News

In brief

A new all-party parliamentary group on primary care and public health has been formed to raise the profile of relevant issues in Parliament. In coming months it intends to examine inequalities in health care, nutrition, and the public health role of primary care.

Forty per cent of British adults suffers from back pain, and tens of thousands cannot work as a result, according to an official government survey. At the time of the previous survey, in 1993, the figure was 37 per cent.

The Public Health Alliance and the Association for Public Health have formed a joint working group to examine the possibility of a merger between the two organisations. The PHA executive believes that the UK urgently needs a strong, independent organisation which can represent the wide range of interests in the public health movement.

The first ever report on homophobic bullying at school, Playing it safe, has been published by the Liberal Democrats. Health spokesperson Evan Harris said: Children must be taught from an early age that homophobia is as unacceptable as racism or sexism.’

Health minister Alan Milburn has formed a 13-strong task force of NHS staff and others to advise on ways of increasing staff involvement in improving health services.

The panel includes a hospital porter, nurses, doctors, a union national officer, and others.

A poll commissioned by an alliance of four birth control organisations has revealed significant gaps in public knowledge of contraception. The poll, of 1,000 people aged 16-49, found that only 30 per cent knew that the ‘morning after’ pill is effective up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and only 52 per cent knew that a woman can register with a second GP for contraceptive advice.

Half of all pregnancies are unplanned and one in five ends in termination.

Smoking should be banned in public service buildings and on public transport with few exceptions, according to a government-appointed committee of medical experts.

The report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health also recommends that tobacco companies be required to inform their customers of the ‘nature and magnitude of the hazards of smoking’ in the same way as manufacturers of other consumer products.