1. Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation 1999
The main targets were:
Cancer – to reduce the death rate in under 75s by at least 20%
Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke – to reduce the death rate in under 75s by at least 40%
Accidents – to reduce the death rate by at least 20% and serious injury by at least 10%
Mental Illness – to reduce the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20%
This white paper was informed by the Acheson report and was aimed to reduce health inequalities. It wanted to tackle the root cause of ill health. It focused on the prevention of the main killers which were and are cancer, coronary heart disease, accidents and mental illness.
How do you think the government went about reducing these things?
Cancer – taxation on cigarettes to stop people smoking, plus raised the age to 18, plus banned smoking in public areas including pubs and clubs etc.
Coronry heart disease – they have made labelling easier to understand and put legislation into schools, eg they haveto have healthy options and can’t buy junk foods at break anymore. Remember the Jamie Oliver campaign?
Accidents – the health and safety at work act, health and safety is paramount and evolving all the time. Do your own research
Mental illness – providing more mental health services and going in at grass roots, eg mentoring schemes at schools, etc.

2. 21st Century. The public health White Paper – Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier, 2004
This strategy follows on from Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation.
It too aims to tackle health inequalities, but it also recognises that people should be empowered to make changes in their own lives.

3. Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier, 2004
It means that we are all individual and need to make our own choices about our own health. What works for some people won’t work for others. We need to work across communities to understand what is going with the rest of the place that we live and work.
The Strategy recognises that we are individuals

4. The Strategy has 3 underpinning principles
Informed choice: although with two important qualifications: - Protect children & - Do not allow one person’s choice to adversely affect another, eg passive smoking
Personalisation: support tailored to the needs of individuals
This means that people make their own choices on what they feel is good for them. How do they go about making choices though? They need support and information and knowledge. Where can they get this? Schools, gp surgeries tec etc.
The strategy realises that people can’t hurt others through their choices. Legislation which supports this is the smoking ban in pubs and public places. People have the right to choose to smoke, but not when it affects those working at the places because they don’t have a choice to be there. Also, they have to protect children, so if people can’t choose a diet that would deprive children of nutrients etc.
Personalisation – we’re not all the same. When you got smoking cessation they offer you a range of services and nicotine replacement substitutes, but also offers counselling and zyoban etc. the support is bespoke!
Working together – private, voluntary and statutory. Multi agency. What do these things mean? What sort of partnerships are there across communities. How do we tackle racist attacks – get the youth centres, youth workers, police, vicars, voluntary organisations, members of the council etc involved so everyone knows what is going on. What are the downfalls of this? Time consuming, hard to arrange and oragnise, expensive, (you have a whole room full of people discussing one issue or one person and their salaries can amount to several hundred thousand pounds. )
Working together: real progress depends on effective partnerships across communities

5. The Main Priorities of the Strategy
Reduce the number of people who smoke
Reduce obesity and improve diet and nutrition
Increase exercise
Encourage and support sensible drinking
Improve sexual health
Improve mental health

6. HOW DOES THIS WHITE PAPER IMPACT ON PUBLIC HEALTH?
Legislation (banning smoking, legislation on healthier food in schools, active travel plans in schools (walking to school etc).
The targets if achieved should achieve the targets set out in 1999 paper. Reduce cancer, heart disease, accidents etc.