News story: New tools to help health professionals boost prevention impact

Public Health England (PHE) has launched a series of new e-learning tools to boost health and care professionals’ knowledge and skills in dealing with some of the biggest issues in public health.

The new interactive e-learning tools, developed by PHE and Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare, offer bite-sized information on key public health issues to help professionals prevent illness, protect health and promote wellbeing.

E-learning tools are now available for cardiovascular disease prevention, adult obesity, antimicrobial resistance, physical activity, social prescribing, giving children the best start in life and supporting those at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.

The tools explain why each topic is a public health priority, with practical advice on how different skills, techniques and approaches can help professionals across the health and social care sector to address the issues through their practice.

For example, the adult obesity tool offers advice on how professionals can approach conversations about weight and how they can measure and evaluate the impact of their work.

Each tool signposts to further information to help professionals embed prevention in their everyday practice, with short knowledge tests to help enhance learning.

Professor Jamie Waterall, Deputy Chief Nurse at Public Health England, said:

With prevention a major priority under the NHS Long Term Plan, it’s vital that every health and care professional has quick access to advice that will help them make the most difference through their everyday practice.

These tools make it easier for all health and care professionals to access information that will help them make a greater impact in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing.

We know that health and care professionals are often time poor, which is why these tools are designed to be used flexibly, helping people enhance learning alongside their day-to-day roles.

There will be 15 more e-learning tools published over the coming year for topics ranging from smoking cessation to health at work.

Each tool is underpinned by the latest evidence and has been developed by topic experts at PHE, designed to build on professionals’ existing knowledge.

The advice is relevant for people working across the health and social care sector regardless of specialism, from frontline practitioners to managers and strategic leaders.

Neil Ralph, National Programme Manager, Health Education England, said:

Sharing our expertise on the development and design of e-learning content on the topic of prevention, a high-profile priority for the NHS, demonstrates the impact our programmes can have on patient outcomes.

Each of the new tools has been created from PHE’s All Our Health framework, a collection of materials, tools and resources which support prevention priorities to help reduce health inequalities and premature mortality.

Access the new e-learning tools online.

View the full range of All Our Health topics.

About All Our Health

PHE’s All Our Health framework is a call to action to all health and care professionals to embed prevention within their day to day practice. Through educational materials, tools and resources, All Our Health helps professionals make an even greater impact in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing.