Consultant in Public Health

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work closely with colleagues in the Community and Housing directorate and the Integrated Care Board (ICB)/local NHS on the future development of the local health and care integration programme; with colleagues in Environment and Regeneration on supporting Mertons climate emergency response and across the council on further strengthening and embedding a Health in All Policies approach. Merton Council is committed to reducing local inequalities and the post holder will support the current Health and Wellbeing Programme, including its ambition to transform the deprived East of the borough.

Merton as a Place and Population

Merton is rich in physical and social assets, in particular its green spaces, libraries and sports history and culture. It contains neighbourhoods with accessible and well-maintained parks, vibrant highstreets, strong local engagement, rich cultural and historic assets and good transport and active travel infrastructure. Equally, Merton has neighbourhoods with socio-economic deprivation and neglect, poor housing lacking insulation, traffic and transport, air pollution and environment vulnerability.

The 2021 Census data released at the end of June 2022 shows Merton has a resident population of 215,200 and a GP registered population of 232,368 people as of 1st October 2022.

East Merton currently has a larger population compared to West Merton by around 6,000 people. The number of people is estimated to increase by an additional 6,000 people in East Merton and an additional 3,000 people in West Merton by 2035.

Mertons population is ageing, with falling births. Population growth is slow, but churn is high. Persistent significant social and health inequalities between the East and West of the borough. The gap in life expectancy between the 10% most deprived and the 10% least deprived in Merton, is 7.7 years for males and 5 years for females.

In addition to Mertons increasing and ageing population its local communities are becoming far more ethnically diverse and multicultural, with a profile reflective of London. The extent of diversity has increased markedly over the last ten years with emerging new Polish and Tamil communities resident in the borough.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

On behalf of the local authority, the post-holder working with the DPH, and other consultant colleagues will:

- Lead on improving the health and wellbeing of the residents which is underpinned by the statutory duty placed on local government to take such steps as it considers appropriate to improve health of its residents.

- Act as a change agent to enable delivery of relevant outcome indicators from the public health, NHS and social care outcome frameworks.

- Work as part of the public health senior management team, providing public health leadership, advice, and support to public health practitioners within the public health department, to colleagues and departments across the Council and to other partner organisations including the ICB/local NHS and voluntary sector.

- Lead and manage various programmes of work focused on health improvement and reducing inequalities for children and young people, for people in need of sexual health services and programmes relating to Place. This includes responsibility for commissioning of public health services such as the 0-19 programme (public health nursing), and sexual health services.

-Lead on developing, implementing and evaluating joint pathways, service models and commissioning approaches with London Borough of Merton and NHS colleagues focussing on preventative and holistic care, delivering specific commissioning support to the NHS, providing senior leadership for population health management to the local health and care integration programme (Merton Health and Care Together) and the Merton Health and Wellbeing Board.

-Lead on strengthening and embedding a Health in All policies approach across the council, working particularly with colleagues in the Environment and Regeneration, Civic Pride and Climate Emergency, Housing and Sustainable Development, Future Merton, Cost of Living and creating healthy, green, and safe workplaces across Merton.

- Support the Health and Wellbeing Boards programme to transform the deprived East of the borough including the development innovative health and community facilities providing a new model of an integrated health and wellbeing offer led and owned by health and the community together.

- Oversee the Public Health statutory health protection function relating to immunisation, working closely with NHS England, SWL ICB, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Local Authority emergency planning and scrutiny function.

- Oversee the Public Health Intelligence function including the production of the JSNA, Merton Story, Annual Public Health Report intelligence aspects, and system intelligence support and advice.

- Fulfil an effective educational supervisor role, heading up the education function for Public Health trainees and GP trainees, attracting continuous placements of high calibre candidates to work in the Public Health team and in turn receive good quality training.

- Analyse complex public health issues, undertake critical appraisal of quantitative and qualitative data, model expected impacts, engage public and service users effectively, and develop business cases to inform evidence-based public health interventions.

- Understand other cultures to advise, challenge and advocate to enable effective working across organisational boundaries and influencing without direct authority.

Manage relevant Public Health staff and delegated budgets.

Carry out delegated tasks on behalf of the Director of Public Health as well as representing the Director of Public Health and the service at meetings and events, as required.

Areas of work will change over time as projects come to an end and the needs and priorities of the department and organisation change. All consultant portfolios are subject to regular review.

KEY TASKS

The postholder will undertake the following:

Be responsible for the development, implementation and delivery of strategic plans, programmes and policies focused on improving the health and wellbeing of the population of Merton and reducing health inequalities.

Provide expert public health advice and leadership to support and inform an evidence-based approach within ethical frameworks for developing high quality, equitable health and social care services and programmes, across primary, secondary, and social care, and across sectors including local government, the NHS, the community, and voluntary sectors.

Support the development and utilisation of information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines, Council departments and organisations, leading the collation, interpretation and dissemination of relevant data and information.

Manage relevant staff and deliver a training programme as part of the job e.g., training Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine and Public Health Specialist Trainees, and GP trainees.

Budget management-authorised signatory, budget or delegated budget holder (budget/department/service);

Lead on public health research, commission research audits/projects, and undertake research or audit.

MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

The postholder will be managerially & professionally accountable to the Director of Public Health.

The Public Health Team is part of the Directorate of Adult Social Care, Integrated Care and Public Health but has strong working relationships across the whole council and with the ICB.

The current post has direct line management of the Head of Public Health Services, a Health Improvement Officer (Healthy Places), and the specialist trainees. Arrangements might change according to context.

PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS

The postholder will be expected to:

Participate in the London Borough of Mertons staff appraisal scheme and departmental audits and ensure appraisal and development of any staff for which s/he is responsible.

Undertake an annual professional appraisal including completion of a programme of CPD, in accordance with 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. In agreement with the DPH, contribute to the wider public health professional system by becoming an appraiser or practitioner appraiser for a specified period of time.

Contribute actively to the training programme for Foundation Year Doctors/SHOs/Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine and Public Health Specialist Trainees as appropriate, and to the training of practitioners and primary care professionals within the locality.

Pursue a programme of CPD/CME, in accordance with 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 Register or other specialist register as appropriate.

In delivering the strategic objectives of this post, the postholder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in the full range of relevant competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health (set out later in this Job Description). 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, he/she 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.

Qualifications

Essential

• - Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List/UK Voluntary Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists
• 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 medicine practice
• Public health specialist registrar and specialist trainee applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in dental public health/UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview ; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC/GDC/UKPHR specialist registers
• - 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
• - Masters in Public Health, or equivalent qualifications and experience

Experience

Essential

• Leadership in complex systems, preferably local government, health & care or similar
• Project management
• Staff management and training
• Practical experience in facilitating change, including delivery of successful change management programmes across organisational boundaries
• Budget management
• Training and mentoring
• Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences
• Understanding and presenting scientific reports at conferences, , facilitation of workshops and seminars etc
• Media experience understanding effective health behaviour or health promotion messages as well as common pitfalls

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Skills
• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational nous
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (including messages for the media)
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Able to lead, manage and respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• Good presentational skills (oral and written)
• Negotiation skills with practical expectation of what can be achieved
• Able to motivate organisations to contribute to improving the publics health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources
• Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data, including health economics
• Computer literate
• Able to design, develop, interpret and implement strategies and policies
• Resource management skills
• Knowledge
• High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation.
• In depth understanding of local government, the health and care system and the relationships with both local and national government
• Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health)
• In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluations and evidence based public health practice
• Understanding of social and political environment

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).