Post on 03-Dec-2021
Newsletter Winter 2008 Issue 2
Next PHAST
Associates Meeting
Tuesday 9th December 2008
3pm – 5pm
Imperial College
South Kensington Campus
Attendance certificates for CPD files
available at the meeting
Mince Pies and a festive glass!
Contact Us
Email: enquires@phast.org.uk
Website: www.phast.org.uk
Simone Ranson
PHAST Business & Programme Manager
simone.ranson@imperial.ac.uk
Marion Deacon
PHAST Training Programme Manager
marion.deacon@imperial.ac.uk
Neel Vyas
PHAST Associates co-ordinator & Project Officer
neel.vyas@imperial.ac.uk
Dear PHAST Associates
Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to you and your
families and friends.
Welcome to our second newsletter.
We are having an exciting and
successful year, by contributing to national policy and improving the health of many people
including disadvantaged people such as the homeless and
those in prison.
For those of you who have just joined us, I would like to
explain that the Public Health Action Support Team is a social
enterprise. Social enterprises are organisations driven by a social mission with surplus used to benefit the community and
not given as dividends to directors.
We aim to provide evidence-based value to organisations
involved in improving health and commissioning health and
social care. There are about 60 experienced Public Health
professionals who respond rapidly to requests for public health
projects and deliver high quality results.
PHAST works in partnership with Government Departments,
National Agencies, Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, Acute Trusts, Mental Health Trusts, Practice Based
Commissioning Groups, Local Authorities and Higher Education
Institutions.
We have delivered over 50 projects and are currently working
on over 30 projects. We have worked in a number of countries
such as Mauritius and Sri Lanka.
PHAST has turned over about £1 million in the first year and we have obtained a large contract worth several million.
Remember, we have lots of work and opportunities for new
associates so please contact our management team when you are available to undertake project work.
Best wishes
Dr Catherine Brogan
Chief Executive
“If you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas”
George Bernard Shaw, UK Playwright
Reducing Inequalities in a
Teaching Primary Care Trust After many changes in the leadership in the PCT’s public
health department, a new director was appointed in April
2008. With several vacancies in the department but high
local expectation of a framework for reducing health
inequalities, PHAST worked with the new Director of Public
Health (DPH) over this spring and summer to provide
consultant level advice and support while a new public health consultant and two senior public health
practitioners were appointed. PHAST’s brief was to
identify the causes of the high rates of mortality in certain groups compared to what would be expected of that
population, review the evidence base for intervening to
reduce health inequalities and produce an assessment of
the relevance of a wide range of initiatives previously approved in the PCT as to whether they
are contributing or might contribute to an improved health
status for the population. The work is based on both existing and very recently published local, regional and
national data. The research component is to demonstrate what interventions are likely to be successful and to what
extent the PCT’s current investment is likely to produce
the desired outcomes in reducing healthy inequalities.
The PCT’s DPH is a joint PCT/borough council
appointment. PHAST’s support to the DPH has meant that
the PCT’s public health function can provide an immediate input to, and impact on, the PCT commissioning strategy
and the joint arrangements with the local authority prior
to the public health department having that capacity itself. Also, now that the public health specialists are
appointed, there is already in place a well researched, peer reviewed and practical assessment of what is
happening and how the PCT might focus its resources in
future in order to reduce health inequalities.
St Mungo’s Health Strategy St Mungo’s is a registered charity and is currently the
largest hostel provider in London. In addition to housing, St Mungo’s provides advice and support to its residents to
enable them to achieve long term accommodation, skills
training and assistance with finding a job. PHAST was asked to create a new health strategy for the charity from
the previous four separate health strategies for physical
health, mental health, drugs and alcohol and blend them
into a single health strategy for discussion with primary
care trusts and other commissioners.
http://www.mungos.org/documents/770
PHAST researched the range of literature about access to
healthcare for homeless people and how St Mungo’s could
focus its organisation to impact positively on residents’ health. In this project, PHAST conducted interviews and
focus groups with hostel residents, staff, GPs and PCTs. The project was unusual as the final report was
very much a joint outcome between PHAST and St.
Mungo’s, with active engagement of the management and
staff of the charity with a specific focus on practical
proposals and ideas for improved commissioning for this very marginalised client group.
PHAST associates who undertook the project attended the
launch of the ‘Health Strategy for Homeless People’ on 8th
September, with a keynote speech by Aidan Halligan, former NHS Director of Clinical Governance. The launch
was attended by PCT’s, journalists, other charities and
local authorities.
Peter Gluckman PHAST Operational Director
Project Focus
PHAST Associates
Have you completed your due diligence procedures?
For further advice
Please contact Neel Vyas
neel.vyas@imperial.ac.uk
WWW.HEALTHKNOWLEDGE.ORG.UK
WWW.WIKIPH.ORG
***Congratulations*** ***PHAST Associate Rachel Wells***
Reuben James Robert Smith, born Saturday 25th October 2008 at 12.46pm, weighing 6lbs 7.5ozs. Mother and baby are doing well.
