On 1 July, PHE held a conference called At the Heart of it All. The conference, for nurses, midwives, health visitors and AHPs, was founded on the philosophy that as healthcare practitioners (HCPs) we are at the heart of protecting and improving health.
The Framework for Personalised Care and Population Health was launched at the conference. It is designed to support all frontline HCPs in the delivery of 'population health' elements of their roles and should be viewed as a 'menu' rather than a 'manual.' It supports practice and services at all levels and sets out how to demonstrate and measure the impact that HCPs make. Nationally, it helps to increase the visibility of current and potential contributions to improving outcomes and reducing inequalities.
We are looking to professional leaders and managers to use the framework to develop services, commissioners to utilise it to help develop commissioning, educators to use it to inform curricula development and as a teaching too. We also hope the framework will establish a sound evidence base for public health nursing.
The framework is a living document that will evolve with time and with frontline input. We have started by including evidence and approach to practice for key health priorities - tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, alcohol, dementia, falls and the beginning of life - the first 100 days.
This is our 'first release' and we look forward to getting feedback for further development.
We have also produced an infographics poster to put the challenges into context. At the conference someone commented that it was 'a small resource for small practice changes that make a huge difference.' This, in essence, encapsulates what it is all about.
The framework and poster can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/framework-for-personalised-care-and-population-health.
To help with the growth and development of the framework, send your comments and ideas to: PHPFramework@dh.gsi.gov.uk.