The Role of Public Health in Health and Social Care - Essay Example

The Role of the Public Health and Social Care Introduction The content of this essay seeks to investigate the various roles which are played by different agencies that work within the communities with an aim of reducing the incidence of diseases and illnesses in communities. The essay will investigate non-infectious and infectious diseases which are widespread in the United Kingdom and analyze the effectiveness of the strategies that have been put in place so as to control the incidences of these diseases. The priorities and perspectives that will be considered will be based on a local, national and international basis. After this, investigations about the health and social care provision which is available in the community will then be considered. The essay will thereafter analyze the various factors which influence the wellbeing of individuals within a health care setting. Health refers to the general condition of an individual in all aspects and it is the level of metabolic efficiency or functional efficiency of any living organism but most specifically humans International Epidemiological Association (Golden wheel, 2009). Health also refers to a state of being free from injury or illness. When a human body is not free from illness or injury, then it could have been subjected to a disease. Public health on the other hand refers to the art and science of preventing disease or illness, prolonging of life and promotion of health by informed choices and organized efforts within the community, public and private, organizations, agencies, the society and individuals in general (Turnock, 2008). LO. 1: Approaches and Strategies used to measure monitor and control incidences of diseases Immunization is one of the approaches and strategies used to measure, monitor and control the incidences of diseases in communities. Immunization is an effective and safe method aimed at preventing many serious diseases in communities which are at most times contagious. Immunity therefore, means the body’s ability to defend itself from particular diseases or infections. Vaccines are made in such a way that they stimulate the defense mechanisms of the body so that it “provides an individual with the required immunity to a specified disease organism” (Tones and Tilford, 2001). One of the most notable agencies which work in the communities to reduce the incidence of disease and illness is the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which is in England. The agency seeks views based on the priorities, approaches and objectives of a renewed agency strategy for the reduction or minimization of UK food borne diseases from the year 2010 to the year 2015. Most of the stakeholders in this agency include the food processors, food producers, retailers and general consumers (Bury 1997). The primary care trust(PCT) is responsible in ensuring commissioning for the health services for the population in the UK and also provides some community health services. The commissioning PCT normally receives NHS funds and its role is therefore to make sure that it works with the local authorities, the public, clinicians and other partners to understand the needs of the local people and respond to needs that they have identified through securing the provision of high quality, safe and accessible health services for the population in question. PCT is also responsible for reducing the health inequalities and improving the health of the community (Heller T., et al., 2000). In general, agencies like NHS, DOH, HPA, the local councils and environmental health and voluntary organizations all play very vital roles towards the reduction of incidences of diseases and illnesses in the United Kingdom. The World Health Organization on the other hand is the umbrella body for public health worldwide and it is responsible for delivering public Health on the whole globe. The European Union (EU) is also vital towards setting legislations on health standards in the UK and the related member states (Macera, 2010). Epidemiology is a branch of public health that deals with both the epidemic and endemic conditions (Macera, 2010). The successful management of both the endemic and epidemic diseases is very vital in ensuring a healthy population in communities. This is because when these diseases are successfully managed, the mortality rates which occur as a result of deaths related to these diseases will eventually decrease. Tuberculosis and obesity remain two important diseases which are under close scrutiny in the public health in communities living in the United Kingdom Turnock (2004). Tuberculosis is a problem to individuals in a community because given the fact that it is an infectious disease, it can easily spread among populations and therefore resulting into catastrophic ends towards human communities. The successful management of Tuberculosis will therefore ensure that the human population is well protected against being infected and infecting other people. Obesity being a non-infectious disease is a problem to many people worldwide because unlike the infectious diseases which come without the individual’s knowledge, obesity is caused as a result of an individual’s way of lifestyle in which the affected person usually indulges himself or herself into consuming a lot of junk food while knowing very well that its over consumption may be detrimental to their health status (Ministry of Health, New Zealand). The incidence rate, prevalence rate and the mortality rate of obesity and Tuberculosis stand at very high levels on a local, national and international basis. This therefore calls for effective approaches and strategies which are aimed at managing these diseases. Among some of the approaches and strategies that can be applied to successfully manage these diseases include regular surveillance of the incidence rates of the diseases among the population, day to day screening of the human population to determine the presence of the disease in their midst, educating the general public on the causal factors, management, treatment and prevention measures against