Public Health Wales has coproduced a healthcare framework to support the NHS in Wales continuing to be productive, sustainable and equitable, and bolstering the shift to prevention while reducing inequalities.

Implementing the framework in the healthcare system requires proactive and co-ordinated use of healthcare public health principles at every level and sector of healthcare, including allocating resources appropriately to ensure a shift to prevention and address inequity in outcomes.

The framework builds on the progress already made and proposes how to ramp this up at scale.

The framework also includes a series of examples on Cardiovascular Disease and Falls Prevention, which will give practical help to workers to address inequalities in waiting lists and prevention of fragility fractures.

This comes alongside the recent Prevention Based Health and Care framework.

To support the implementation of this framework, a toolkit has been launched which collates several tools and frameworks which could be used alone or in combination to support healthcare settings, systems, and partnerships to assess and optimise their services with a population lens. This can help identify trends, needs, and disparities within communities, and to support effective planning and delivery, making the most efficient use of resources.

Professor Jim McManus, national director of health and wellbeing for Public Health Wales, said: “Healthcare Public Health is the application of public health skills and expertise to supporting health and social care effectiveness, equity and efficiency. It has been integral since the inception of the NHS, and it prioritises addressing inequalities, population needs and the optimisation of technology to help achieve a healthier society and to meet future demand.

“This framework is the result of genuine partnership working and collaboration across the whole system as well as Welsh government, which was carried out in a practice spirit in order to develop ways of working which will have real benefits to the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales.”