Our goal, to provide a new comprehensive and seamless Public Health Intelligence service for non-communicable disease in the South West, can only be achieved through strong links with partner organisations. The foundations for this are extremely strong in the region and are illustrated in the diagram below.

Each PHO, as well as serving its own regional users, supports the other PHOs either through its national lead role or through collaborating in joint initiatives for the benefit of all PHOs. SWPHO is the lead observatory for work related to Sexual Health and Injury.

All cancer registries within the UK have representation on the United Kingdom Association of Cancer Registries.

The UKACR Sub-Groups cover a number of specific areas within cancer registration, including quality, coding and information technology and each group has representation from the SWPHO.

The SWPHO is also the Public Health module of the South West Observatory. It is made up of a series of modules which focus on their own policy areas. Other Modules include Environment, Skills and Learning (SLIM), Planning, Business and Economy (BEM). There is also a co-ordinating unit (core unit) whose function is to facilitate joint working between these modules.

Modules work together to identify a work programme, including working with each other on specific projects on themes that cut across two or more of the modules.

Choosing health, the recent public health white paper states that PHOs should support regional directors of public health and their teams with information and skills to promote local action and monitor its impact on health. In the South West this relationship is already well established, with the Regional Director of Public Health and the wider regional Public Health Group influencing, supporting and benefiting from our work programme.

Worthy of particular mention is the Local Government Public Health unit, based within the RPHG. This team has been set up to facilitate engagement with Local Authorities in the South West on Public Health Issues. Current activity includes work relating to the Public Health components of the Local Area Agreements in the South West. The SWPHO is providing much of the analytical support to this unit.

The SWPHO has a physical presence within the Regional Public Health Group (RPHG) in Government Office South West (GOSW). This not only encourages a very close and symbiotic relationship with the RPHG, but also enables very close working relationships with a variety of teams within GOSW including Intelligence, Home Office, DEFRA, Housing and Transport.

Many of the topic areas SWPHO are exploring are also being examined by the Regional HPA. In the South West we have very close working relationships with the HPA including joint reports, analysis and appointments.

SWPHO also works closely with Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities and public health networks within the region. We are also developing links with a wide range of other regional and local organisations, including The Regional Assembly, South West Regional Development Agency (SW RDA), local authorities and local strategic partnerships.