Public health training in Kent - understanding the needs of non-NHS staff with responsibility for health improvement

While staff in NHS posts with a responsibility for improving health will have public health qualifications or access to public health training and advice, this is less likely to be the case for non-NHS staff. For this reason the survey targeted non-NHS staff working in public sector and voluntary organisations across Kent whose responsibility for health improvement would benefit from a reasonable understanding of population health.

Membership lists were used for Partnership Boards, Joint Planning Boards, Health Action Teams and Health Improvement Plan (HImP) Policy Boards. After excluding names of staff based in health authorities and other NHS organisations, all the remaining names were sent a self-complete questionnaire by post. A similar survey was commissioned and carried out by CHSS to assess the training needs of Practice Nurses. This has been reported separately.

The survey questions asked about people's perception of public health, and about their relevant knowledge and skills. The questionnaire was developed from a template provided by the Kent NHS Education and Training Consortium's Public Health Education Coordinator (Sylvia Beacham), and a survey of practice nurses in Hampshire. While aiming to identify public health training needs, the survey was additionally expected to perform an educational role in raising awareness of the function of public health and the range of techniques used.