Isle of Wight Council

Consultant in Public Health

The closing date is 08 June 2025

Job summary

We are launching a brand-new Public Health team, moving away from our current partnership with Hampshire County Council. Our aim is to bring deeper focus to the unique challenges facing our Island community, with specific initiatives and programmes that align with our residents and tourists.

Main duties of the job

There will be a clear focus on the communities at the heart of our Island and how we build capability and independence, tackle health inequalities, improve outcomes for children and create healthy environments through a community centred approach to health and wellbeing.

These are strategic systems leadership posts for the Island, which has a unique set of challenges and opportunities. The roles offer career growth and progression, leading work on health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health with a real community focus and support the development of the Islands public health workforce.

We are able to offer the consultant role on a reduced hours basis, if preferred, for one or both successful applicants.

The arrangement of portfolios will be adapted for the right candidate, reflecting their knowledge and skills and are to be agreed.

Each consultant will take a significant leadership role across the Council and team and will also be outward facing providing public health leadership across the integrated care partnership for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, NHS services, primary care, criminal justice, town and parish councils, and voluntary and community sector partners.

Applicants will meet the qualification and professional registration requirements for the role.

There will be a need to work on the Island to build relationships and attend face to face meetings at least two to four times a month, and to attend meetings in the southeast of England.

About us

We are a highly supportive team with staff with a focus on learning and development and strive to enable staff to develop within the team.

This role offers an exciting career opportunity in the Isle of Wight Council, located in the Southeast of England, serving a resident population of approximately 143,000.

You will be a key part of the team with support from Public Health principals, practitioners, analysts, and administrators. In addition, the team works closely with colleagues based in the emergency planning, communications, HR and learning and development teams through matrix working with the public health team.

Isle of Wights Public Health team works from County Hall in Newport, Isle of Wight accessible from Portsmouth, Southampton and the New Forest via ferries with negotiated fares for IWC staff.

We support agile and hybrid working using online technology. We also support flexible working where possible.

Details

Date posted

28 May 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£75,099 to £80,992 a year Grade 16

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working

Reference number

F0125-20251353

Job locations

Isle Of Wight Council

High Street

Newport

Isle Of Wight

PO301UD


Job description

Job responsibilities

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

The post-holder will take responsibility for a strategic objective of the Council and the Health and Wellbeing Board and act as a change agent to enable delivery of relevant outcome indicators from the public health, NHS and social care outcome frameworks.

The post-holder will be expected to lead across organisations, be able to influence budgets held by those organisations as well as advocate for change effectively, to improve population and planetary health.

The post-holder will deal with complex public health issues, provide public health advice and leadership to other system partners, and provide strategic input to inform public health and wider system commissioned decisions.

They will provide leadership of the public health team and take a creative and flexible attitude to changes in roles and function according to population and business need.

A formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and the line manager (the Director of Public Health) three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter.

Strategic Public Health Leadership Provide strategic leadership and management for the Council, deputising for the Director of Public Health and promoting cross-council solutions to deliver the Councils public health outcomes for their communities.

Leading a range of public health issues and work across organisational and professional boundaries acting as a change agent managing complexity to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing and influencing work to others outside of public health such as council colleagues and the NHS.

Lead on a number of complex programmes commissioning services (drugs and alcohol., Sexual Health, Domestic Abuse, Behavioural risk factors and oversight of screening and immunisation programmes) with over 300 staff.

Providing briefings on the health and wellbeing needs of local communities to Councillors, Council. Strategically leading the development, implementation and delivery of complex public health policies and programmes across the system.

This will include taking the lead in developing specialist detailed inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes based on needs assessments which may lead to service specifications (and supported by the Strategic Manager).

The post-holder will be expected to lead the appropriate to the procurement process.

Providing expert public health support and whole system leadership to ensure an evidence-based approach for commissioning and developing high quality equitable services, within and across a range of organisations including voluntary, public and private sector. This includes the health service component of the mandated core service. This will include expertise in evaluation and development of appropriate KPIs. Leading and developing information and intelligence systems to underpin and inform public health action across disciplines and organisations. This includes providing leadership for collation and specialist interpretation of relevant data including strategic leadership and direction of the JSNA, PNA and the statutory Public Health Annual report.

