Assess The Role Of Public Health Provision In The 19th Century

The public health provision was transformed as the 19th century continually progressed, at the start of the century overcrowding, poor housing, bad water, dirt, and disease were prominent. In 1842 Edwin Chadwick believed that the diseases were the main reason for the poverty, he believe that preventing these diseases would reduce the poor rates. In 1848 there was a cholera epidemic which forced the government into taking action to prevent disease through public and individual health measures. As society developed and the population grew within the 19th century local councils were competing with each other to provide the best public health, for example in 1911 national insurance such as free medical treatment for workers who fell ill was introduced.
Public health wants to ensure service users the protection from illness, improvement of health services, promote health and wellbeing of the population rather than just individual health. In its simplest form public health is a concept that protects service users from illness and attempts to maintain standards of health.
“Local charities such as the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Northern Ireland and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland work in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA)” . (HSC, Public Health Agency, 2015, accessed 01/03/15) Different agencies have their own roles and responsibilities which identify and recognise the levels of health and disease within communities, agencies such as The World Health Organisation, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, The European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control, The Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Health and Social Care Northern Ireland, Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and MRSA Action. Each of these agencies play their own specific role to protect services and their public