the diseases, legislating laws aimed at reducing the prevalence rates of these diseases among the community, social welfare and environmental controls (WHO Report, 2010). Health surveillance or sometimes referred to as syndromic surveillance means the systematic collection of data, analysis and finally interpretation of the data concerning a clinical syndrome which has a significant impact on the health of the public which is in turn used to drive decisions concerning health and policy. The monitoring, which includes medical examination or biological monitoring of an individual in relation to an individual’s exposure to substances which are hazardous. The purpose of surveillance is therefore to identify any changes in the health status as a result of the exposure (Rowitz, 2009). Obesity is one of the non-infectious diseases in the UK. Statistics have shown that approximately 46% of men in England and about 32 % of the women in England have a body mass index of between 25 to 30 kg/m2 which implies that they are overweight. An additional 17% of these men and a twenty one percent of women are obese implying that they have a body mass index which is greater than 30kg/m2. It has been well proved that overweight and obesity normally improve with age (Bury, 1997). According to Rowitz (2009, p. 120), about 27% of women and 28% of men who are aged between ages 16 to 24 are obese or overweight but on the other hand, 68% of the women and 76% of men who are aged between ages 55-64 are obese or overweight. The percentage of obese adults has doubled over the last twenty years Heller et al. (2000). One of the most infectious diseases that are in the UK is the Tuberculosis Jackson (2009). Following its discovery in the UK, the number of Tuberculosis cases has gone up to 9,000 last year which represent the highest number in UK for nearly 30 years. . According to Kendra (2006), the cumulative number of diagnoses for Tuberculosis has almost doubled from in 1987 to the year 1990. It is estimated that people in the UK were prone to be affected by Tuberculosis because of environmental factors which are prevalent and that a quarter of this population were unaware of this infection. New diagnoses of Tuberculosis were reported in the year 2009 and thereby added to cumulative total new cases to be reported by the end of June in the year 2010 International Epidemiological Association (2009). To prevent the happening or re-occurring of a disease within a community, the public health focuses on the entire population rather than on individual people through implementation of educational programs which are aimed towards educating the general public on how a disease can be prevented. Effectiveness of different approaches and strategies Generally, overall health can be achieved by a combination of the mental, physical and social well being of individuals which is popularly known as the health triangle. Factors which influence the well being of individuals within a care setting include the environment, human biology, healthcare services and the lifestyle. Health cannot therefore be only improved and maintained by the application and advancement of health science but also by efforts and intelligent lifestyle options of people within a society. There exists a strong relationship between lifestyle and health since it has been found out that individuals can improve the health being through having enough sleep, doing exercises, maintaining health weights, limiting the use of alcohol and avoiding smoking (Turnock, 2008). The World Health Organization (WHO) names the main determinants or factors that influence the health and wellbeing of people in a health or social care setting to be the social and economic environments, an individual’s behaviors and characteristics and the physical environment. The quality of an individual’s life and health status is highly determined by a person’s context in which he or she lives. The economic and social environments therefore remain the key factors which determine the health status of people given the fact that a higher standard of life and a higher income are linked to levels of higher education. Health screening tests are normally conducted so that to prevent the possible presence of ailments or diseases and any other health problems. Health screenings are in most instances conducted. Annual screening (Schneider, 2006) is typically recommended as a strategy towards measuring, monitoring and controlling Tuberculosis. Prevention of Tuberculosis among human beings is mainly through a vaccine that aims to prevent it known as BCG2 which was first used in 1902. However, the test only lasts for a period of 15 years. Isoniazid or INH is a drug which can also be used as a preventative therapy for people who have inactive TB or those who are at high risk. The World Health Organization recommends Isoniazid as a preventative therapy for people who are HIV positive. (Goddard, 2009). LO. 2: Implications of illness and disease in communities on the provision of Health and Social Care services When individuals consume a lot of calories than what their bodies burn, the excess fat is stored in their bodies leading an excessive weight gain and obesity. The body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight so as to make a comparison between the ration of the body fat to the total body mass. A body mass index of 30 is considered to be obese. Individuals coming from families whose members have a more active lifestyle and healthier diets, non-drinking and non-smoking are more likely to follow the same lifestyle in their lives. The social well being of individuals’ demonstrated by how the family relates with other family members and friends have a great impact on the general health and well being of individuals within a health care setting. An individual who maintains a strong social relationship can easily achieve longevity, good health conditions, positive attitude and productivity because social interactions are regarded to increase many levels of chemicals in the brains which are closely linked to intelligence and personality traits (Goddard, 2009). The achievement and