Job summary
This vacancy presents an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Epidemiologist to join the UKHSA Field Service East of England.
At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
The Field Services Directorate (FSD) was established to provide a national comprehensive service which is geographically dispersed and integrates epidemiological, microbiological, infectious diseases and data sciences capacity and skills delivering surveillance and outbreak investigations consistently of the highest quality.
As a member of the Field Service, the post-holder will contribute to the national UKHSA surveillance, epidemiology and outbreak control function, supported by information, administrative, and scientific staff within the local East of England team and the wider national Field Service
Main duties of the job
In delivering these responsibilities, the post holder will be expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty competencies set out in appendix 1 and to meet the person specifications.
- the consultant will take a lead role in the daily reactive on-call service with Scientists, Information Officers, Epidemiology Fellows, Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine / Specialist Trainees and administration team.
- the consultant will be expected to lead and complete major incidents or outbreaks across the team locality and national incidents where required
- to provide epidemiological advice and support to regional deputy directors of health protection, consultants in health protection, directors of public health and others involved in the control of communicable disease and infection and the management of regional and national incidents/outbreaks
- to undertake the surveillance of communicable disease and infection, both in hospitals and the wider community, at local and national level where required, to ensure that timely and accurate information is available to those involved in the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and infection at local, regional and national levels
- other duties as agreed by negotiation between the post holder and the deputy director of the field service.
About us
At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.
Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide field services, as a member of the Field Service and supported by information, administrative, and scientific staff within the local team and throughout the national Field Service. The post-holder will also contribute to the national UKHSA surveillance, epidemiology and outbreak control function.
The key elements of the service are:
- surveillance of infectious disease and health effects from exposure to environmental hazards
- advice and support to the Directors of Public Health, Regional Deputy Directors of Health Protection and other public health & NHS staff on health protection issues
- advice and support to professionals on communicable disease control and outbreaks including provision of a field service
- promotion of professional standards including training, research and audit
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.
The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide field services, as a member of the Field Service and supported by information, administrative, and scientific staff within the local team and throughout the national Field Service. The post-holder will also contribute to the national UKHSA surveillance, epidemiology and outbreak control function.
The key elements of the service are:
- surveillance of infectious disease and health effects from exposure to environmental hazards
- advice and support to the Directors of Public Health, Regional Deputy Directors of Health Protection and other public health & NHS staff on health protection issues
- advice and support to professionals on communicable disease control and outbreaks including provision of a field service
- promotion of professional standards including training, research and audit
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.
The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine/or medical microbiology practice
- Public health specialty registrar 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 [see shortlisting notes below for additional guidance]
- If an applicant is UK trained, 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
- Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of Faculty of Public Health/ Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination (or exemption or assessment) or equivalent MRCPath or MRCP
Personal qualities
Essential
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can handle people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Experience
Essential
- Significant strategic experience of leadership for public health
- Staff management and training
- Practical experience in facilitating change
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Experience in the application of epidemiological methods such as case-control and cohort studies to investigate public health problems
Desirable
- Scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc
Skills
Essential
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
- Proven excellent oral and written communication skills (including presentation skills and dealing with the media)
- Proven and effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
- Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
- Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
- Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
- Ability to apply epidemiological methods and statistics
- Resource and staff management skills
- Project Management skills
- Budget management skills
Desirable
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Training and mentoring skills
Knowledge
Essential
- High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation.
- Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of interfaces between health and social care
- An understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their applications to public health practice
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services, clinical infectious diseases services and clinical toxicology services
Desirable
- Knowledge of grant development and research methodology
Equality and diversity
Essential
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine/or medical microbiology practice
- Public health specialty registrar 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 [see shortlisting notes below for additional guidance]
- If an applicant is UK trained, 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
- Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of Faculty of Public Health/ Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination (or exemption or assessment) or equivalent MRCPath or MRCP
Personal qualities
Essential
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can handle people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Experience
Essential
- Significant strategic experience of leadership for public health
- Staff management and training
- Practical experience in facilitating change
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Experience in the application of epidemiological methods such as case-control and cohort studies to investigate public health problems
Desirable
- Scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc
Skills
Essential
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
- Proven excellent oral and written communication skills (including presentation skills and dealing with the media)
- Proven and effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
- Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
- Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
- Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
- Ability to apply epidemiological methods and statistics
- Resource and staff management skills
- Project Management skills
- Budget management skills
Desirable
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Training and mentoring skills
Knowledge
Essential
- High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation.
- Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of interfaces between health and social care
- An understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their applications to public health practice
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services, clinical infectious diseases services and clinical toxicology services
Desirable
- Knowledge of grant development and research methodology
Equality and diversity
Essential
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems
Additional information
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).
