Public interest disclosure Health Dictionary

Public Interest Disclosure: From 1 Different Sources


1. the expression of concern about performance or competence that is privileged at law by virtue of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. The statute provides that where an employee acts in good faith in questioning the behaviour or performance of another member of staff or an organization, he or she should be protected from such penalties as disciplinary procedures, suspension, or dismissal. See also whistle-blowing. 2. circumstances in which *confidentiality can be breached because there is a serious risk of physical harm to an identifiable individual or individuals. The basis on which confidentiality can be breached in the public interest were defined in the case of W v Egdell, in which the court held that the risk had to be of physical harm to identifiable person(s) and must not be merely ‘fanciful’. Where there is a serious risk of physical harm to a specific person, there is an entitlement but not a duty to breach confidentiality, and the *General Medical Council requires that doctors must be prepared to justify their decision either way.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Public Health

The approach to health that is concerned with the health of the community as a whole. The three core public health functions are: the assessment and monitoring of the health of communities and populations at risk to identify health problems and priorities; the formulation of public policies designed to solve identified local and national health problems and priorities; and ensuring that all populations have access to appropriate and cost-effective care, including health promotion and disease prevention services, and evaluation of the effectiveness of that care. See “community health”.... public health

Healthy Public Policy

Public policy characterized by an explicit concern for health and equity in all areas of policy and by an accountability for health impact.... healthy public policy

Public Good

A good or service whose benefits may be provided to a group at no more cost than that required to provide for one person. The benefits of the good are indivisible and individuals cannot be excluded. For example, a public health measure that eradicates smallpox protects all, not just those paying for the vaccination.... public good

Public Health Laboratoryservice (phls)

A statutory organisation that is part of the NHS. It comprises ten laboratory groups and two centres in the UK, with central coordination from PHLS headquarters. The service provides diagnostic-testing facilities for cases of suspected infectious disease. The remit of the PHLS (which was set up during World War II and then absorbed into the NHS) is now based on legislation approved in 1977 and 1979. Its overall purpose was to protect the population from infection by maintaining a national capability of high quality for the detection, diagnosis, surveillance, protection and control of infections and communicable diseases. It provided microbiology services to hospitals, family doctors and local authorities as well as providing national reference facilities. In 2001 it was incorporated into the newly established NATIONAL INFECTION CONTROL AND HEALTH PROTECTION AGENCY.... public health laboratoryservice (phls)

Public Sector

See “statutory sector”.... public sector

Community Interest Group

(in Britain) any of the groups that work with NHS foundation trusts to represent the views of patients and other interested parties in setting the strategic direction of the trust. They are often formed around specific disease categories or patient groups (e.g. deaf patients, children in care).... community interest group

Conflict Of Interest

(in medical ethics) the situation in which a health professional is subject to potential or actual pressures that may conflict with his or her obligation to promote the *best interests of the patient over and above all else. A conflict of interest arises from a particular context or situation and may threaten a doctor’s integrity and undermine trust between professional and patient. For example, a drug company may encourage a doctor to prescribe a particular medicine, which may not be the treatment of choice for a patient, or contractual financial disincentives may discourage a doctor from providing a more expensive treatment of choice for a patient. In medical research, there is always a potential conflict between protecting the individual and benefiting society. Particular problems of this kind occur in randomized controlled trials (see equipoise; intervention study). Doctors will always experience competing pressures and it is important for them to be able to recognize and then, where possible, disclose, resolve, or mitigate morally problematic conflicts.... conflict of interest

Director Of Public Health

(DPH) a senior public health consultant or specialist in a local authority. Responsibilities include advising on the health needs of the local population. See also public health consultant; public health specialist.... director of public health

Faculty Of Public Health

(FPH) a joint faculty of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom and the standard setting body for specialists in public health in the UK. It aims to promote public health, develop the public health workforce, and act as an authoritative body offering consultation and advocacy on matters concerning public health. It assesses public health trainees and makes recommendations for inclusion on the GMC specialist register and UK voluntary register for public health professionals.

The FPH website... faculty of public health

General Practitioner With Special Interest

(GPwSI, GPSI) see general practitioner.... general practitioner with special interest

Public Access Defibrillation Programmes

programmes of lay education in the UK that aim to provide training in cardiac resuscitation up to and including *defibrillation. Together with programmes to increase the availability of *automated external defibrillators in public places (e.g. shops and railway stations), they recognize that the best outcomes from cardiac resuscitation are obtained with early defibrillation and good bystander basic life support.... public access defibrillation programmes

Public Health Consultant

(in Britain) a medical consultant with postgraduate training in public health. Formerly known as community physicians, such consultants undertake public health functions, either as *Directors of Public Health in local authorities or as consultants in public health in local authorities, *Public Health England, or elsewhere. See also public health specialist.... public health consultant

Public Health Ethics

the ethics of population (as opposed to individual) health, including issues related to epidemiology, disease prevention, health promotion, *justice, and *equality. Public health ethics is commonly concerned with the tensions between individual *autonomy and *communitarianism and/or *utilitarianism.... public health ethics

Public Health England

(PHE) an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care with responsibility for providing national leadership on health protection, health improvement, and public health knowledge and information. In addition to the national team, there are four regional offices and nine local centres providing public health support to *clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, and health-care providers. PHE also hosts a network of specialist and reference microbiology laboratories. It was formed as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012; it absorbed the functions of a number of abolished bodies, including the *Health Protection Agency, the national network of public health observatories, and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.

Public Health England website... public health england

Public Health Medicine

the specialty concerned with preventing disease and improving health in populations as distinct from individuals. Formerly known as community medicine or social medicine, it includes *epidemiology, *health promotion, *health service planning, *health protection, and evaluation. See also public health consultant.... public health medicine

Public Health Service

(PHS) the oldest and one of the largest US federal health agencies. Founded in 1798 as a system of hospitals for sailors, the PHS is now the major health service operating division of the *Department of Health and Human Services and administers eleven agencies, including the *Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The agency employs tens of thousands of people with a total annual budget well into the billions.... public health service

Public Health Specialist

a public health practitioner with postgraduate training in public health or with demonstrated competence in key areas of public health practice. These specialists perform the same roles as *public health consultants but do not have medical training.... public health specialist

Public Services Ombudsman

see Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.... public services ombudsman



Recent Searches