Job summary
Employer heading
Consultant in Health Protection
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant or AfC Band 8d
Job overview
A senior role within the Health Protection Team (HPT) providing leadership, management and oversight of the HP function, including the response to incidents and outbreaks and responsibility for the day-to-day operational delivery.
The post holder will play a key role in developing, shaping and assuring the HP function, which may include managing individuals and teams, working closely with partners, and ensuring delivery of high-quality surveillance, response and support systems. The postholder will have responsibility for developing and maintaining close working relationships both internally and with partner organisations. In addition, they will contribute to and lead on regional and national priorities, including contribution to wider public health initiatives consistent with the regional delivery model and integrated working.
Main duties of the job
Working in close partnership with local authorities and the NHS, the post holder will have operational responsibility for the provision of a safe and effective HP service delivering to high quality standards responsive to the needs of the local community and UKHSA as partners in the local public health systems.
Sharing the responsibility with the other consultants as well as HP practitioners, for dealing with the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and the response to non-communicable environmental hazards. Contributing to the investigation and management of a full range of health protection incidents carrying out surveillance, co-ordination & monitoring of local implementation of certain key national programmes.
The post is subject to the core competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health for Consultant appointments and the post holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in all of them. Refer to Appendix A of the Job Description.
Working for our organisation
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key working areas include:
Response - management of incidents, clusters and outbreaks of infectious diseases or environmental hazards; contribute, and/or lead the UKHSA response during incidents in line with Emergency Planning Resilience and Response (EPRR), both in and out of hours.
Surveillance - Contribute strategically to the development and maintenance of effective systems for the surveillance of communicable disease and environmental hazards
Partnership Working - proactive development and contribution to key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders both internal and external
Research, Teaching & Training - contributing to research activity and training programmes and providing clinical supervision where appropriate
Management & Leadership - To be a visible, positive leader and role model.
Personal & Professional Development - Continuing own Professional Development and that of others
You must demonstrate how you meet the full list of duties and responsibilities which can be found in the job description.
Selection Process Details;
STAGE 1 – Application & Sift:
This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the person specification. You will be required to complete an application form. You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This will be assessed in line with the advertised criteria.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a detailed personal statement / statement of suitability (max 1500 words) based on the essential criteria advertised. This should outline how you consider your skills, knowledge and experience meet the selection requirements. It should provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the person specification criteria outlined.
Applicants are strongly advised to use the person specification section as sub-headings in the application to make it clear how you meet each of the selection criteria.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview and assessment
STAGE 2 – Interview
All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will progress to an interview and will be assessed on the essential criteria as advertised. A presentation will form part of this assessment.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
Open to external
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.
Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview).
If included in the GMC Specialist Register/ in a specialty other than public health medicine, 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 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.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register or UK Public Health (Special Inclusion in the GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) 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/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice
- Public health specialist registrar and specialist trainee applicants who are not yet on the GMC Register/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/UKPHR 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 the Faculty of Public Health/Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment, or equivalent
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum 6 months experience in Health Protection practice
- Practical experience in leading and facilitating change
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, audit, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services
- Understanding of clinical infectious diseases services
- Understanding of clinical toxicology services
- Understanding of the principles of radiological protection
Desirable criteria
- Experience of budget management and financial processes
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards / chemical incidents
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Peer reviewed scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars
- Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice
Skills and capabilities
Essential criteria
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills, including management of change
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can communicate with people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Project management
- Understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the public and the media)
- 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
- Computer literate
- Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
- Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource management skills
Desirable criteria
- People management and training
- Training and mentoring
- Have an awareness of and be working towards the key core competencies set out in Civil Service Competency Framework 2010-2017 and KSF for those on AfC terms and conditions
Behaviours and Attitudes
Essential criteria
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Commitment to team-working and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Equality and diversity
Essential criteria
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Bayad Nozad
- Job title
- Lead Consultant (South West)
- Email address
- [email protected]
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