Describe the main focus of todays Public Health in improving the health of the population. (p1)

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Describe the main focus of today's Public Health in improving the health of the population. (p1)

There are many ways in which the government study today's public health, with the aim to improve the health of the population

Monitoring the health status of the population.

The government works along side organisations to monitor the health status and then by identifying the health needs of the population. They keep a check on the birth and death rates of the population so that they can provide appropriate supporting services in the right areas this could be the number of General Practitioners allocated to a certain area, number of midwives allocated to a certain hospital. This could also include improving health services such as support for drug addicts, alcoholics, and support for teenagers, sex education and clinics. Also certain statistics within certain areas can effect how the government lays out its budget. They do this by monitoring statistic surveys and creating health profiles for each area and from this we are able to obtain information to identify the needs of the population, once it is known what services are needed where then these services can be improved.

The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide support and new approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other organisations and the Department of Health. They do this by tracking changes in the health of the population and alerting people to the potential problems.

Developing programmes to reduce the risk and screen for disease

The NHS has a cancer-screening programme this includes breast screening, cervical screening, bowl cancer-screening programme and prostrate cancer risk management. Breast screening is an effective part of the UK's efforts to reduce the death toll from breast cancer and a study in 2000 showed that there were significantly lowered mortality rates in breast cancer in the fifty-five - sixty-nine age group. All women in the UK aged fifty and over are invited for a mammogram- an x-ray of each breast, which can detect small changes in breast tissue. Cervical screening is also very successful where early detection and treatment can prevent 75% of cancers developing. Cervical screening is not a test for cancer, but a method of preventing cancer by detecting and treating early, abnormities which if left untreated could lead to cancer in a women's cervix.
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The HPV vaccination programme started in September 2008 with all 12- to 13-year-old and 17- to 18-year-old girls being offered the vaccine. The HPV vaccine protects against the two strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer in over 70% of women. As this programme only started in 2008 it will be a while before we can truly examine the results. The HPV vaccination is a typical example of the prophylactic approach and will save lives as well as money.

The government is continuingly interested in the prophylactic approach, with ongoing research within public health and what ...

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