The South West Public Health Observatory (SWPHO) was created in 2005 as a result of a merger between the existing Public Health Observatory (Public Health Intelligence Team (PHIT)) and the South West Cancer Intelligence Service (SWCIS). It incorporates the Drug Treatment Monitoring System of the South West (NDTMS) and has an academic partnership with the Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol.

What we aim to do:

• make it easier to access data and information about public health in the region
• provide support and help to people wanting to use such information in appropriate ways
• provide analysis in order to improve our understanding of health, and the factors which influence health, within the region.

For more information, see our About the South West Public Health Observatory leaflet. You can request hard copies for your own use or for circulation to colleagues by contacting . For more general information about Public Health Observatories and what they do, see The Core Role and Functions of Public Health Observatories published by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO).

For the latest news, see also our quarterly newsletter, SWPHOcus.

The geographical area covered by the SWPHO includes Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Isles of Scilly - the same as the South West Government Office Region - with a population of 5 million and, in the case of the South West Cancer Intelligence Service, includes Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, giving a total population coverage of 6.6 million.

Public Health Observatories were officially launched by the Chief Medical Officer on 15th February 2000 to support the Government's strategy for improving health and reducing health inequalities, as set out in the Saving lives: Our Healthier Nation

The White Paper Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier sees Public Health Observatories making a significant contribution locally, regionally and nationally. It states this will ensure that the Public Health Observatories are better placed to support directors of public health and their teams with information and skills to promote local action and monitor its impact on health.

Choosing Health depends on four supporting strategies. One of them - 'Using information and intelligence' - will be the responsibility of the Public Health Information Taskforce. Delivering on the Choosing Health agenda is now one of our priorities. Through the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO), we are in discussion with the Taskforce to shape the role Public Health Observatories will play in the delivery of the White Paper.

SWPHO priorities are set strategically over a 5-year period and annually in the annual business plan. These long-term priorities, annual objectives and work plan are reviewed by the Public Health Intelligence Advisory and Cancer Intelligence Steering Groups, who are also consulted in their planning. They are signed off and monitored by the Regional Director of Public Health.

Membership of the Steering and Advisory Groups is as agreed in their Terms of Reference and members represent key stakeholder groups within the health service, public health, related professions and regional organisations.

For more information, see the: Public Health Intelligence Advisory Group and SWPHO Cancer Intelligence Steering Group .

See also the South West Public Health Observatory five-year Business Strategy 2008/13 and SWPHO 2009/10 Business Plan.