Working with Right to Sight in India & Africa
David Murray (Consultant in Public Health & PHAST
Operational Director) is working with Right to Sight (RTS),
an international charity working to support achievement of the WHO/IAPB Vision 2020 Objectives in Africa. RTS
currently has offices in Dublin, London, and Chennai, and
has plans to open an office in Africa.
Right to Sight’s goals and activities are driven by the aim
of increasing sustainable eye care capacity in Africa.
Key aspects of this sustainability strategy include equitable cost recovery and access, and the training and
development of African eye care professionals; to reduce
dependency on external financing and staffing.
RTS works in partnership with the WHO Collaborating Centre at Aravind Eye Hospital/LAICO Institute in Madurai,
India. The Institute provides training and consultancy
services to RTS and its project leaders in Africa. RTS
currently has 18 projects underway or planned in 8 African
countries, including Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Ivory
Coast and Kenya to name a few. David’s work with RTS to date includes: • Participating in workshops with RTS project partners from Africa and India;
• Developing a model, strategic plan, & reporting data-set
for monitoring & evaluation; • Providing monitoring & evaluation training & support for
RTS staff;
• Monitoring & evaluation liaison with government donors;
• Writing a successful bid to the Irish government for
250,000 Euros to support a RTS project in South Africa.
In the coming months, David will be visiting RTS projects
in Africa to support the implementation of monitoring and
evaluation activities.
Further details on the work of RTS can be found at
www.righttosight.com
David Murray PHAST Operational Director
PHAST Associate’s Away day
The associates’ away day took place on Tuesday 9th of
September, and was a chance for associates to get to
know each other, and understand PHAST a little better. It
was also an opportunity to voice suggestions for the future of PHAST, and highlight areas for improvement.
The day was a mix of presentations, and group work, with
a balance of serious and light hearted discussions and was
expertly facilitated by Gilly Wiscarson who made sure
everyone was on track, and keeping to time. She did an
excellent job, and the day progressed faultlessly. The workshops were run by a mix of operational directors
and associates, and all focused on a particular area of
PHAST, evaluating the current situation, and suggested areas for improvement, as well as ways of maintaining the
already high standards set. Presentations included a talk from Catherine Brogan, who introduced the day with Sue
Atkinson, as well as giving an overview of projects PHAST
has recently delivered, those that are still on-going and
those being prepared for the future. Catherine also
touched on the services PHAST currently offers to its
associates in the way of support and management.
Workshops then followed on specific aspects of PHAST
which identified improvements, and highlighted existing strengths. It was good to hear the input of those who
may not be so closely linked to the PHAST team, and as a
result can act as a more impartial judge of PHAST’s
operations.
The afternoon saw more group work, and the chance for different groups to present their findings to the rest of the
attendees. The final part of the day gave associates an
opportunity to discuss any area of improvement that had
not already been covered, or to expand on solutions to
problems that had been previously mentioned. All the
findings and conclusions from the day are in the process
of being collated, and once completed will be circulated to all associates to inform them of the actions planned to
address them. The day was useful and rewarding, and will hopefully
become a regular event. Thanks go to everyone for their
contributions.
PHAST Summer Barbeque
The PHAST BBQ took place on 7th of September. Soggy is
the word to describe the weather for the first part of the
day, although that failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the
many people that attended.
The weather caused most people to retreat inside after
briefly scurrying out for a bite or two, though they were
still enjoying themselves even if the temperature was a few degrees lower than hoped.
Those who remained outside used the barbeque more as a source of warmth than a culinary tool, and were
constantly plagued by rogue drips from the gazebo
awnings ready to dive down their necks. However, the food was delicious, with plentiful supplies of
healthy salad and fruit! As a result conversations flowed,
people forgot about the weather, and a good time was
had by all.
By mid afternoon, with everyone replete from the feast,
the weather even cleared up slightly, and people soon
cautiously came out to mingle in the garden which was now at least free from rain, if still a little chilly.
Harry Soljak
.................................................................................
PHAST Events
If you would like to contribute to the next PHAST Newsletter or have any news you wish to
circulate amongst PHAST Associates please contact us on 020 7594 3356
email neel.vyas@imperial.ac.uk
Operational Directorate
Professor Sue Atkinson Chair
Dr Catherine Brogan Chief Executive
Mr Mike Deacon Company Secretary
Dr Steve Hajioff Operational Director
Mrs Katie Enock Operational Director
Mr David Murray Operational Director
Mr Peter Gluckman Operational Director
Professor Azeem Majeed Non-Executive Director
Mr Jan Bergman Non-Executive Director
Ms Natalie Hutson Business Manager
Information for Health
PHAST
Associates
Management Team
Ms Simone Ranson Programme Manager
Mrs Marion Deacon Training Programme
Manager
Mr Neel Vyas Associates co-ordinator
& Project Officer
Mr Ricky Banarsee Treasurer