Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Consultant in Public Health

The closing date is 03 October 2025

Job summary

You'll be joining our Improvement Team which consists of a variety of specialisms including Quality Improvement, Project Management, Data Science and Clinical Transformation. The Team is highly ambitious, friendly and has both a national and international reputation as a centre of excellence for delivering improvement in healthcare.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant would join our Clinical Transformation Team and focus on the development of and driving forward the implementation of the Clinical Care and Support strategy for the Trust with a particular focus on Population Health.

Working in conjunction with a wide variety of colleagues including the Medical and Operational Leadership Teams, Executive sponsors, local authority and wider system partners you will be using your expertise to support.

In delivering the strategic objectives the post-holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in the full range of relevant competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health (see Appendix 1). This includes evaluation techniques, policy analysis and translation and ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders. 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 Clinical Strategy to meet the needs of and improve the health of the Somerset population.

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

  • Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
  • NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
  • Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
  • A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Details

Date posted

12 September 2025

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£91,342 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

184-OL-PU-3186

Job locations

Musgrove Park Hospital

Musgrove Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 5DA


Job description

Job responsibilities

Working in conjunction with a wide variety of colleagues including the Medical and Operational Leadership Teams, Executive sponsors, local authority and wider system partners you will be using your expertise to support and in some cases lead on:

Developing public health expertise and understanding across the organisation in collaboration with organisational development and other colleagues

Configuring the Trust's services to address population needs, maximise health improvement opportunities and the reduction of inequalities in health outcomes amongst residents, both currently and for future generations.

Utilising (and if appropriate developing) information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines and organisations. This may include providing leadership for collation and interpretation of relevant data. Working with the DPH, this will include the integration of the appropriate elements of the public health, NHS and social care outcomes frameworks within the systems developed.

Building the case for prioritising a reduction in health inequalities across the Trust, investing in the prevention agenda, and developing supporting governance

Supporting the Digital Team to maximise the impact of the impending EPR to reduce health inequalities and support population health.

Defining the role of the Trust in preventing ill health and supporting the development of programmes to deliver this

Engaging with patients and residents in the design and delivery of services, ensuring services are shaped around the needs of patients where possible

Networking with other partners nationally and regionally to ensure shared learning and improve the reputation of the Trust with regards to population health

Working with Somerset Public Health teams and Local Care Organisations to understand their approaches, inform priority setting, and make effective links between these and SFT services and staff

Development and maintenance of a strong interface with senior leaders within the Trust to ensure synergy between the corporate agenda and Population Health, identifying opportunities for implementing new ways of working or ways of improving services

Taking responsibility for 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.

Providing briefings on the health and wellbeing needs of local communities

Supporting the development, implementation and delivery of policies. This may include taking the lead in developing detailed inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes based on needs assessments which may lead to service specifications.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Working in conjunction with a wide variety of colleagues including the Medical and Operational Leadership Teams, Executive sponsors, local authority and wider system partners you will be using your expertise to support and in some cases lead on:

Developing public health expertise and understanding across the organisation in collaboration with organisational development and other colleagues

Configuring the Trust's services to address population needs, maximise health improvement opportunities and the reduction of inequalities in health outcomes amongst residents, both currently and for future generations.

Utilising (and if appropriate developing) information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines and organisations. This may include providing leadership for collation and interpretation of relevant data. Working with the DPH, this will include the integration of the appropriate elements of the public health, NHS and social care outcomes frameworks within the systems developed.

Building the case for prioritising a reduction in health inequalities across the Trust, investing in the prevention agenda, and developing supporting governance

Supporting the Digital Team to maximise the impact of the impending EPR to reduce health inequalities and support population health.

Defining the role of the Trust in preventing ill health and supporting the development of programmes to deliver this

Engaging with patients and residents in the design and delivery of services, ensuring services are shaped around the needs of patients where possible

Networking with other partners nationally and regionally to ensure shared learning and improve the reputation of the Trust with regards to population health

Working with Somerset Public Health teams and Local Care Organisations to understand their approaches, inform priority setting, and make effective links between these and SFT services and staff

Development and maintenance of a strong interface with senior leaders within the Trust to ensure synergy between the corporate agenda and Population Health, identifying opportunities for implementing new ways of working or ways of improving services

Taking responsibility for 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.

Providing briefings on the health and wellbeing needs of local communities

Supporting the development, implementation and delivery of policies. This may include taking the lead in developing detailed inter-agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes based on needs assessments which may lead to service specifications.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 (legislation.gov.uk)
  • In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists at the point of application.
  • 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.
  • Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register 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.
  • 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, or equivalent

Desirable

  • Masters in Public Health or equivalent

Experience

Essential

  • Delivery of successful change management programmes across organisational boundaries.
  • Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences.

Desirable

  • Media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health promotion messages.

Additional Criteria

Essential

  • Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational nous.
  • Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public's health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources.
  • Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances.
  • Analytical skills able to utilize both qualitative including health economics and quantitative information .
  • Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement strategies and policies.
  • In-depth understanding of health and care system and relationships with both local & national government.
  • 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.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 (legislation.gov.uk)
  • In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists at the point of application.
  • 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.
  • Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register 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.
  • 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, or equivalent

Desirable

  • Masters in Public Health or equivalent

Experience

Essential

  • Delivery of successful change management programmes across organisational boundaries.
  • Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences.

Desirable

  • Media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health promotion messages.

Additional Criteria

Essential

  • Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational nous.
  • Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public's health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources.
  • Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances.
  • Analytical skills able to utilize both qualitative including health economics and quantitative information .
  • Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement strategies and policies.
  • In-depth understanding of health and care system and relationships with both local & national government.
  • 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.

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

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Musgrove Park Hospital

Musgrove Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 5DA


Employer's website

https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Musgrove Park Hospital

Musgrove Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 5DA


Employer's website

https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Hiring Manager

Gregory Cobb

Gregory.Cobb@SomersetFT.nhs.uk

07779222616

Details

Date posted

12 September 2025

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Consultant

Salary

£91,342 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

184-OL-PU-3186

Job locations

Musgrove Park Hospital

Musgrove Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 5DA


Supporting documents

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