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Role Description

Salary: £72,614 – £78,059 per annum (plus £4,395 lease car subsidy/cash alternative)

Employing organisation:    Staffordshire County Council

Accountable to:                   You will be dually accountable:

  • professionally to the employing authority Staffordshire County Council.
  • managerially to the employing organisation via the line manager, usually the Assistant Director of Public Health.

Managerially responsibility:   May be required to manage team members including:

  • Senior Commissioning Manager
  • Commissioning Manager(s)
  • Commissioning Officer(s)

Appointment

This is a post for a CPH/CPHM employed by Staffordshire County Council serving a population of circa 870,000 residents.  The main base for the role is at Staffordshire Place 1 in Stafford, but the Council supports flexible working, including some home working if required/preferred.

Job Summary

The Directorate of Health and Care leads the Council’s statutory responsibilities for Public Health and Adult Social Services, harnessing the resources of the whole Council and partners to improve and protect the health of the population.  The role is within a friendly, supportive, highly professional and experienced public health team, and will offer an opportunity to work for a forward thinking, ambitious organisation, within a county rich in diversity, culture and natural assets. This role will not only be personally rewarding, but you will have the opportunity to really make a difference, that you will be challenged and equally supported to deliver.

If you are looking for a challenge in an organisation that has bold ambitions and a vision for the people we serve to prosper, be healthy and happy this could be the role for you.

As a Consultant in Public Health at Staffordshire County Council you will have the chance to support and improve the lives of our local population.  There will be core and statutory functions to fulfil, but there is also opportunity to shape the role according to specific interests and areas of expertise. An initial job plan will be jointly agreed with Director of Health and Care and Assistant Director of Public Health and Prevention and will be reviewed regularly.

In this challenging but rewarding role you will be expected to be able to cope with multiple and changing demands, and to meet tight deadlines.  A high level of intellectual rigour, negotiation, motivation skills and flexibility are required to deal with complex public health issues. You’ll have the ability to change and develop services, give advice, and make recommendations regarding health and care.

On behalf of the local authority, you working with the Assistant Director of Public Health and other consultant colleagues, will lead on improving the health and wellbeing of the residents. You will take responsibility for strategic objectives of the local authority and the Health & Wellbeing Board and act as a change agent to enable delivery of relevant outcome indicators from public health, NHS, and social care outcome frameworks. You will be expected to work across organisations, be able to influence without control as well as advocate for change. 

Strategic objectives may include:

  • Ensure development and maintenance of systems and processes to enable the authority to work with partners to respond to major incidents including health protection threats. On behalf of the authority and the DPH, lead on those aspects that the Secretary of State delegates to the authority. Will ensure that partner organisations (such as the UK Health Security Agency [UKHSA], Office for Health Improvement and Disparities [OHID], Clinical Commissioning Group [CCG] and NHS England) have appropriate mechanisms to enable surge capacity to be delivered as and when required.
  • On behalf of the authority to take responsibility for ensuring delivery of the public health mandated services such that the full range of benefits are delivered to residents of the authority. These services include sexual health services, NHS Health Check, specialist public health support to CCGs. This will include taking responsibility for the relevant outcome indicators within the UKHSA and OHID, NHS (and Social Care) Outcome frameworks and working across organisational boundaries.
  • To lead work across all Council directorates as well as influencing partnership boards (dealing with health determinants) to maximise health improvement opportunities and the reduction of inequalities in health outcomes amongst residents. This will include using the Outcome Frameworks as well as exploring other relevant routinely collected data systems for suitable indicators.
  • To lead on improving health and social outcomes for a particular client group: working adults, older adults, learning disabilities, BAME, mental health etc.

The work will include working across the entire Council, NHS bodies (the Council has a statutory duty to provide public health advice to CCGs and the Council’s Health and Well Being Board has a coordinating role for the whole of the health and care system) and other partner agencies. It will also involve influencing private sector, voluntary sector and community sector organisations that can impact on health and influencing the attitudes and behaviour both of professionals and of the population generally.

In delivering the strategic objectives the post-holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in the full range of relevant competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health. This includes evaluation techniques, policy analysis and translation and ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders including politicians. In addition to any direct responsibility for managing staff or budgets, you will be responsible for change and improvement in the agreed areas of work and for supporting the delivery of the statutory duty of the Council to take the steps it considers necessary to improve the health of its communities.

The employing organisation

Our vision is to be a county where big ambitions, great connections and greener living give everyone the opportunity to prosper, be healthy and happy.

About the Service

The Health and Care vision is Inspiring healthy independent living.

The structure for Health and Care provides a clear focus on 3 defined areas of work:

  • Public Health and Prevention
  • Adult Social Work and Safeguarding
  • Care Commissioning

This role sits within the public health and prevention team but will be expected to work closely with, and across, all areas of the health and care directorate.

Health and Care will have four strategic objectives for 2021-26. These are:

  • Promote good health and independence, and encourage and enable people to take personal responsibility for maintaining their well-being.
  • Ensure effective and efficient assessment of needs that offers fair access to services.
  • Maintain a market for care and support that offers services at an affordable price.
  • Ensure best use of resources, people, data and technology.

