• PH Talk
• WMeHNet
• NDTMS
• Requests
• Publications
• Tools
• HIA Gateway
• Learning for Public Health
• WMPHIG

Home > Learning > Training Courses in HIA

Home

News and Events New WMPHO Products Excess Winter Deaths (EWD) in England Older People Atlas Health Improvement Local Profiles Topics Learning Partners Links News Events Courses Vacancies Excellence Work in Progress Populations Deaths Hospital Admissions Lifestyle Environment Metadata Age and Gender Ethnicity Households Projections IMD 2007 Car Ownership Deaths Infant Mortality Life Expectancy Healthy Life Expectancy Admissions Emergency QOF Prevalence Cervical Screening Teenage Pregnancy Synthetic Estimates Children's BMI Alcohol Admissions Alcohol Deaths Tranquillity Score Alcohol Cancer Causes of Death Child Health Climate Change and Health Diabetes Excess Winter Mortality in the West Midlands Health Profiles Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Long Term Mortality Trends Mental health Migrant Data Obesity Older People Physical Environment Segmentation Smoking Social Care Public Health Information Learning Materials Public Health Intelligence Training Courses in MWIA

Training Courses in Health Impact Assessment (HIA): 2010

Following the highly successful courses in 2009 at Birmingham and Gregynog, the West Midlands Public Health Observatory and Welsh Health Impact Support Unit are once again offering these two courses in 2010.

Local and national decision makers are increasingly realising the importance of considering how their proposals will affect the health of the population. Health Impact Assessment is a process which helps decision makers understand the likely consequence of their decisions for health. These courses are designed for those with little or no experience of health impact assessment who either wish to do an HIA or to commission others to do an HIA. We welcome delegates from a wide range of disciplines.

The day course is intended to be an introduction to the 3 day residential course, but also serves as a standalone introduction to HIA. The 3 day course assumes an elementary knowledge of HIA but those with some experience may wish to attend it without attending the introductory day course.

If there is sufficient demand a pre-course introductory workshop on HIA will be run on Monday 4th October 2010 prior to the start of the 3 day course. This will be for those who wish to attend the 3 day course but have been unable to attend the day course or attend any other prior experience/training in HIA.

Introduction to HIA (1 Day course)

Wednesday, July 14th 2010 - Birmingham

The course will start at 9.30 am and close at 4pm. Lunch and tea/coffee are provided.

This course will be an introduction to HIA explaining what it is and why and when it ought to be done. It will outline the steps of an HIA and how different types of evidence can help in predicting future health consequences and will be illustrated with reference to case studies. This course assumes little or no experience or knowledge of HIA. Draft course content: What is HIA? Benefits of HIA; Context for HIA; Understanding health; Doing an HIA – steps; different levels of HIA; Nature and use of evidence in HIA; Stakeholder engagement; Examples of HIA and further information on HIA.

After attending this course you should have a reasonable idea of when an HIA should be called for and how it could help your organisation.

A combination of teaching and discussion will be used to cover these topics.

Ready to do HIA (3 day residential course)

Monday, October 4th to Thursday October 7th 2010, 3 day Residential Course

Gregynog, Nr Newtown, Powys, Wales

The expectation is that having completed the course participants will be able to lead a simple HIA or be a team member in a more complex HIA.

The course is very practical and involves participants in planning an HIA for a realistic scenario. Topics covered include the stages of HIA, stakeholders, evidence, causal chains, key informants, public engagement, recommendations and reporting . Equity, and ethics of HIA are also discussed. A mixture of didactic teaching and working in small groups is used throughout.

The course assumes students have attended the one day introduction to HIA course or have acquired a basic understanding of the principles of HIA. If there is sufficient demand a pre-course workshop will be offered as an introductory course immediately before the 3 day course on Monday 4th October (2-5.30pm).

Participants will assemble for dinner on the evening before the course. The course will then start first thing on Tuesday morning and finish mid afternoon on Thursday. Participants are encouraged to stay to the end of the course to present their learning as part of a group presentation.

Draft Course outline for 3 Day Course:

Day before - Monday 4th October 2010

Pre-course workshop (if sufficient demand) 2.00pm - 5.30pm
Arrive at Gregynog and evening meal

Day 1 – Tuesday 5th October 2010

Introduction to Rapid impact assessments; Scenarios for HIA – work in groups on different HIA scenarios e.g. waste incinerator proposal; HIA steps: screening, scoping, appraisal, recommendations, implementation and monitoring; Perspectives on HIA - impartial or advocacy? A field trip will be organised to sites for participants to collect local information for their HIA group work.