Leading on behalf of the Director of Public Health, this will include leading integration of the appropriate elements of the public health, NHS and social care outcomes frameworks within the systems developed by the local authority as well as with relevant partner organisations.

Lead in the development and implementation of robust strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of local communities including ensuring qualitative and quantitative measurements are in place to demonstrate improvements. This may include taking responsibility for the judicious use of the ring-fenced public health grant and working with ICSs, Trusts, the contractor professions, OHID, NHS England, and UKHSA.

Providing the key local authority link to the research community, providing advice and support to colleagues and co-ordinating appropriate access to scientific information. The post-holder will be expected to take part in relevant research networks and to influence research programmes of such networks so that the research needs of the local authority are considered.

Taking responsibility for leading the training obligations of the public health team, including becoming the Educational Supervisor. These duties will be agreed jointly with the relevant Head of the School of Public Health.

Service Management To provide highly effective leadership and management to the public health team and commissioned public health and clinical services ensuring a positive impact across both partners and communities.

Ensure the development of staff and embed a culture of continuous improvement to maintain efficiency and maximise public health outcomes. To undertake all aspects of strategic service planning and delivery in line with the organisational and directorate objectives including financial and workforce planning, policy development, and process / system improvement.

Ensure best practice is adopted throughout the service. To be accountable for ensuring the delivery of all service outcomes under their portfolio and performance targets for areas of responsibility. This will include system accountability for the relevant portfolio also.

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

The post-holder will take responsibility for a strategic objective of the Council and the Health and Wellbeing Board and act as a change agent to enable delivery of relevant outcome indicators from the public health, NHS and social care outcome frameworks.

The post-holder will be expected to lead across organisations, be able to influence budgets held by those organisations as well as advocate for change effectively, to improve population and planetary health.

The post-holder will deal with complex public health issues, provide public health advice and leadership to other system partners, and provide strategic input to inform public health and wider system commissioned decisions.

They will provide leadership of the public health team and take a creative and flexible attitude to changes in roles and function according to population and business need.

A formal job plan will be agreed between the post holder and the line manager (the Director of Public Health) three months after commencing the post and at least annually thereafter.

Strategic Public Health Leadership Provide strategic leadership and management for the Council, deputising for the Director of Public Health and promoting cross-council solutions to deliver the Councils public health outcomes for their communities.

Leading a range of public health issues and work across organisational and professional boundaries acting as a change agent managing complexity to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing and influencing work to others outside of public health such as council colleagues and the NHS.

Lead on a number of complex programmes commissioning services (drugs and alcohol., Sexual Health, Domestic Abuse, Behavioural risk factors and oversight of screening and immunisation programmes) with over 300 staff.

Providing briefings on the health and wellbeing needs of local communities to Councillors, Council. Strategically leading the development, implementation and delivery of complex public health policies and programmes across the system.

This will include taking the lead in developing specialist detailed inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes based on needs assessments which may lead to service specifications (and supported by the Strategic Manager).

The post-holder will be expected to lead the appropriate to the procurement process.

Providing expert public health support and whole system leadership to ensure an evidence-based approach for commissioning and developing high quality equitable services, within and across a range of organisations including voluntary, public and private sector. This includes the health service component of the mandated core service. This will include expertise in evaluation and development of appropriate KPIs. Leading and developing information and intelligence systems to underpin and inform public health action across disciplines and organisations. This includes providing leadership for collation and specialist interpretation of relevant data including strategic leadership and direction of the JSNA, PNA and the statutory Public Health Annual report.

Leading on behalf of the Director of Public Health, this will include leading integration of the appropriate elements of the public health, NHS and social care outcomes frameworks within the systems developed by the local authority as well as with relevant partner organisations.

Lead in the development and implementation of robust strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of local communities including ensuring qualitative and quantitative measurements are in place to demonstrate improvements. This may include taking responsibility for the judicious use of the ring-fenced public health grant and working with ICSs, Trusts, the contractor professions, OHID, NHS England, and UKHSA.

