The Role of Public Health in Social Care - Essay Sample

Introduction

Health and social care organizations have a crucial role in the protection of individual from diseases and maintaining stable health status. In this light, it is imperative that the communities that take part in disease protection play a huge role in the betterment of human health and social wellbeing. The community plays a pivotal role in the promotion of healthy status and eradication of diverse diseases in the society. engagement of the communities in the health promotion provides the grounds for identification and prevention of specific diseases prevalent to the community. this report entails various strategies that can be deployed by health and social care organizations in controlling disease incidences in the community. Additionally, the factors that affect an individual's health, as well as wellbeing, will be showcased in the report.

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Roles of Different Agencies in Managing, Monitoring and Controlling Infections

The role of agencies in influencing an individual's as well as community health at a different level is very important. The agencies analyze the levels of diseases as well as community health status. This report covers the roles played by the World Health Organization (WHO), Department of Health and Local Authorities in assessing the disease level and the health of the communities in the UK.

Role of the World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO is one of the international organizations mandated with ensuring disease free environment across the world. It is a primary international body as well as an intergovernmental entity. WHO provides expertise in different fields and countries which fosters health support and guidance in crucial health issues in different countries. The diverse frameworks adopted for addressing the disease outbreak control, reporting and containing the spread of unknown outbreaks act as a guide to global health care professionals and researchers. WHO has a range of roles which include:

• Provision of leadership on critical health concerns.
• Standards and norms development and setting
• Development of partnerships with public health organizations to offer collective management, monitoring and controlling infections and diseases
• Promotion of diverse research areas
• Provision of expertise and technical support in the event of an outbreak or in disease related issues
• Monitoring and assessing the global health trends

In case of an outbreak, the WHO offers leading information which is adopted in finding out the key cause of the disease and the strategies to be employed in controlling the disease. In the case presented, Mrs Patricia Duncan contracted an unknown disease which seems to be a concern to various places. WHO offers information on possible causes and spread mechanisms as well as take leadership roles in identifying the possible cause for the diseases, means of transmission, methods of control to facilitate the treatment of the disease among the affected individuals and communities. Research in the potential causative agents, risk factors, modes of transmission of the disease can be initiated by WHO through the provision of the expertise to analyse the trends of the disease and the provision of a potential solution to curb the spread and a possible treatment for the outbreak. However, WHO works hand in hand with other national health organizations to effectively arrive at a binding medical solution for an outbreak.

National Health Service (NHS) Commissioning Board

The NHS Commissioning Board takes accountability for the outcomes realized by the NHS. Therefore, it mobilizes the NHS during emergencies with the support of 39 Local Resilience Forums along with 15 local public health centres in England. It carries out immunizations and screening of diseases. Additionally, the NHS Commissioning Board provides a leadership platform for new commissioning systems. In most cases, improvement of the patient's condition in the event of disease is the key medical responsibility of medical professionals. NHS Commissioning Board provides support as well as direction relevant in the improvement of the quality of the outcomes of a patient. Since it is accountable for the outcomes of NHS, it also safeguards NHS' core values. NHS Commissioning Board also works hand in hand with Public Health England in the promotion of equalities in access to healthcare services.

The outbreak presented by Mrs Duncan requires urgent attention, and therefore, NHS Commissioning board will mobilise NHS to act fast to counter the outbreak. Additionally, it will provide leadership, direction, and support to enhance the affected patients' outcome. The dissemination of treatment can be adopted across the country with the cases in the local hospitals taken with the same magnitude as the cases reported in well-equipped hospitals. This can be enhanced by NHS Commissioning Board with the help of Public Health England to ensure equity in the provision and accessibility of healthcare services for the outbreak.

The Local Authorities

The local authority plays a huge role in public health of the local population. It identifies and respond with respect to the prevailing health conditions of the population and defines the outright intervention measures. The core roles of local authorities in public health promotion entail health improvement, protection, and provision of suited public healthcare. Local authorities provide advice to NHS and support evidence-based care pathways development as well as specifications in the provision of public healthcare. Health protection mandates all the relevant health organisations to put in place measures that protect the populations from diseases, health threats and hazards. Health improvement encompasses working with other health organizations and defining step by step strategies in addressing the health status of the population with eliminated biasness.