maintenance of health for individuals is therefore an ongoing process which can be well achieved through use of effective strategies which are aimed at staying health and improving the health of individuals. Hygiene which refers to a practice of keeping one’s body clean so that to prevent infection and illness and avoiding the contact of the body with infectious agents is also a factor which influences the health being of individuals within a setting. One of the most common hygiene practices include brushing and flossing teeth, washing hand before eating, bathing, cleaning utensils ad surfaces before and after food preparation and many more. All these hygiene practices are aimed at preventing infections and illnesses. When individuals clean their bodies, the dead skin cells are washed away alongside the germs and thereby reducing their chance of gaining entry into the body (Schneider, 2006). The provision of health and social care services for the UK government remains a priority in ensuring that the diseases are minimized or even reduced. The government through Public Heath aims at preventing and treating the endemic and epidemic diseases from time to time. Prevention of the diseases involves taking strategies and approaches which are aimed at preventing the occurrence of diseases among the populations. Preventative measures are usually taken to ensure that diseases which can be prevented do not occur in a population. Some of these measures will include immunization and vaccination of the population. The UK still remains a leading independent provider compared to other states in the provision of social and health care services. It works in close partnership with primary health care trusts and local authorities to provide a range of health care services for its population. The UK government strives to ensure that the health services are delivered to its people to ensure a health population through the department of health by defining policies and guidance aimed art delivering a system of social care for all people equally and enabling them to maintain their control, independence and dignity. The prevention of both endemic and epidemic diseases is a top priority for the UK government and it aims at reducing the incidence rates of these diseases to ensure the populations remain health. Palliative care is any type of treatments or medical care which bases on the reduction of the severity of symptoms of a disease rather than seeking to delay, halt or reverse the progression of the specified disease or offer a cure. Palliative care has continued to be offered by public health in the UK as an approach towards reducing the incidences of diseases among its population. Remedial care is the provision of treatment which is aimed at totally eliminating the prevalence of a disease in the body by provision of drugs and treatments aimed at curing the disease in question. The current lifestyle choices in future needs will most often affect the provision of health and social care services in the community. The abuse of drugs and substances in communities will most probably aggravate the level of any disease in a given community while the consumption of meals with balanced diet and regular body exercise will improve the affected and healthy population in any communities. Some of the services which are required to support individuals affected by infectious and non-infectious diseases will include educating them on the causal factors concerning the disease and counseling them on the [preventative measures they should take to ensure that the disease does not recur again. Provision of major health care and social care services should be prioritized to ensure a healthy population. The scrapping of the NHS direct funding has negatively impacted in the public health and therefore it is of concern that the stakeholders concerned should also aim to give both palliative and remedial care so as to ensure a health population. Prevention of obesity can be done by having the right balanced diet and doing enough exercises. It should also be well understood by all and sundry that the provision of social and health care services normally borders on the recipient and the provider. The outbreak of Tuberculosis in the UK called for all the stakeholders to come together and devise new means of containing the disease by evaluation of the causal factors and means of preventing its further spread. The EU framework issued a directive of 2009/99/EC on the monitoring of the zoonotic agents that requires the EU member states to closely monitor and present reports on the cases of Tuberculosis in people which are warranted by the epidemiological situation of this disease. Tuberculosis was amended in a decision of 2003/534/EC as a communicable disease in humans which should be monitored and controlled in the EU (Kirby, et al, 2008). The provision of health and social care services is affected by several factors Schneider (2006). At most times, the quality and type of health services which are offered is contingent on the facilities or resources which are available in the different health facilities which are located in a community. The expertise available in the various health facilities to a great extent affects service delivery. The local expertise which is available in health and social care setting will affect the quality of health which is offered in various health facilities in the communities living in the UK. The lack of enough and well qualified personnel in the health facilities will normally compromise the quality of health services which are provided at such a facility and in most instances, better and effective health care is found in health facilities which have enough resources and well qualified expertise or personnel (Kirby, et al., 2008) The provision of effective health and social care services is dependent on the provider and the recipient (Turnock, 2004). Working with a safe environment is one of the mandatory health requirements that are most common in the health and social healthcare setting. Being a nurse or healthcare staff based in a care home, I strongly recognize the need for operating at