Promoting Community Health and Well Being - Essay Example

Number] Promoting Community Health and Well Being It is critically important for a country to havea well maintained, organized and effective public health. Public health is the facility provided to the population to be able to live in a healthy community in a healthy lifestyle. The aim of the public health care sector is to improve and protect the members of the society from all sorts of life taking and other infectious diseases. These policies are to ensure that the community is healthy and strong to tackle with the big problems that come across. Public health is in the hands of the government and the policies are greatly influenced by their regulations. Government and local bodies can greatly have an influence on the public health. Through the political power and through campaigning techniques, the pressure groups can take over many obstacles related to the public health awareness and treatments. Government can have a great impact on the public health if they take the specified steps to adopt the new approach towards advancing the public health system. However, these public health initiatives also exist on an individual level through which the changes are seen in the behaviours of the people and that has a major impact on the overall health department. There are certain policies that include the prevention of certain activities such as campaigns for smoking, intake of drugs, usage of alcohol, eating oily and junk food or others. These measures that are taken may often be controversial but at the same time they are beneficial and sophisticated (Varavikova 586). The government of UK has made the legislation on the smoking policy for the benefit of public health. Although smoking tobacco is legal in UK, there are certain bans made on the conditions in which smoking tobacco is permitted. The smoking affects the health of a minor part of the population. Before the 1990’s, smoking was considered as a heavy burden on the National Health Service as it resulted in many health problems. Many of the health problems reported were directly the result of smoking and thus there were policies regarding the reduction in the practise of smoking. NHS, as part of the government health sector, initiated plans in which they helped the smokers to get rid of their smoking habits (Greener 66). The statistics by the Cancer Research UK in 2007 showed that about 107,000 people died because of smoking and the illnesses it caused such as lung cancer. Majority of the lung cancers and early deaths were caused by smoking and thus, there were policies and campaigns to reduce the number of people smoking or being exposed to smoking. The government regulations for smoking and policies enhanced the public health system and allowed the number of deaths due to smoking to reduce to a great extent. The rate for deaths from lung cancers reduced greatly from being increasingly high (Gauld 22). However, the smoking ban in England was enforced in 2007 following the Health Act 2006. The ban made smoking illegal in all the enclosed work places. Smoking was only permitted in the private homes, and certain other places. This was a major step taken towards the well being of the citizens of UK. After the ban was imposed, there was immense change seen in the public health system. The rates were lowered; the number of patients reduced and so on. It was an approach towards a better society especially after observing the immense medical reports being filed because of smoking. When the ban was imposed by the government, there was a certain group of people that arose and formed an opposition against the government. They claimed that their fundamental human rights were breached as a consequence of this ban. They claimed that they had a freedom of choice and so they could choose whether they want to smoke or not and they had the right to privacy. The opposition group demanded for a judicial review on the legislation. It was held that smokers were not given free rights once their actions caused negative effect to the people around them (Smith 103). The department of health education has also flourished during the years of advancement in public health. The health education allows professionals to come together and form campaigns which tell the people about their health. These health professionals educate the people about the goods and bad of their health and how it can be improved. This part of the public health care system is one of the most beneficial aspects as it spreads awareness about the causes and consequences of severe diseases and how they can be prevented. In order to assist the smoking policy in UK, the health care professionals also carried out campaigns in which they highlighted the negative aspects of smoking and how badly it affects the health. This helped in changing the behaviours of the people and they were encouraged and motivated to adopt healthier lifestyles. Healthier lifestyles meant healthy societies. The public health department applied the smoking policy in various areas of the UK. Their approach towards the provision of health care was not limited to the provision of the smoking policy; in fact they kept a record of the impact and the positive effects of the policy in the years that followed. The smoking ban was considered to be a great step in the development of health care and it proved to be immensely effective. Many government officials agreed to the fact that such bans would advance the public health care system and reduce the number of patients and deaths in a year (Gillies 143). The legislation on smoking had a lasting impact on the citizens. The ban encouraged more and more people to quit smoking within a year of the implication of the ban. The smoking ban came into effect in 2007 and by the end of 2008, plenty of smokers gave up smoking and this prevented many illnesses and early deaths. The public health department was itself delighted to see the response and predicted that within the next ten years, the deaths caused by smoking will reduce by another 50 percent. The public health department did not only assess the patients’ and hospitals’ records that they had, but they also carried out interviews from those who smoked often. It was found out that many quitters were encouraged and enforced by the government legislation and thus they found it easy to quit smoking. In assistance to the legislation, many adults and other aged smokers changed their behaviours of living (Scriven, Garman 201). Along with the smoking ban, the NHS also carried out plans which assisted the smokers to quit smoking with the help of Stop Smoking Services. These services seemed to be immensely effective and helped smokers to