Public Health
It is an exciting time for nursing staff working in public health as all four countries of the UK seek to address the underlying causes of ill health such as unhealthy lifestyles and social inequalities. Public health deals with and supports measures at an individual level, within organisations and at a wider society level to tackle the causes of disease and preventable mortality and disability. Use this guide to find information resources about public health including books, reports and journal articles.
Last updated:
01/02/2023
COVID-19
RCN: COVID-19 (coronovirus)
Gould D and Purssell E (2021) RCN Independent review of guidelines for the prevention and control of Covid-19 in health care settings in the United Kingdom: evaluation and messages for future infection-related emergency planning. London: RCN.
Marmot M, Allen J, Goldblatt P, Herd E and Morrison J (2020) Build back fairer: the COVID-19 Marmot Review. London: The Health Foundation.
Key Resources
Royal College of Nursing (2021) Leaving no-one behind: the role of the nursing profession in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals in the UK. London: RCN.
The National Archives. Healthcare Commission: outbreaks of Clostridium difficile.
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Healthcare Commission investigations of major outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at NHS trusts, including findings and recommendations.
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Public Health England (2015) All our health: personalised care and population health: a framework of evidence to guide health professionals in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing. Updated 2022.
Royal College of Nursing (2020) RCN issue briefing: update on changes to the public health system in England. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2016) Nurses 4 public health: promote, prevent and protect. The value and contribution of nursing to public health in the UK: final report. London: RCN.
Gould D, Gallagher R, Chudleigh J, Pursell E and Hawker C (2020) Understanding aseptic technique: an RCN investigation into clinician views to guide the practice of aseptic technique. London: RCN.
Health Foundation (2017) Healthy lives for people in the UK: introducing the Health Foundation’s healthy lives strategy. London: Health Foundation.
Health Foundation: A collection of Healthy Lives publications looking at the social determinants of health, public health and inequalities.
The Health Foundation (2018) The nation’s health as an asset. London: Health Foundation.
Hibbard J and Gilburt H (2014) Supporting people to manage their health: an introduction to patient activation. London: King’s Fund.
Illich I (1995) Limits to medicine medical nemesis: the expropriation of health. 2nd edn. London: Marion Boyers.
Marmot M (2010) Fair society, healthy lives: the Marmot Review. London: The Marmot Review.
Marmot M (2015) The health gap: the challenge of an unequal world. London: Bloomsbury.
Marmot M, Allen J, Boyce T, Goldblatt P and Morrison J (2020) Health equity in England. The Marmot review 10 years on. London: The Institute of Health Equity.
Public Health England (2018) All our health: about the framework. London: PHE.
Public Health England (2016) The public health skills and knowledge framework (PHSKF). London: PHE.
Townsend P (1988) Inequalities in health: the Black Report and the Health Divide. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
We would like to thank the RCN Public Health member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.
Public Health
Aschengrau A and Seage G (2018) Essentials of epidemiology in public health. 4th edn. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Bambra C, Lynch L, Smith K E and Pickett K (2021) The unequal pandemic: COVID-19 and health inequalities. Bristol: Policy Press.
Matheson J, Patterson J and Neilson L (2020) Tackling causes and consequences of health inequalities: a practical guide. Milton: CRC Press.
Nettleton S (2021) The sociology of health and illness. 4th edn. Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Birkhead G S, Morrow C B and Pirani S (2020) Essentials of public health. London: Jones & Bartlett.
Birkhead G, Morrow C and Pirani S (2020) Essentials of public health. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Coggon J (2012) What makes health public?: A critical evaluation of moral, legal and political claims in public health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Davies S and Pearson-Stuttard J (2020) Whose health is it anyway? Oxford: Oxford University Press
DeMarco R and Healey-Walsh J (2020) Community and public health nursing: evidence for practice. 3rd edn. London: Wolters Kluwer.
Donaldson L (2017) Donaldsons’ essential public health. 4th edn. London: CRC Press.