Providing the key local authority link to the research community, providing advice and support to colleagues and co-ordinating appropriate access to scientific information. The post-holder will be expected to take part in relevant research networks and to influence research programmes of such networks so that the research needs of the local authority are considered.

Taking responsibility for leading the training obligations of the public health team, including becoming the Educational Supervisor. These duties will be agreed jointly with the relevant Head of the School of Public Health.

Service Management To provide highly effective leadership and management to the public health team and commissioned public health and clinical services ensuring a positive impact across both partners and communities.

Ensure the development of staff and embed a culture of continuous improvement to maintain efficiency and maximise public health outcomes. To undertake all aspects of strategic service planning and delivery in line with the organisational and directorate objectives including financial and workforce planning, policy development, and process / system improvement.

Ensure best practice is adopted throughout the service. To be accountable for ensuring the delivery of all service outcomes under their portfolio and performance targets for areas of responsibility. This will include system accountability for the relevant portfolio also.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of ability to initiate and lead a complex strategic public health programme of activities that assist the council in the delivery of agreed corporate priorities involving a range of partners.
  • Experience of implementing effective complex and robust governance approaches which secure successful delivery of public health outcomes both with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Ability to analyse and interpret both qualitative (including health economics) and quantitative information to inform service planning and effective decision making and strategic review of service
  • provisions.
  • Proven ability to deliver programmes that support complex service delivery with expert and technical knowledge and
  • experience.
  • Significant programme management experience and operational project mobilisation and execution experience to establish constructive working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
  • Experience of commissioning, procurement and contract management of suppliers within a local government public health environment.
  • High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics, and health care evaluation In depth understanding of the health and care system and the relationships with both local national government and an understanding of the social and political environment in which the role operates.
  • In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluations and evidence based public health practice
  • Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health)
  • Evidence of meeting minimum CPD
  • requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
  • Good understanding of the emerging health and care integration agenda and requirements for successful delivery through coordinated public sector service delivery arrangements and external
  • influences

Qualifications

Essential

  • MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment, or equivalent
  • 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.
  • Public health specialty registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register, UKPHR register or GDC Specialist List in dental public health 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
  • Enhanced DBS check
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of ability to initiate and lead a complex strategic public health programme of activities that assist the council in the delivery of agreed corporate priorities involving a range of partners.
  • Experience of implementing effective complex and robust governance approaches which secure successful delivery of public health outcomes both with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Ability to analyse and interpret both qualitative (including health economics) and quantitative information to inform service planning and effective decision making and strategic review of service
  • provisions.
  • Proven ability to deliver programmes that support complex service delivery with expert and technical knowledge and
  • experience.
  • Significant programme management experience and operational project mobilisation and execution experience to establish constructive working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
  • Experience of commissioning, procurement and contract management of suppliers within a local government public health environment.
  • High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics, and health care evaluation In depth understanding of the health and care system and the relationships with both local national government and an understanding of the social and political environment in which the role operates.
  • In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluations and evidence based public health practice
  • Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health)
  • Evidence of meeting minimum CPD
  • requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
  • Good understanding of the emerging health and care integration agenda and requirements for successful delivery through coordinated public sector service delivery arrangements and external
  • influences

Qualifications

Essential

  • MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment, or equivalent
  • 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.
  • Public health specialty registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register, UKPHR register or GDC Specialist List in dental public health 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
  • Enhanced DBS check

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.

UK Registration

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

Additional information

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.

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name

Isle of Wight Council

Address

Isle Of Wight Council

High Street

Newport

Isle Of Wight

PO301UD


Employer's website

https://www.iow.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Isle of Wight Council

Address

Isle Of Wight Council

High Street

Newport

Isle Of Wight

PO301UD


Employer's website

https://www.iow.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Director of Public Health

Simon Bryant

Wendy.Strickland-Lord@hants.gov.uk

Details

Date posted

28 May 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£75,099 to £80,992 a year Grade 16

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working

Reference number

F0125-20251353

Job locations

Isle Of Wight Council

High Street

Newport

Isle Of Wight

PO301UD


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Isle of Wight Council's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)