Day 2 – Wednesday 6th October 2010

What is evidence; Causal chains/link diagrams; Literature searching; Engaging the public; Informants interviews/focus groups/open sessions/surgeries; Synthesizing different types of evidence (public views/professional and scientific knowledge); Experience and judgment in HIA; Prioritization and quantification; HIA stories – policy/planning enquiries (projects)

Day 3 – Thursday 7th October 2010

Different types of Impact Assessment (including EIA), Being useful to decision-makers, At what point in the process do you do an HIA?, Stakeholders: who are they/how do you relate to them/how should you be involved/how do you relate back?, Recommendations when writing a report, Describing the project, linking sections of the report, HIA for policy, Ethics and HIA, Equity and HIA , why prioritise the benefits for certain groups?, Presentation of group HIAs.

Throughout the course study will involve didactic teaching and discussion in small groups. The teaching will be based around a series of practical problems and participants will have opportunity to role play various aspects of HIA.

Gregynog

A unique feature of the 3 day residential course is its location. It is held in the Cardiff University Study Centre at Gregynog, near Newtown, Powys in the heart of rural Wales. Gregynog is a beautiful country house set in lovely gardens in magnificent countryside. There is internet access but the calm environment allows participants to concentrate undisturbed on HIA. Participants can be collected from Newtown railway station which is 6 miles for Gregynog. For more information on Gregynog go to: www.wales.ac.uk/defaultpage.asp?page=E3000. Note: mobile phone connections are patchy and only possible from certain areas in the grounds.

The course is very competitively priced and the fee includes accommodation and all meals throughout the course.

Faculty

The Faculty for this course have extensive experience of HIA work. Unusually they bring together a deep understanding of Sociology and participative approaches to HIA and of epidemiology and quanitative approaches to HIA. They will be:

• Chloe Chadderton, Cardiff University
• Eva Elliott, Cardiff University
• Liz Green, Welsh Health Impact Support Unit
• Nick Hacking, Welsh Health Impact Support Unit
• John Kemm, West Midlands PHO
• Sue Wright, HIA gateway manager

Organisations

West Midlands Public Health Observatory (WMPHO)

West Midlands Public Health Observatory (WMPHO) is one of 9 regional public health observatories. Public Health Observatories (PHOs) were established in England in 2000 following publication of “Choosing Health”. In addition to holding and analysing a selection of public health datasets WMPHO is actively engaged in increasing public health information analytical capacity throughout the region and training. WMPHO has special expertise in Health Impact Assessment and manages the HIA Gateway on behalf of the Association of Public Health Observatories. The HIA Gateway is a national and international resource for HIA making available to all reports of completed HIA and guidance on how to undertake HIA.

Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit

The Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) is an all Wales service responsible to the Wales Centre for Health (WCfH) and funded by Welsh Assembly Government as part of a wider strategy to improve health and reduce inequalities and to assist organisations to respond to Health Challenge Wales. It is based in the Cardiff Institute of Society, Health and Ethics which is part of Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences in south Wales and at the Wales Centre for Health in Wrexham.

The key roles of WHIASU are:

• To support the development and effective use of the health impact assessment (HIA) approach in Wales through building partnerships and collaborations with key statutory, voluntary, community and private organisations in Wales;
• To provide direct information and advice to those who are in the process of conducting HIAs;
• To contribute to the provision of new research, and provide access to existing evidence, that will inform and improve judgements about the potential impacts of policies, programmes and projects.

The Unit provides advice, guidance and support through the provision of awareness raising presentations, training sessions, facilitation of rapid appraisals and support for other ongoing HIAs. The Unit also provides assistance and advice with capacity building within organisations.

Fees

	Full Price	Early Bird
Day Course	£145	£120
Residential course *	£675	£575
Combined Day and Residential Course *	£710	£610

* Includes accommodation and meals. Reduction of £150 for those not using accommodation at Gregynog

Early Bird rates apply before April 30th for day course and before May 30th for residential or combined course. Discounts are available for those working for public services in Wales and those working for public services in West Midlands. Please enquire when booking.

For further information contact:

Liz Green:
Tel. No.: 01978 313664;
email: Liz.Green@wch.wales.nhs.uk

Or

Freya Cooper:
Tel. No.: 0121 4148190;
email: freya.cooper@wmpho.org.uk