optimum to ensure that high quality standards in the public health are achieved and sustained. The effectiveness of the strategies of the strategies, systems and policies which are aimed at maximizing the well being of individuals can be well achieved if all the stakeholders actively participated in their roles. The public health personnel cannot be able to realize their goals of they cannot obtain the required support from various stakeholders including the people in the community. Education has been proved to be an effective strategy and approach that has been used to reduce the incidence rates of these diseases in the communities. The Public Health should educate the general public about the incidence of the infectious and non infectious diseases which affect them and therefore by so doing, people in the communities will be in a position to avoid the causal factors that make the prevalence of diseases amongst them to increase. The social welfare of the communities should well be taken care of by all the stakeholders. The local authorities and the government in general should aim at providing both social and health amenities which aim at reducing the incidence of diseases within the community. The stakeholders can do so by availing health facilities which are easily accessible to all members of a community and by provision of clean water with the sole purpose of improving the general hygiene in the environments inhabited by the communities. LO.3: Factors influencing health and wellbeing of individuals in a Health or Social Care Setting The factors influencing health and the well being of individuals have been classified into two categories namely the risk factors and the protective factors. Almost 100 million of people in the UK have chronic conditions and millions more will develop them. Some of these people are at risk because of chronic conditions that are caused by factors which cannot be modified such as gender, age, and genetic predisposition. However, risk factors which are related to health behaviors can be modified. Most of the adults who approach their later years in life have been known to have risk factors for chronic conditions due to their health related behaviors (Turnock, 2004). Risk factors should be taught to people “so that they know how to take good care of themselves and their health in general” (Turnock, 2004). Elimination or reduction of the health factors is very important for the achievement of healthy lifestyles among individuals. These risk factors are important towards the management of unavoidable risk factors which include gender, race and age. Research conducted has shown that these risk factors override the bad genes which are inherited for heart diseases and other kinds of illnesses (Turnock, 2004). Some of the risk factors include unhealthy eating, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and air pollution. These risk factors have been in turn been know to cause health problems like among others asthma, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, Tuberculosis, stroke, influenza, joint pains and osteoporosis. The risk factors can on their own affect the quality and health of life because adults with modifiable risk factors with common chronic conditions but who lack the conditions are more limited in their daily activities and are less health than those who aren’t at risk. People who easily modify their health related behaviors can therefore easily reduce the risk of developing some other chronic ailments and therefore enhancing the quality of their lives. The risk factors have been known to cause numerous problems in various health facilities and therefore it is the responsible that the different stakeholders involves should put measures and strategies to contain them (Tones and Tilford, 2001). Protective factors on the other hand are the conditions in communities and families which when present can increase the health and well being of young people and families. These attributes therefore serve as buffers which help the parents to find resources, coping strategies and support which allow the parents to parent effectively even if they may be under stress. Some of the protective factors that research has shown to link to a lower incident of child abuse and neglect include parental resilience, social connections, concrete support for parents and knowledge of child and youth development. The protective factors have in most instances placed an enhanced service delivery in various amenities in public health (Tones and Tilford, 2001). Overweight and obese people stand a risk of dying prematurely than those people who are not overweight. The relationship between having excess weight and an increased risk of dying from cancer or heart diseases is absolutely very clear. Obesity, apart from smoking, is one of the major causes of preventable death in the UK. The cost of the UK health systems towards the treatment of obesity and its resulting ailments are generally high. Being overweight is a major risk health factors which causes other illness like diabetes and heart disease. Obesity, being a condition of being grossly overweight has hit many people of all ages in the UK. A lot of factors contribute to obesity but one of the major ones is lack of exercises and consuming junk food. Obese individuals out of their laziness or for the sole reason of being overweight usually skip the much needed regular exercises including even the simple ones. Worst of all are the people who stay on the earth only to stuff themselves with lots of food. People who are not affected by obesity can help themselves a lot through self determination and some efforts (Turnock, 2004). To prevent obesity, one need to be active and perform some simple activities like climbing the stairs of a building instead of using the lifts, having evening and morning walks in the parking and swimming in the swimming pools. Such kinds of activities are prone to bring about tremendous or great changes in the lifestyles of individuals. These activities will not only help individuals to burn their excess fat but also help them to stay very active. To prevent