Want to know more about sessions are suitable for anyone with an interest in or responsibility for promoting health in Leeds. These short sessions cover a wide variety of Public Health topics and aim to develop professionals’ awareness and practice around the subjects covered.
At a typical 'Want to know more about ...' session you will:
- learn how to identify the public health issue being covered
- discover local services that are working to improve the issue
- understand ways you can help, should you choose to
The sessions are free of charge and are presented by friendly and knowledgeable facilitators who are experts in their fields, including specialists from the Leeds Public Health team.
Upcoming sessions
Want to know more about… Measles and the MMR vaccine
Wednesday 24 April 2024, 10am to 11am
World Immunisation Week, starting on 22 April, aims to highlight the action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable disease with this year's theme being: Prevent. Protect. Immunise. Due to the increase in measles clusters across the UK, with cases notified in Yorkshire and the Humber, this WTKMA session will have specific focus on measles and how the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination can prevent illness and protect others.
The session is suitable for anyone from health, social care and wider public health related disciplines, especially those who have a role in engaging with families and communities.
This session will cover:
- vaccination timeline and the current UK schedule
- overview of national and local MMR data
- signs and symptoms of measles including infectious period and exclusion criteria
- exploring reasons for the decline in MMR vaccine uptake including vaccine hesitancy and MMR myths, such as false claims around links to autism and porcine alternatives
- ways to access the MMR vaccination and local and national initiatives around this
- practical advice and useful resources
The session will be delivered by Donna Whitelock and Lisa Hammond from Public Health, Leeds City Council.
Dying Matters
Wednesday 1 May 2024, 10am to 11.30am
Every year, people around the UK use Dying Matters Awareness Week as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them.
This year, the Leeds Dying Matters Partnership is encouraging conversations about end-of-life with healthcare professionals, families, friends, and colleagues, because the way we talk about Dying Matters.
This webinar is suitable for anyone working or volunteering within organisations who work with people in Leeds. We know that Dying Matters can be an emotive topic, so we aim to keep the session informative, light-hearted and engaging.
This session will cover:
- having conversations about Dying Matters
- work of the Dying Matters Partnership
- support for Dying Matters in Leeds
This session will be delivered by the Dying Matter Partnership with contributions from wider partners.
Breastfeeding, climate and health - everybody's business
Thursday 16 May 2024, 11am to midday
The session will introduce you to the work of the Yorkshire and Humber Breastfeeding and Climate Change group. It will offer a brief outline of climate change and share the importance of breastfeeding for population health and the health of our planet.
The session is suitable for anyone with a professional interest in any or all of these areas and will enhance your knowledge when working with families and the public.
The session will cover:
- climate change – an important health threat
- how breastfeeding contributes to healthier mothers and babies and improves public health
- how different feeding methods make a difference to the health of our planet
- how breastmilk and breastfeeding contribute to local food security
- Yorkshire and Humber Breastfeeding and Climate Change resources
This session will be delivered by Sally Goodwin-Mills from Leeds City Council, Children and Families Public Health Team.
NHS Healthy Start scheme
Tuesday 21 May 2024, 10am to 11am
The NHS Healthy Start scheme helps families and pregnant people on low incomes to get healthy food, milk and vitamins. However, we know many families in Leeds are not accessing the scheme and we need to do more to promote the scheme and support families to access it.
This session has been designed to provide you with more information about the scheme to better equip you to raise awareness and support families.
The session is suitable for anyone who has contact with families with young children (birth up to 4 years); whether you are a healthcare professional or someone working or volunteering in settings such as early years setting, library, school, hub setting, food pantry etc, all are welcome.
This session will cover:
- what the Healthy Start Scheme is - who can benefit and how
- local context - uptake in Leeds and local initiatives
- how you can support families
- question and answer session
This session will be delivered by Nicola Goldsborough – Advanced Health Improvement Specialist (Maternity and Infants) Children and Families Public Health Team.
Air pollution and children
Thursday 6 June 2024, 11am to 12 midday
In the UK, air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to population health, reducing life expectancy and healthy living years. Everyone can be affected by the impacts of poor air quality however some groups, especially children, are more at risk than others. In the UK it is reported that one in three children are growing up in environments with unsafe levels of air pollution and this has been brought into sharp focus with the tragic deaths of Ella Adoo-Kissi Debra and Awaab Ishak, where air pollution was noted as a significant contributory cause to their deaths.
This session will cover:
- a global and national picture on the impacts air pollution on children
- why children are more at risk
- initiatives in Leeds to help improve child respiratory health related to air pollution
- ten top tips to improving indoor air quality
- ways of engaging children in the air pollution agenda
This session will be delivered by Donna Whitelock and Vineeta Sehmbi from the Health Protection team, Public Health, Leeds City Council.
Reducing loneliness and social isolation
Thursday 13 June 2024, 10am to 11:30am
This online session will explore two ways in which we can reduce loneliness and social isolation, using the CAREVIEW app and using a social prescribing model.
The CAREVIEW app is a simple and innovative method which helps to locate the unmet needs of individuals experiencing social isolation or loneliness by using the correlation with neglect in the built environment. It has been designed for residents in our poorest and most challenging neighbourhoods who do not, or cannot, come forward to seek help from local services to improve their health and help maintain it.
The app not only looks for deficits but utilises previously unharnessed local assets. The social prescribing model is an approach that connects people to services and activities in their community in order to benefit their overall health and mental wellbeing.
This session will cover:
- what CAREVIEW does and why it was developed
- how the app works when a resident requires help, or if a natural local asset is discovered
- how the Isolation Tool works
- the benefits of social prescribing and community connections
- case studies from clients who have been supported to reduce isolation
This session will be delivered by Jon Hindley, Public Health (Leeds City Council) and Andrew Walker, Linking Leeds.
The session is suitable for anyone working or volunteering in Leeds who interacts with or supports members of the public with a focus on health and wellbeing, particularly frontline staff.
Want to know more about... films
Some of the 'Want to know more about…' sessions are recorded and published to YouTube.
You can watch recorded webinars and other training films on the
Leeds Public Health Training playlist on YouTube
External link, at a time that is suitable to you. If you attended a session that was recorded, this is where it will be published.
Leeds Public Health training playlist
Delivering a want to know more about… session
If you are interested in delivering a 'Want to know more about...' session to raise awareness of a particular public health issue or service, please contact us at
phforall@leeds.gov.uk for a discussion.
