IANPHI Leads Peer-to-Peer Review of Public Health Wales
As it works on its new 10-year strategy to reduce the health inequalities and improve the health of the Welsh, Public Health Wales asked IANPHI to carry out a peer-to-peer review. A site visit from an IANPHI team of leaders from national public health institutes (NPHIs) was held from October 8-12, 2017.
The team of reviewers
Wales has recently passed several laws, the first of its kind which will emphasize a national "prosperity for all" strategy for the health and well-being of the population. The “Public Health Act” will make health impact assessments for public bodies compulsory. The “Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act” will require public bodies to have a long-term approach when creating policies that will impact future generations.
Public Health Wales is preparing a new 10-year strategy in which the long-term impact of its actions will require intersectoral action to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of the Welsh. Although the population of Wales is only three million, some approaches may be very inspiring to other countries and their NPHIs. As with many countries, including IANPHI members, mobilizing data-to-action at the local and national levels has been one of the biggest challenges.
In this context, Public Health Wales asked IANPHI to carry out a peer-to-peer review. Among those interviewed were the minister for Public Health, the chief medical officer for Wales, the director general for Health and Social Care, several public health directors and their teams, the chair of the Board of Public Health Wales, and several strategic partners such as local government representatives, Housing Wales, Sports Wales and Police.
Tracey Cooper, chief executive of Public Health Wales, said: “We were delighted to welcome our IANPHI colleagues to Wales and not only introduce them to our wonderful staff and key partners but also show them some of our Welsh culture. We found the visit extremely helpful, and we learned a great deal from the review team and looked forward to receiving the report. We would highly recommend any NPHI to undertake the peer-to-peer review in the spirit of continuously learning, sharing, and improving the quality of what we do.”
The site visit was held from October 8-12, 2017. The reviewers were Juhani Eskola, director of Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Nicole Damestoy, CEO of Québec's Public Health Expertise and Reference Center (INSPQ), Ivan Erzen of Slovenia's National Public Health Institute, Lars Schaade, Vice President of Germany's Robert Koch Institute, and Anne-Catherine Viso representing IANPHI.
Additional Resources
Public Health Wales Official Website
Making a Difference: Investing in Sustainable Health and Well-being for the People of Wales
Mass unemployment events: Prevention and Response from a public health perspective