However, local authorities also play a huge role in the maintenance of healthy living conditions through waste and sewage management, provision of clean drinking water and sanitation to the local community, provide safe hosing conditions, disease surveillance and maintain the wellbeing of the population. This fosters the community health status.

The local authorities have a role in the improvement of the health conditions, protection of the residents and the facilitation of healthcare services to the population with a target of offering a healthy living environment to the population. Regarding the outbreak, the local authorities will work with other health organizations such as the department of Health and local NHS in the region to determine the viable measures to deploy in the outbreak intervention.

Epidemiology of Seasonal Influenza and Obesity in the UK

Seasonal Influenza

Seasonal influenza is a viral disease that affects the respiratory tract. Influenza causes both morbidity and mortality health burden to the population. UK records 18500-24800 deaths each year attributed to seasonal influenza. However, about 90% of deaths are common in individuals aged 65 years or older. The common symptoms of seasonal influenza include a headache, sore throat, cough, fever along with muscle and joints aches. The severity of the disease varies with minor symptoms advancing to pneumonia to death. Seasonal influenza is caused by influenza A and influenza B. however, the severity of influenza A is more severe as opposed to influenza B. Seasonal Influenza affects 15% of England's and Wales' population. For a seasonal influenza epidemic to be declared, the GP consultation rate for new influenza cases should be >400 per 100,000 population per every week.

Seasonal Influenza Management

Seasonal Influenza is managed by use of antiviral drugs. However, its prevention is through enhanced through immunization. However, in the event of an outbreak, a couple of general measures are adhered to in order to reduce infection chances. These include the use of infection control such as masks, ensure resting at home to reduce the spread since the disease is airborne, increased fluid intake, antipyretics, and analgesics. Social distancing is a strategy applied to reduce the interaction with the uninfected people. Influenza is an airborne disease, and therefore interaction with the healthy population exposes them to risk of contracting the disease. The clusters of respiratory illness exhibited by the infected people provide for observable features deployed in the vigilance of the disease in the population. Other observable features to reduce the interaction with the infected include monitoring of travelers.

Obesity

Obesity is a complex disorder caused by a wide range of factors. The symptoms of obesity are common in people aged 40 years, and a large number of these people require medical attention in disorders related to obesity such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Majority of these cases are reported before they attain the age of 60 years. Obesity is common in low income earners in the society coupled with less education level while some cases are common in minority ethnic groups. According to a survey carried out in 2012, 26% of adults in England are obese. In addition, one third of obese adults some long-term illnesses or disabilities. Therefore, by 2025, it is most likely for 40% of Britons to be obese. Globally, the WHO cites over 1 billion overweight adults which accounts for 300 million are obese. In that light, it is anticipated for the NHS to spend averagely 6.4 billion pounds per year as from 2015.

Obesity is caused by high calorie food consumption, sedentary living, consumption of fast foods, environmental factors, sugary foods and genetics of an individual. On the other hand, obesity is a risk factor for other disorders such as mental health, high blood pressure, some cancer case such as breast cancer and colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and stroke.

The Effectiveness of Approaches and Strategies To Control Disease Incidences in Communities

Different health agencies use diverse strategies and approaches in prevention and controlling of diseases. the approaches and strategies deployed aim at providing a significant impact on the community health. Some of the approaches and strategies applied include surveillance, immunization, screening, education, social welfare, legislation, and environmental control measures. Surveillance entails s continuous evaluation of the factors that determine the occurrence as well as the distribution of diseases and the factors that cause the disease. Surveillance comes in the form of individual surveillance, local population surveillance, national population surveillance and international surveillance. Whereas the government of a particular country is tasked with the national surveillance and coordination of the local surveillance, international surveillance is carried out by the WHO. Mrs Duncan's illness can be evaluated based on the possible causative agents and the modes of transmission.

Screening involves the search for unrecognized disease by performing a wide range of tests, examinations and other procedures. Screning is in three forms which include mass, selective and multiphase screening. Mass screening refers to screning of a large population. For instance, the entire community where Mrs Duncan stays can be screened for the symptoms of the misery disease. Selective is aimed at ther particular group that stands high risks of succumbing to the disease. It is sometimes refered to as targeted screening. Since the case of Mrs dancan's disease is reported in smal clusters such as the hospitals, selective screening can be done on the patient's in the hospitals and the caregivers as well as medical practitioners in the hospital. Multiphase screening entails the application of more than one screening te...