Public Health Lead - 2 Posts

NHS; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local public health authority in the UK is looking for Public Health Leads to advance health improvement strategies and address health inequalities. Candidates should have a degree in public health, experience in strategic roles, and exemplary communication skills. This role requires collaboration across multiple agencies and a commitment to enhancing community health outcomes. Attractive benefits include 28 days annual leave and flexible working options.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Enhanced sickness pay

Access to free eye tests

Occupational Health Service

Discounted gym membership

Qualifications

• Experience in strategic public health roles.
• Ability to act independently with professional judgement.
• Understanding of epidemiology and public health practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead programmes for health improvement and health inequalities.
• Assess public health needs and develop health outcome measures.
• Manage and develop multi-agency partnerships.

Skills

Excellent communication

Negotiation

Teamwork

Research and evaluation

Budget management

Education

Degree in public health

Masters (MPH) or equivalent

Tools

Project management software

Statistical analysis tools

Job description

Overview

Sefton Council is seeking to recruit 2 Public Health Leads with strong technical skills and a real commitment to improving population health.

The post holders will join the Public Health Team at an exciting and formative time. They will lead and contribute to multi-agency and partnership networks, develop strategic plans and programmes to address health issues and health inequalities and deliver against the public health outcomes framework.

We are a progressive and supportive Public Health Team and have an excellent working relationship with our wider system partners. The roles will complement a number of specialist public health roles, each having a focus on a specific area.

One role will focus on weight management, offering the successful candidate a key opportunity to further develop and evolve the weight management agenda across the borough. The other role will focus on health protection as well as the stop smoking agenda, requiring a broad knowledge of health protection with an additional focus on reducing harms associated with smoking and tobacco products.

Main duties of the job

Both post holders will be expected to adapt to a range of wider public health priorities within health improvement, health protection, wider determinants and health care public health.

Technical expertise and knowledge of working across multi-agency partnerships, leading service development and complex strategic commissioning of health improvement services is essential, as well as informed knowledge of the wider social determinants of health.

The post holders will be expected to cope with multiple and changing demands and to meet tight deadlines. A high level of intellectual rigour, political awareness, negotiation, motivation, flexibility and the ability to influence without direct authority are required to understand broad organisational cultures, advise, challenge and advocate to enable effective working across partnerships.

About us

As a Sefton Council employee, you can receive:

• 28 days annual leave rising to 33 days with 5 years continual service and 8 bank holidays.
• Enhanced sickness pay, maternity/adoption leave pay and maternity support leave.
• Opportunities for agile/flexible working
• Access to free eye tests and where appropriate, contribution towards spectacles
• Occupational Health Service available to advise on work related health issues.
• Commitment to supporting staff's emotional and mental health with access to a free and confidential employee counselling service.
• Discounted gym membership with all Active Sefton gyms
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Salary sacrifice schemes including childcare vouchers.
• Access to local benefits and discounts on products and services

Job responsibilities

The Public Health department is a specialist, multidisciplinary team working across Sefton. The department works in partnership with other local authority departments, NHS, other statutory services and the voluntary sector. The department has a wide range of responsibilities to protect and improve the public s health and tackle inequalities. These include identifying health needs of the population, advising on and commissioning health services to meet those needs, providing evidence on the effectiveness of treatments/interventions and highlighting the needs of the more socially excluded and vulnerable, as well as health protection and broader healthcare public health services which are key components of delivery.

The Public Health Lead will contribute to the public health duties within the local authority, including advising council officers and Elected Members on all matters of public health, commissioning and performance management of a specified list of public health services.

It is expected that the post holder will work across specific programme areas, building strong partnerships including wider council partners, NHS and the voluntary sector, ensuring local health improvement, health care and health protection arrangements are fit for purpose, aligned and robust. The post holder will demonstrate a clear understanding of local population needs for Sefton and will primarily focus on broad health improvement priorities with some additional support across health care and health protection when required.