quit smoking. UK, however, became the first country in the world where the smoking rates were highly impacted as a result of the legislation made and without any other tobacco controlling measures. Moreover, the change in attitudes and behaviours brought an overall change in the community and even high school students were seen less likely to take up smoking. This was because they were living in a healthy society and positive social environment due to which they did not feel the need to take up smoking. In addition to the change of behaviours of adults, the public health care department also initiated plans and campaigns for the young smokers in high schools and colleges. These plans included helping the young people to quit smoking by creating awareness through campaigns about the harmful effects of smoking on health. Investigations were made on the characteristics of the schools and the communities in which the students were living. Many social factors influenced the smoking habits of youngsters and thus the communities that were high at risk were given more attention and successful implications were made. The government believed that improving the behaviours and habits of the young will definitely impact the future of the society (Peckham, Hann 67). Other additions in the smoking policies and the ways to tackle illnesses caused by smoking includes the advanced technology used in hospitals and public health care centres. UK has adopted some of the best machinery and medicines in order to fight with illnesses that are as severe as death. Doctors and medical professionals are working day and night to improve the system and bring in new technology. With the help of these equipments, the public health care system is able to deal with the illnesses caused by smoking such as lung cancer and mouth cancer. This helps in decreasing the rate in deaths caused by smoking (Hughes, Ferrett 655). England has created a new era for the public health services with new resources which are used efficiently in the benefit of the public. They aim to protect their citizens from serious health threats in order to make their lives better, longer and healthier. Their commitment is to strengthen the community and provide health care facilities for even the poorest citizens as fast as they can. This new approach of Fair society, Healthy Lives will help the people to build up their self confidence, self satisfaction and self esteem starting from their early ages. A stronger support will be provided in their early age so that they are able to personalize their lives in the healthiest manner when they grow into an adult (Dixey 76). The personalized and focused services will help those citizens who will contribute into the making of a flourishing and productive community. Equity and excellence is the goal of the public health services. They aim to achieve the best results under professional leadership. In the parliament, the local government and the local authorities will create the framework in which they will present the framework for making the best public health policies. They work at their best in order to improve the health services for the public in order to strengthen their well being in the society and to enable them to tackle the inequalities. A national responsiveness public health protection is enabled to ensure the excellence and expertise (Morris 67). The new approach involves documents created which include emphasis on medical health, obesity, tobacco control, pandemic flu, sexual health and emergency preparedness. Along with the Department of Health, other government departments also contribute to the approach. Newer public health developments have helped the government to be able to tackle many health problems in the rural areas especially. Enhanced nutrition and immunization have greatly assisted in reducing the risk for premature deaths, harm from alcohol, mental illness, drugs and smoking. Focus on the rural areas was made as there were reports for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and sexually transmitting infectious diseases. The government approach to the well being and health of England relies upon the improvements made on certain areas concern. The public health department is working for the improvement of maternal health so that the children are able to get the best and healthiest life from infancy. It will also reduce the infant mortality rates. Better care should be provided to the child until the age of 10 so that their health and life could be developed to reduce mental illness, improve educational facilities and get rid of unhealthy lifestyles. The secondary focus stands on the lives and behaviours of the adults towards their health, and their children. Drug usage should be controlled as it leads to cancers, drug-fuelled crimes and eventually contributes to a weaker society. Regulations are made on smoking practises in order to reduce the circulating diseases caused by smoking tobacco such as moth cancer, lung cancer, asthma and others (White, Gamsu 8). Thus, it is true that the overall system of public health has been advanced and contributed towards the well being of the community and the individuals living in the community. The regulations, the plans, policies, procedures, practises and campaigns have complimented each other and advanced the public health system immensely, even more than any other country. The community is growing day by day and becoming stronger to be able to flourish and progress in every field. The support provided by the government is ensured to reach all those individuals and communities that are poor and in the major need of well being. This sense of equality addresses the society at large and brings in betterment. Work Cited Dixey Rachael. Health Promotion: Global Principles and Practice. UK: CABI, 2013 Gauld Robin. Health Care Systems in Europe and Asia. UK: Routledge, 2012 Gillies Alan. What Makes a Good Healthcare System?: Comparisons, Values, Drivers. UK: Radcliffe Publishing, 2003 Greener Ian. Healthcare in the UK: Understanding Continuity and Change. UK: The Policy Press, 2008 Hughes Phil, Ferrett Ed. Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction. NY: Routledge, 2012 Morris Zoë. Policy Futures for UK Health. UK: Radcliffe Publishing, 2006 Peckham Stephen, Hann Alison. Public Health Ethics and Practice. UK: The Policy Press, 2010 Scriven Angela, Garman Sebastian. Public Health: Social Context and Action. UK: McGraw-Hill International, 2007 Smith Katherine. The Public Health System in England. UK: The Policy Press, 2010 Varavikova Elena. The New Public Health. USA: Academic Press, 2009 White Judy, Gamsu Mark. People-Centred Public Health. UK: The Policy Press, 2013  Read More