumn 2011 Prospectus

PHAST is pleased to announce a series of newly commissioned workshops, taking place this autumn and concluding another year’s successful ETD programme.

The courses contained within the booklet have been specifically developed, in response to the feedback we have received from delegates, in order to meet current training needs. Also in response to feedback we have received we are making every effort to lower training costs and for a limited time we have reduced our training prices. The prices within the booklet reflect our commitment to continue high quality training for the public health workforce and wider community. Book your place online now to take advantage of this offer.

PHAST are continually organising and developing training courses, as well as repeating popular workshops. We are also able to provide tailor-made training courses to meet individual or organisational needs. If the area of training you are interested in is not covered here, please do let us know and we will do all we can to help you.

FPH Part A Revision Programme - January 2012 Exam

Our Part A Revision Programme, in preparation for the January 2012 examination will commence on the 6th October 2011. This three-month programme of training is provided for specialist public health staff who are committed to taking the Faculty of Public Health Part A Membership exam. The ten weekly sessions will support delegates in their revision through a series of interactive sessions covering various syllabus topics depending upon the needs of each delegate.

"The course has been refined over many years to increase the likelihood that you will pass the Part A exam. Seminars with experienced experts in public health practice and training with special knowledge of the exam enable you to:

• Plan and carry out your revision in an effective and efficient way.
• Provide essential teaching notes, reference resources and conceptual models.
• Refresh your knowledge of the main areas of the syllabus.
• Practice key skills such as critical appraisal, data manipulation and writing styles.
• Improve your exam technique so as to optimise your performance on the day."

David Lawrence, Consultant in Public Health and Part A Programme Director

Click here to book your place.

Special Offer! - Autumn Training dates

Book your place on one of our autumn training workshops* by the end of August for a reduced price of £130**+vat (half day session) or £195***+vat (full day session).
Please click on the course titles below to book your place:
Mental Well-Being Impact Assessment: 21st September 2011
Influencing Without Authority: 4th October 2011
Introduction to Tendering for Health and Social Care Contracts: 11th October 2011
Preparing Effective Tenders: 12th October 2011
Winning Tenders: 13th October 2011
Nudging people towards better health (2 day course): Day 1 - 20.10.11 / Day 2 - 04.11.11
Scanning and Scenario Plannning for Health: 18th November 2011
Influencing Without Authority: 22nd November 2011
Systems Thinking for Health: 25th November 2011
Assessing and Communicating Health Risks: 7th December 2011

*Part A Revision Programme not included in this training promotion.
**Usual price £150 +vat
***Usual price £235 +vat

PHAST supporting the public health transition

Public health teams in English PCTs are getting ready to move into Local Authorities, representing a return of the major public health professional resource to local government after over thirty years in NHS organisations.

This transition heralds significant opportunities for public health professionals to be closer to where the action is in terms of the determinants of health that Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his team at the Marmot Review point out so powerfully.

With any major organisational change there are opportunities and threats on a number of levels. There will be opportunities for public health people to get closer to the real leverage on social determinants of health, yet there may be fewer opportunities to influence NHS commissioning. These opportunities and threats can be applied to both population health and to the public health profession.

We at PHAST believe there are significant learning and development needs across the system as a result – if we as a society are to reap the benefits presented by the transition. These apply to varying degrees as some public health teams have been working very closely with local government, and have been based within local authorities, whilst others have had less close relationships.

Wherever they are coming from in terms of recent history, public health professionals will need to emphasise the art of their public health practice, within organisational cultures which may be unfamiliar to them, and within which their ability to influence strategic direction will change. If local authorities are to take advantage of this transition for the benefit of their populations, their own people, from elected members, to senior officers and other staff, may have development needs in terms of building an awareness of public health across all its domains, from health protection, to health service improvement and commissioning, to health improvement.

To respond to these contextual factors, we are able to offer the following support:

• Health & Wellbeing Board Development – helping Boards on the path to population Health and Wellbeing
• Public Health Transitions – support for public health teams
• Health Everyone’s Business support for Local Authority teams
• Health Everyone’s Business – train the trainer

PHAST responds to the Public Health White Paper

Further to the publication of the public health white paper, Healthy lives, healthy people White Paper: Our strategy for public health in England in November 2010, PHAST recently compiled three documents response to the consultation.

We welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposals for public health in England, but it is also necessary to consider them in the light of the overall NHS changes proposed. There are massive opportunities to improve the health of the population by many of the mechanisms proposed. The challenge will be in the delivery of the changes to ensure that benefits are achieved and disadvantages are mitigated.

PHAST is, we believe, the only public health focussed Social Enterprise already established. We have been successful, over the few years of our existence, in delivering public health services to a range of clients and populations. We are disappointed that there is little focus on alternative models of PH delivery within the white paper and have made our response with the PHAST model in mind.

To see our consultation responses in full please click below:

• Healthy lives, healthy people White Paper: Our strategy for public health in England
• Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health
• Transparency in outcomes, proposals for a public health outcomes framework

PHAST to design Learning Resource for Local Authorities across England

In March 2011, PHAST was commissioned by Sheffield City Council and the London Borough of Greenwich to design a Learning Resource for emerging Health and Wellbeing Boards. The resource will be based on those Local Authorities' experiences as Beacons for their work in reducing health inequalities, and will seek to blend this with key public health concepts and the recommendations of the Marmot Review, to produce a modular package of materials that can be adapted and used across the country. The ultimate objective is to support Health and Wellbeing Boards to capitalise on strategic opportunities to work with and for communities to improve health and reduce health inequalities. The Learning Resource is currently being designed, and will be piloted during May and June 2011. For further information please contact Marion Deacon, PHAST Associate marion.deacon@phast.org.uk.

PHAST launches new website

At the beginning of March 2011 the new PHAST website went live. Our intention is that the new site will be user friendly and enable current clients, prospective clients, and Associates alike to be able to access information easily. The launch also marks a change in PHAST's management structure with a shift toward becoming a virtual organisation.

The launch of a new site is a detailed process, over the next few months we will continue to update the content of the site and add further information. Please do bear with us as we undertake required maintenance work to the website. If you are unable to find information that you require please do contact PHAST using the contact tab in the menu above.

We would also like to hear from you, if you have any feedback on the new website or suggestions for content to be included in the future then please do let us know.

Meeting your training needs: PHAST Education, Training and Development Programme

With the emphasis on a focused approach to outcomes and a shift from target driven care, we offer a wide range of knowledge and skills training to suit many different audiences.

The aim of the PHAST Education, Training and Development Strategy is to build public health capacity and capability within the public, private and voluntary sectors so that a greater number of people have the knowledge and skills to improve the health of the population, promote public health and reduce health inequalities in the UK and internationally.

In light of newly identified government agenda, moving away from target driven care into a focused approach to outcomes, we offer you a wide range of training to suit many different audiences. Concepts will be explained and a set of tools provided to support the delivery of a 'world class service.'

Whilst each training programme identifies their target audience, this is purely a guideline and discussion with PHAST's ETD Director can help you to decide if a course is suitable for you needs.

Please click on the icon above to download a copy of the booklet.
If you would like to be sent a hard copy of the booklet please email enquiries@phast.org.uk.

PHAST Spring Newsletter 2011

Please click here for the latest edition of the PHAST Newsletter. This edition includes an article by Les Mayhew on the role of private finance in paying for long term care and PHAST's current initiative working to embed public health within Local Government, Health: Everyone's Business.

If you would like to contribute an article or suggest a subject to be covered in a future edition of the newsletter please email enquiries@phast.org.uk.