Key areas and responsibilities will include:

• Lead commissioned programmes for health improvement, health protection, health care public health, wider determinants and health inequalities.
• Lead and coordinate contract performance and review meetings.
• Interpret national datasets and address performance issues where required.
• Provide service stewardship and strategic development for a range of programme areas.
• Provide expert input to national, regional and local policy and reference groups.
• Provide public health support to the emerging health and social care structure.
• Provide public health advice/support to multi-agency/ multidisciplinary safeguarding reviews.

MAIN DUTIES

1. Surveillance and assessment of the population s health and well-being
   Source, interpret and utilise the available evidence base, including in-depth analysis and interpretation of health data and effectiveness appraisal of diverse public health interventions, in the context of conflicting views between professionals and agencies. Contribute specialist topic information to annual and public health reports, strategic documents and other reports as required. Prepare and process communications with the media within overall guidelines set by the LA. Identify public health needs using various methodologies and develop appropriate health outcome measures when planning and commissioning projects or programmes to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
2. Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare interventions, programmes and services
   Analyse and interpret national and local policy, data and national evidence of effectiveness to develop, make recommendations and evaluate public health related projects or programmes.
3. Policy and strategy development and implementation
   Develop and co-ordinate multi-agency and partnership collaborative work to engage and influence others, identify local need and improve health and wellbeing. Take responsibility for strategic planning; lead development, co-ordination and implementation of multi-agency strategy and action plans. Manage a delegated budget for specific commissioned services and/or projects. Write bids to secure funding for PH and partnership projects. Commission services within allocated resources; ensuring contracts are negotiated and implemented in line with needs. Lead development of service specifications and performance management with providers to ensure value for money and delivery. Use project management techniques to set up and manage projects to improve health and reduce inequalities.
4. Leadership and collaborative working for health
   Influence statutory, community and voluntary sector partners to optimise health gains and reductions in health inequalities. Provide leadership and advice to internal and external partners to inform investment decisions and strategic development. Provide specialist knowledge and expertise on health improvement topics with project management, communication, training and dissemination of information. Provide support and supervision for staff, develop and evaluate training and education programs.

General

Responsible for the management of member(s) of the Public Health team, including direct line management and/or project/matrix management. Deputise for the senior public health team and represent the council at local, regional and national events; provide advice on policies, practices, and strategic direction. Use software to produce reports, presentations, spreadsheets and databases. Chair meetings and take minutes as required. Ensure data governance and confidentiality in line with policies. Adhere to Data Protection Act and local government confidentiality requirements. Undertake any other duties to meet service needs.

Special Conditions

The nature of the work may require commitments outside normal hours, including meetings and responding to public health incidents and emergencies. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and requires a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure. The post may require travel across a wide geographical area. The post may require access to the Public Service Network and compliance with Baseline standards.

Person Specification

Skills, Knowledge and Aptitudes

• Proven ability to apply professional judgement in resolving complex public health and commissioning issues.
• Ability to act on own initiative and with professional judgement within the scope of the role.
• Excellent communication skills, including negotiation and influencing at senior levels.
• Ability to build effective working relationships and engage the public and service users in service development.
• Ability to create complex written material, including statistical tables, for a wide readership.
• Strong team member with interpersonal, influencing and facilitation skills.
• Flexible, proactive, prioritises, manages workload and works under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Ability to conduct research and evaluate interventions; assess, plan, prioritise, monitor and evaluate.
• Ability to analyse and interpret information for decision making.
• Computer literate to enable reports, presentations, spreadsheets and artwork.
• Ability to manage budgets and prepare bids for external funding.
• Understanding of epidemiology, statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation.
• Awareness of developing clinical quality assurance and evidence-based clinical practice.
• Knowledge of social and political environment, national and local policy, strategies and guidance.

Qualifications

• Degree in a public health field plus Masters (MPH) or equivalent.
• Registered or working towards registration as a Public Health Practitioner.

Special Requirements

• Post exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; enhanced disclosure required.
• The post holder must travel independently over a wide geographical area.

Experience

• Substantial experience in strategic public health roles and facilitating change in practice.
• Experience of engaging stakeholders in multi-agency, multi-partnership formats.
• Experience of engaging with elected members and/or clinicians.
• Experience of project management, commissioning and budget management.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and requires a Disclosure submission.

Head of Inequalities and Strategic Partnerships