Abstract
Welcome to the first issue of Perspectives in Public Health in this new year. It is perhaps for the first time in a generation that a particular year will go down in history as a year that public health eclipsed all other global news. Let us hope that 2021 will bring some kind of manageable resolution to the COVID-19 crisis that has devastated communities and many lives of individuals around the world.
Here in the UK, the pandemic has also disrupted how public health is managed and delivered at a national and local level. Government policy of nationally commissioning large private companies to deliver services, including contact tracing, has been challenged by those responsible for health protection services at a regional and local level. In the aftermath of the pandemic, serious attention will need to be given to rebuilding the meaning, function and practice of health improvement both nationally and regionally. As with other academic journals, Perspectives in Public Health will continue to publish current research and practice reports regarding the pandemic as speedily and accurately as possible, as well as continuing to update on the work of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and encourage development and innovation in practice to support public health and health improvement in the future.
In this issue, there are several articles considering health in the workplace. The pandemic has affected the way of life for communities across the world, and it has significantly impacted on the workplace for millions of people. While many are experiencing job losses, others will find new opportunities, but for the majority of those of us still working, the workplace will remain a health challenge for the future especially for those working in healthcare settings. Furthermore, increased unemployment and poverty will have their inevitable public health consequences.
Our hearts have collectively gone out to the staff in healthcare settings in the last year and Manning and Pattani describe the experiences of staff of a busy London hospital that has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 crisis. They were able to identify the psychological needs of staff working under such extreme pressures, and it was also generally acknowledged how important the local community spirit was to staff morale. In a message from the Chair of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, Paul Litchfield reminds us all that wellbeing in the workplace should not only be reduced to the physical and mental wellbeing of employees, but greater consideration also needs to be given to the wider impact their work lives have outside of work, upon families and friends and the effect upon their employment capabilities. From Australia, Stanhope et al. call for ongoing surveillance and monitoring of the resilience of people and the work environment in relation to workers experiencing their ‘effort-reward imbalance’ in order to reduce the widespread impacts upon public health.
Away from COVID-19 and the workplace, we include articles on wider public health issues. In their review of qualitative studies, Rose et al., offer a unique contribution to the issue of over-prescribing of antibiotics including discussions regarding efficiency in the workplace for general physicians (GPs) and patients alike. Luo et al., report on the results from their systematic review of smoking cessation, and Kim et al. examine the quality of life for readmission patients suffering with cardiovascular disease in South Korea.
As large numbers of employees may find themselves working from home in the future, greater consideration needs to be given to the public health of individuals and families that are affected by changing circumstances at home and at work. Following this dreadful pandemic, it is inevitable that 2021 will bring permanent challenges and changes for all of us in one way or another. The Editorial Team of Perspectives in Public Health wish all of our readers a happy and healthy new year.