obesity, individuals are encouraged to perform some light to moderate exercises which last for about thirty minutes for a period of at least five times in a week. After that, individuals can then switch over to some other tough exercises once they have gained strength and stamina. Individuals can then join some health clubs or gyms where they can be able to socialize with other like minded people. To prevent obesity, individuals should further monitor their weights on a regular basis. People should weigh themselves at least once in a week as this will help them to figure out how much extra flab they have been able to lose by undergoing some simple activities or work outs . For individuals who are inactive and may not be eating healthy, they will be in a position to be aware of their wait gain at a very early stage. By so doing, they will be able to prevent weight gain as a result of being too much to get off. Drinking plenty of water in turn helps bodies to detoxify all the impurities that may be present in the system. It has been recommended by doctors that people should at least drink some eight to ten glasses of water in a single day. Consuming one glass of water with a half of a lemon squeezed in it every morning is also a good idea aimed at preventing obesity. To prevent obesity and stay health, people are advised to always stay away from any junk food. This is a major prerequisite and a smart way of avoiding obesity. People should not buy junk food and it is always advisable to stay away from fast food chains and not keeping junk food in the house. Stuffs like pizza and burgers should never be consumed too often since they can cause obesity (Schneider, 2006). Individuals should not cut any of the three meals required in a day but rather divide the meals into small meals which can then be stretched over a gap of between two to three hours. High calorie snacks should be cut off in between the meals. Individuals should consume small portions of food and should never gulp them down and stuff themselves with food when they are not hungry. People should only eat when their bodies signals that them to have food. Food should always be eaten slowly because the stomach usually takes some time to get full. In order to achieve the maximum well being of individuals, organizations should always equip themselves with the required qualified personnel who are able to quickly diagnose both the epidemic and endemic diseases at their onset so that to reduce the number of cases that could occur as a result of late diagnose. Working in a safe environment is vital for and this is especially essential in the social and healthcare setting. As a health care personnel working in health facility, there is need for me to ensure that the general population is healthy. (Schneider, 2006). Conclusion: The successful management of epidemic and endemic diseases by Public health in health and social is vital towards ensuring that any community in a given population is healthy. Various local, national and international agencies play various roles towards the reduction of disease incidences and illnesses. Various strategies and approaches have been put in place by these agencies to ensure that these diseases are measured, monitored and controlled in various communities. The different strategies and approaches have in most cases proved to be effective and therefore helped to reduce the prevalence rates and trends of various diseases on a local and international level. However, more effort should be pumped into Public Health to ensure a higher level of health is achieved in various communities all over the world. The Public health plays (Mann, 2007) various roles towards the health and social care unit and it is normally concerned with threats to the general health status of a community basing on the analysis of the population health. This population may refer to a handful of people or even inhabitants of several continents in a case of a pandemic. The focus of public health in its intervention is actually to prevent rather than treating a disease by surveillance of the cases of a disease and promoting of healthy behaviors within a community Bury (1997). However, during an outbreak of any infectious disease, treatment of a disease plays a key role in preventing other diseases and distribution of condoms and schedules of vaccination are some of the health measures which can be undertaken by the public health. Different local, national and international agencies exist within the communities to reduce the prevalence of diseases and illness among its members (Schneider, 2006). References: Aschengrau A., 2007. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Chester: Jones & Bartlett Publishers Bury M., 1997. Health and Illness in Changing Society. London: Routledge Goddard, J., 2009. Physician’s Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance. London: AllBookstores Publishers. Heller T., et al., 2000. Working for Health. New York: Sage. International Epidemiological Association, 2009. A Dictionary of Epidemiology. Paperback, Oxford University Press. Jackson, R., 2009. Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing, Planning, and Building for Healthy Communities, Island Press Kendra, N., 2006. Infectious Disease Epidemiology. New York: AllBookstores Publishers. Kirby, et al., 2008. Population Health Informatics. Pretoria: Paperback Printers. Macera, C., 2010. Physical Activity and Public Health Practice. Oxford University Press. Mann, J., 2007. Health and Human Rights. New York: Oxford University Press. Novick, L., 2004. Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Rowitz L., 2009. Public Health as Crisis Responder. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Schneider, M., 2006. Introduction to Public Health, Princeton, NJ: Aspen Publishers Tones K and Tilford S., 2001. Health Promotion: Effectiveness, Efficiency and Equity, 3rd Edition, London: Nelson Thorne, Turnock B., 2004. Public Health: What it is and the role it plays. Jones and Bartlett Publishers Turnock, B., 2008. Public Health: What It Is and How It Works. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Read More