Consultant in Public Health / Consultant in Public Health Medicine

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

This permanent post will support the Director of Public Health (DPH) in delivering their statutory public health functions across Norfolk. The post holder will work closely and constructively with the Director of Public Health, Deputy Directors of Public Health, other consultants and the wider public health team, as well as being a highly visible leader with key system partners across the local system.

The post holder will need to demonstrate competencies to fulfil a generalist Consultant in Public Health role. The portfolio may vary over time and cross all domains of public health.

The appointee will be expected to be intellectually and practically flexible and to be able to cope with multiple and changing demands and meet tight deadlines.

A high level of intellectual rigour, political awareness, negotiation and motivation skills and flexibility are required to deal with complex public health issues and to advise and make recommendations regarding services and other interventions.

Tact and diplomacy are essential, as is an ability to understand other cultures to enable effective working across organisational boundaries and influencing without authority.

The post holder will actively look for similarities in plans to identify possible synergies across service areas and drive through change by making connections between strategic vision and what needs to be done.

This post will develop relationships within Norfolk County Council, the associated District Councils, and neighbouring local authorities; UKHSA, OHID, NHS England, the local Integrated Care Board across the Integrated Care System and with wider stakeholders.

Public health consultants work as system leaders at strategic or senior management level or at a senior level of expertise such as epidemiology or health protection. The combination of leadership and managerial skills together with high level of technical skills and knowledge gives them a unique skill set essential for improving the health and wellbeing of populations.

Consultants have the same professional status irrespective of local line management arrangements and have experience in various areas of public health practice.

The role is derived from Government policy and clearly identifies the unique contribution that local authorities can make to understand and improve the health and wellbeing of communities through:

• Developing clear long-term visions and strategies which will deliver maximum improvements in health and wellbeing in line with the Council's strategic objectives
• Developing or enhancing workstreams that address key priorities in the Public Health Strategic Plan. Current areas needing Consultant input include mental health and wellbeing, and older people's health and wellbeing in an ageing population - though portfolios are agreed with successful candidates and can vary over time across the breadth of local authority public health
• Developing strong partner relationships and providing strategic leadership to ensure effective system approaches to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities in a complex and challenging partnership environment
• Supporting Members to engage effectively within the system and with their communities with respect to the population's health
• Supporting the Director of Public Health in their statutory duties
• Playing a leadership role in continuous improvement to improve outcomes for the local population and effectiveness of interventions and services
• Contributing to the department as a learning environment, supporting the development of staff and providing good quality supervision for trainees
• Providing specialist public health input into the review, commissioning and strategic direction of services.

The public health team has recently moved into the Adult Social Services department. This post sits under a Deputy Director of Public Health within the Public Health Specialist team. The PHS team is the home of the Consultants in Public Health/Medicine, the health protection function, PH apprentices and trainees - NCC is an approved training location for FY2, GP and PH trainees. Consultants currently do not line manage teams - rather, through matrix working, they provide expertise across the whole department, often leading project teams on specific elements of work.

Organisational charts reflect the current organisation of the public health department, though re-organisations may be undertaken from time to time with changes to teams and line management arrangements and responsibilities.

Accountabilities

• Be a senior representative of public health within Norfolk County Council and across the wider system.
• To act in a senior level, expert advisory capacity on public health knowledge, standards and practice, across the spectrum of public health
• To influence external agencies in their public health policy decisions by working with complex professional, managerial and population groups, and other organisations in the statutory, non-statutory and private sectors.
• Develop and utilise information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines and organisations, leading collation and interpretation of relevant data.
• Support strategy, policy development and ensure delivery of business plans and interventions in specialist portfolios.
• Be an authorised signatory, budget or delegated budget holder,orbe required to monitor or contribute to the formulation of department/ service budgets and financial initiatives.
• Have responsibility for development, implementation and delivery of national, regional and local policies, developing inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes, with delegated Board or organisational authority to deliver key public health targets.
• May undertake research or audit and translate research findings into public health practice.
• Provide expert public health advice and leadership to support and inform an evidence-based approach within ethical frameworks for commissioning and developing high quality equitable services.
• Contribute to training Specialty Registrars in Public Health, FY2 and GP trainees and professional development of other staff.
• Pursue a programme of CPD in accordance with the Faculty of Public Health requirements, or other recognised body, and undertake revalidation, audit or other measures required to remain on the GMC/GDC Specialist Register or the UK Public Health (Specialist) Register or other specialist register as appropriate.

• You may be required to deputise for the Director/Deputy Director as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 (legislation.gov.uk) In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists at the point of application.
• If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice.
• Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview*
• If an applicant is UK trained in Public Health, they must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview. If an applicant is non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT
• Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
• MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment, or equivalent

• Masters in Public Health or equivalent

Experience

• Delivery of successful change management programmes across organizational boundaries.
• Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences.

• Media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health promotion messages.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk County Council

Address

County Hall

Martineau Lane

Norwich

Norfolk

NR1 2DH

https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/