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... community hubs
Wednesday 23 April, midday to 1pm
Leeds City Council has 26 community hubs and libraries across the city. They offer a number of different services designed to address community needs and reduce health and social inequalities, with a particular focus on supporting those affected by poverty.
As hubs operate through a combination of core services and strategic partnerships, they are able to deliver a wide range of support and initiatives through a single point of contact, making it easier for people in Leeds to access the support they need locally.
Join this free online WTKMA session to find out what support people can access locally through Leeds' community hubs and libraries, and much more.
The session will cover:
- the community hubs and libraries model
- core services offered at the hubs
- partnerships and other support available at hubs
- key initiatives including Project Development work
- future plans
This session will be delivered by Nick Hart (Head of Customer Contact) and Adele Wilson (Community Hub Manager for the East North East cluster) from Communities, Housing and Environments.
Want to know more about... gestational diabetes in pregnancy and beyond
Monday 19 May, midday to 1pm
Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy. People with a history of gestational diabetes (GDM) have up to a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years of giving birth, with intergenerational impact on the child too.
In Leeds, GDM prevalence has risen significantly over the last decade and now complicates 13% of all births locally. This session is suitable for any professional working with women and families of childbearing age and will focus on best practice guidance and quality improvement related to type 2 diabetes prevention in this cohort.
The session will cover:
- what gestational diabetes is and its impact on pregnancy, the child and longer-term population health
- an understanding of the size of the problem locally
- why a focus on prevention is important in this context
- best practice recommendations around detection, promotion and prevention in this cohort
- the opportunities for ongoing quality improvement work in this area
This session will be delivered by Georgia Blaney (Public Health Improvement Specialist) and Jenny Roddy (Consultant Midwife Health Equity) from Leeds City Council and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Children and young people’s oral health
Thursday 8 May, midday to 1pm
The National Dental Epidemiology Programme survey of 5-year-old children in England 2024 found that 22.4% of children surveyed had experience of dental decay. In Leeds this figure was 21.9% and of those children affected they had on average 3.1 teeth with decay and 2.8% had one or more teeth extracted. However dental decay can be prevented through regular brushing, adequate exposure to fluoride, reducing sugar consumption and regular check-ups at the dentist.
Improving the oral health of children is a key priority for Leeds with the ambition that every child will grow up free of tooth decay, to help give them the best start in life. This session is suitable for all practitioners with an interest in children and young people’s oral health and will cover:
- data relating to the oral health needs of children and young people in Leeds
- information on the Leeds Children and Young People's Oral Health Prevention strategy
- information of the Leeds Supervised Toothbrushing Scheme
- information on the Act Locally and toothPASTE projects which aims to empower families with young autistic children to establish good oral health habits
This session will be delivered by Emma Newton from the Leeds Public Health team, Kathy Fox from the Leeds 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Service, and Leeds University's Dr Amrit Chauhan.
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 , 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.