Friis R and Sellers T (2020) Epidemiology for public health practice. 6th edn. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Gilliam S, Yates J and Badrinath P (2012) Essential public health: theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kawachi I, Lang I and Ricciardi W (2020) Oxford handbook of public health practice. 4th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sim F and Wright J (2015) Working in public health: an introduction to careers in public health. Abigdon: Routledge.
Stanhope M and Lancaster J (2020) Public health nursing: population-centred health care in the community. London: Elsevier.
Thompson S (2014) The essential guide to public health and health promotion. Abingdon: Routledge.
Webb P, Bain C and Page A (2020) Essential epidemiology: an introduction for students and health professionals. 4th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Prevent
Gorin S (2014) Prevention practice in primary care. New York: Oxford University Press.
Larkin M (2011) Social aspects of health and illness and healthcare. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Matheson J, Paterson J and Neilson L (2020) Tackling causes and consequences of health inequalities: a practical guide. London: CRC Press.
Upton D and Thirlaway K (2014) Promoting healthy behaviour: a practical guide. Harlow: Pearson.
Protect
Bowie P and De Wet C (2014) Safety and improvement in primary care: the essential guide. London: Radcliffe Publishing.
Hammond M (2020) Epidemics and the modern world. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Hawker J, Begg N and Reintjes R et al. (2019) Communicable disease control and health protection handbook. 4th edn. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Veenema T (2019) Disaster nursing and emergency preparedness. 4th edn. New York: Springer.
Washer P (2014) Emerging infectious diseases and society. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Promote
Bensley R and Brookins-Fisher J (2018) Community and public health education methods: a practical guide. 4th edn. London: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Evans D, Coutsaftiki D and Fathers C (2017) Health promotion and public health for nursing students. 3rd edn. London: Learning Matters.
Green J and others (2019) Health promotion: planning and strategies. 4th edn. London: Sage.
Kemm J (2015) Health promotion: ideology, discipline and specialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Naidoo J (2016) Foundations for health promotion. 4th edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Palfrey C (2018) The future for health promotion. London: Polity Press.
Robinson S (2021) Priorities for health promotion and public health: explaining the evidence for disease prevention and health promotion. London: Routledge.
Talbot L and Verinder G (2017) Promoting health: the primary health care approach. 6th edn. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Wild K and McGrath M (2019) Public health and health promotion for nurses at a glance. London: Wiley Blackwell.
Wills J (2014) Fundamentals of health promotion for nurses. 2nd edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Wilson F, Mabhala M and Massey A (2015) Health improvement and well-being: strategies for action. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Book subject searches
Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.
Journal articles
Use these links for details of journal articles on each topic.
Journals
Journals of interest for public health. Use these links to see details of availability.
Events and Exhibitions
RCN exhibition: A healthful form of work, the history of public health nursing -
Public health nursing has its origins in the 1800s with the rise of social reform and efforts to improve the health of the poorest in society. This exhibition highlighted the development of public health nursing and the roles nurses have played in improving public health from the 19th century to the present day. From vaccination programmes and health visiting to sanitary and welfare reform.
View online exhibition
RCN Podcasts
Past Caring: Public health
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Frances explores perspectives of public health, past and present.
Listen to Podcast (Soundcloud)
Nursing history
Freeman M, Gordon E, Maglen K and Crowther M A (2011) Medicine, law and public policy in Scotland: c. 1850-1990. Dundee: Edinburgh University Press.
Honigsbaum M (2014) A history of the great influenza pandemics: death, panic and hysteria, 1830-1920. London: I.B. Tauris.
Honigsbaum M (2019) The pandemic century: one hundred years of panic, hysteria and hubris. London: Hurst and Company.
Stewart J (2017) Pioneers in public health: lessons from history. London: Routledge.
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Anna Shipway
Editor of this guide
RCN Library and Archive Service
Upcoming events relating to this subject guide
Page last updated - 01/02/2023
