Putting public health practice into primary care practice: practical implications of implementing the changes in Shifting the balance of power in England

Over recent years the advantages of closer working between general practice and public health have been increasingly obvious. A series of reports have highlighted the need to create better and closer ways of working as well as the key contribution of practice members to important public health goals. For example, the Acheson report cited the contribution of health visitors to improving the health of mothers in the postnatal period. Public health specialists, general practitioners (GPs) and primary care teams all have a role to play in improving health, implementing National Service Frameworks and reducing health inequalities. The recent structural changes in the National Health Service (NHS), which place public health in Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), provide an opportunity to develop this relationship and to work with local communities to improve health.