Job summary
The government has announced new funding to support current smokers to quit smoking, with £70 million additional funding per year for local authority-led stop smoking services (SSS) and support.
West Sussex County Council Public Health (WSCC PH) will be receiving approximately £1.075 million for 2024/25, ring-fenced for smoking cessation. Although the exact amount for each subsequent year is yet to be determined, this funding will continue until 2028/29.
We are seeking multiple Public Health Team Leads to develop and support a team of Smoking Cessation Practitioners, who will be providing smoking cessation support in a range of different ways, including telephone support and face to face support in a variety of venues including community settings and workplaces across West Sussex.
As a Public Health Team Lead for the Smoking Cessation Service, you will support the team meet the delivery requirement from the initial referral right through to completion of the programme.
The team will be providing behavioural support and either the direct supply or facilitation of medications to support quit attempts. You will ensure the effective and efficient management of the team and work to support the Service Manager and Tobacco Control Lead to develop the new in-house service to reduce the prevalence of smoking in West Sussex.
Main duties of the job
What are we looking for?
- You will have demonstrable leadership skills and flexible and adaptable leadership style.
- You will be responsible for all operational activities supporting the team to deliver in their role, in addition to supporting the development.
- You will have an in-depth understanding of smoking cessation delivery, and be competent in delivering smoking cessation interventions at NCSCT practitioner level.
- You will be able to successfully manage delivery methods in smoking cessation including best practice behaviour change approaches and pharmacotherapy delivery.
- of the service and embedding smoking cessation within certain communities.
- You will be expected to use your initiative to make informed decisions when unanticipated problems are presented, for example providing your team guidance on treatment options.
- You will be capable of effective staff management, performance and development and confident in working to support the activities of the Service Manager and Tobacco Control Lead and associated team.
About us
As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide an great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential,
have access to a range of benefits including:
- an excellentlocal government pension scheme
- generous holiday entitlement of27days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
- arange of flexible working options, depending on your job role
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of managing a team delivering community-based support, ideally smoking cessation or behaviour change focused (e.g. alcohol, healthy weight, mental health, smoking etc).
- In-depth understanding of the needs of people with a higher prevalence of smoking e.g., drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, prison leavers, probation, pregnant women. Knowledge of the wider determinants of health, how they can impact individual health and how to engage people with support to address these, successfully applying effective community engagement principles.
- Practical experience/range of knowledge in providing behaviour change
- support, preferably with smoking cessation/nicotine dependence. Experience in delivering smoking cessation interventions and effective use of smoking cessation medications.
- Experience of managing safeguarding issues.
- Experience of monitoring and improving staff performance, including skills and training assessments, staff supervision and implementing and supporting service level and individual development plans. Experience of facilitating training for internal and external staff
Desirable
- Ability to provide smoking cessation training
- Have experience or interest in working within Public Health
Key Skills
Essential
- Key Skills:
- 1. Skilled and experienced in leading a team, including supporting individuals to develop within their role and, if required, managing performance.
- 2. Developed communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact
- effectively with a range of clients/stakeholders, create and maintain effective working relationships, and provide information clearly in writing and verbally.
- 3. Ability to organise, prioritise plan and meet set targets and deadlines for yourself and your team, and to support your team work efficiently and effectively in managing their caseloads.
- 4. Excellent partnership working skills with the ability to work collaboratively with key partner health and community organisations to improve access to the service and embed effective referral pathways.
- 5. Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and making sound pragmatic decisions.
- 6. Strong IT skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams, and competent use of smoking cessation web-based applications, with ability to extract and analyse relevant data to monitor performance. Experience of caseload management systems would be advantageous.
Qualifications
Essential
- National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT) Smoking Cessation Accreditation including Practitioner Training including VBA+, Mental Health, Stop Smoking Medications, Vaping, Swap to Stop, VBA Smoking for Pregnant Women, VBA Second Hand Smoke and VBA+ Homeless Services.
Desirable
- Qualified, competent Smoking Cessation Practitioner at NCSCT Specialist
- Practitioner Level
- Team Lead qualification (Level 5) or Management Qualification (Level 6
- upwards)
- BTEC, HND or Degree or equivalent professional qualification in a relevant
- field, e.g. public health, health promotion, social care and/or motivational
- interviewing
- Willingness to work towards Public Health Practitioner Registration
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of managing a team delivering community-based support, ideally smoking cessation or behaviour change focused (e.g. alcohol, healthy weight, mental health, smoking etc).
- In-depth understanding of the needs of people with a higher prevalence of smoking e.g., drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, prison leavers, probation, pregnant women. Knowledge of the wider determinants of health, how they can impact individual health and how to engage people with support to address these, successfully applying effective community engagement principles.
- Practical experience/range of knowledge in providing behaviour change
- support, preferably with smoking cessation/nicotine dependence. Experience in delivering smoking cessation interventions and effective use of smoking cessation medications.
- Experience of managing safeguarding issues.
- Experience of monitoring and improving staff performance, including skills and training assessments, staff supervision and implementing and supporting service level and individual development plans. Experience of facilitating training for internal and external staff
Desirable
- Ability to provide smoking cessation training
- Have experience or interest in working within Public Health
Key Skills
Essential
- Key Skills:
- 1. Skilled and experienced in leading a team, including supporting individuals to develop within their role and, if required, managing performance.
- 2. Developed communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact
- effectively with a range of clients/stakeholders, create and maintain effective working relationships, and provide information clearly in writing and verbally.
- 3. Ability to organise, prioritise plan and meet set targets and deadlines for yourself and your team, and to support your team work efficiently and effectively in managing their caseloads.
- 4. Excellent partnership working skills with the ability to work collaboratively with key partner health and community organisations to improve access to the service and embed effective referral pathways.
- 5. Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and making sound pragmatic decisions.
- 6. Strong IT skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams, and competent use of smoking cessation web-based applications, with ability to extract and analyse relevant data to monitor performance. Experience of caseload management systems would be advantageous.
Qualifications
Essential
- National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT) Smoking Cessation Accreditation including Practitioner Training including VBA+, Mental Health, Stop Smoking Medications, Vaping, Swap to Stop, VBA Smoking for Pregnant Women, VBA Second Hand Smoke and VBA+ Homeless Services.
Desirable
- Qualified, competent Smoking Cessation Practitioner at NCSCT Specialist
- Practitioner Level
- Team Lead qualification (Level 5) or Management Qualification (Level 6
- upwards)
- BTEC, HND or Degree or equivalent professional qualification in a relevant
- field, e.g. public health, health promotion, social care and/or motivational
- interviewing
- Willingness to work towards Public Health Practitioner Registration
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.