Public Health Arrangements

  • Current staffing of the Department (see structure chart).
  • You, working with the DPH will be expected to make best use of both public health department resources as well as influence the resources in the Council as a whole.

The strategic responsibility and key tasks

You will be expected to demonstrate expertise across the full range of relevant competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health (Appendix 1) and where required, take responsibility for resolving operational issues. In negotiation with the Assistant DPH (&/or the Council), you may be asked to take on responsibilities that are underpinned by any of the FPH competencies. You will be expected to maintain both the general expertise as well as develop topic-based expertise as needed and will be expected to deputise for the Assistant DPH as and when required.

The range of duties expected of you include:

  • Leading the technical and managerial development, implementation and delivery of national, regional and local policies.
  • Developing inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes in collaboration with partners at all levels, contributing to the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, with delegated authority to deliver key public health targets.
  • Utilising information and intelligence systems to 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, across primary, secondary and social care, and across sectors including local authorities, voluntary organizations etc. This will include the provision of public health leadership and input (the public health ‘offer’) to a named CCG in line with an agreed MoU.
  • Providing geographical leadership for public health and working closely with the wider public health team to identify local priorities and support the planning and commission of interventions to address those priorities and reduce health inequalities.
  • Providing whole system leadership and strategic support to the Assistant DPH in undertaking key statutory and leadership duties including assurance programmes for health protection and emergency planning functions.
  • Contributing to the formulation of public health and wider council business plans, budgets and financial initiatives.
  • Designing and delivering a training programme as a major part of the job e.g. training Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine and Public Health Specialist Trainees, VTS Trainees and F2 Doctors.
  • Actively taking part in public health academic partnership programmes with the two local Universities (Keele and Staffordshire).
  • The day-to-day management of a group of staff, and responsibility for the allocation / placement and supervision of qualified staff or trainees.
  • Actively 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 through a programme of CPD/CME, in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements, or other recognized body.
  • Commissioning research audits/projects, and appropriately undertaking research or audit.
  • Development and maintenance of systems and processes to enable the authority to work with partners to respond to major incidents, including health protection threats, including taking part in on call arrangements.

Underpinning much of these duties are public health tasks such as:

  • Undertaking health needs assessments as required to enable actions to be taken to improve the health of the local population.
  • Developing prioritisation techniques and managing their application to policies, services and to help resolve issues such as the investment-disinvestment debate.
  • Effective communication of complex concepts, science and data and their implications for local communities, to a range of stakeholders with very different backgrounds.
  • Understanding of evaluation frameworks and applying those frameworks to the benefit of local communities.
  • A capacity to apply the scientific body of knowledge on public health to the polices and services necessary to improve health and to formulate clear practical evidence-based recommendations.
  • The understanding of human and organisational behaviour and the application of this knowledge to the achievement of change.
  • Inspire commitment to public health outcomes and to prevention.

Management arrangements and responsibilities

You will be professionally accountable to the employing authority and managerially accountable to the employing authority via their line manager. Professional appraisal will be required.

You will be expected to take part in on call arrangements for communicable disease control/health protection as appropriate depending on local arrangements, and to deputise for the Assistant Director and/or DPH as required.

Professional Obligations:

You will be required to contribute to the achievement of the Council objectives through:

Financial Management

Personal accountability for delivering services efficiently, effectively, within budget and to implement any approved savings and investment allocated to the service.

People Management

Engaging with People Management policies and processes.

Equalities

Ensuring that all work is completed with a commitment to equality and anti-discriminatory practice, as a minimum to standards required by legislation.

Climate Change

Delivering energy conservation practices in line with the Council’s climate change strategy.

Health and Safety

Ensuring a work environment that protects people’s health and safety and that promotes welfare and which is in accordance with the Council’s Health & Safety policy.

Safeguarding

Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups.

  • Participate in the organisation’s staff appraisal scheme and quality improvement programme and ensure appraisal and development of any staff for which you are responsible.
  • Practise in accordance with all relevant sections of the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice (if medically qualified) and the Faculty of Public Health’s Good Public Health Practice and UKPHR requirements.
  • Public health practice must be carried out within the ethical framework of the health professions.

Personal Qualities

You will deal with complex public health and wellbeing challenges in a multi-organisational environment with widely differing governance and finance system and organisational cultures. It is expected that you will be able to cope with such circumstances as well as multiple and changing demands, and to meet tight deadlines. A high level of intellectual rigour, political awareness and negotiation and motivation skills as well as flexibility and sensitivity are required. You will advise the health and wellbeing board and make recommendations regarding services, residents’ care and wider determinants of health and therefore a high level of tact, diplomacy and leadership is required including the ability work within the local political and at the same time maintain the ability to challenge and advocate for effective working and on specific issues in order to achieve public health outcomes. The achievement of public health outcomes and the successful pursuit of change are the purpose of the job and the metric against which performance will be assessed.