Consultant in Health Protection

Job responsibilities

RESPONSE1. Will be expected, when required, to assume overall responsibility for the management of incidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases, lead the local Health Protection team response to non-infectious environmental hazards and chemical incidents and assume overall responsibility for the day to day running of the acute response function.2. To utilise an evidence-based approach to manage clinical/professional advice and discussions within the team and support and participate in the teams formal case review process.3. To ensure the monitoring of standards, ensuring quality and consistency and to take action where any shortfall occurs.4. May be responsible for any ongoing longer-term management of issues relevant to a defined geography area within their area.5. May perform Proper Officer duties in relation to Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2010 as agreed with Local Authorities.6. Will be expected to contribute, and where required, lead the UKHSA response during incidents in line with UKHSAs Emergency Planning Resilience and Response (EPRR) arrangements as part of the regions responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act.7. Will contribute, support and where necessary lead the UKHSA regional centre input into Emergency Planning arrangements.8. May be required to participate in an on call rota at local, regional or national level as required.

SURVEILLANCE1. Contribute strategically to the development and maintenance of effective systems for the surveillance of communicable disease and environmental hazards.2. Proactively use surveillance outputs to inform and influence local and national Public Health actions, policies and strategies.3. Lead, plan and design agreed initiatives to address health needs, health inequalities and health impact assessment, with a particular focus on health protection

PARTNERSHIP WORKING1. Take a lead in the proactive development and contribution to key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders and take responsibility for the maintenance of professional networks relevant to role.2. Influence, and where appropriate, lead the development and implementation of system wide priorities and programmes for public health action or improvement.3. Employ highly effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills to enable stakeholder relationships to deliver objectives with:a. External organisations and wider NHS stakeholders to ensure collaboration in the strategy in the Sectorb. Internal leaders and staff to gain input to the development of systems, processes and activities4. Deal with complex and conflicting subject matter problems or in day work load in workshops, meetings, one to one communications and other events, comprising various parts of the organisation.5. Contribute actively to the development and implementation of system wide priorities and programmes for public health action or improvement.

RESEARCH, TEACHING AND TRAINING1. Contribute to research activity to complement the health protection evidence base and where agreed, to lead research projects.2. Deliver appropriate teaching activities across a range of audiences.3. Contribute to training programmes (including supervision) for Foundation Year Doctors and Specialist Trainees in the Faculty of Public Health training scheme as appropriate, and to the training of health and care professionals and practitioners within the locality.4. Ensure appropriate clinical supervision and mentorship systems are in place for staff within scope of responsibility.5. Provide clinical/professional supervision and mentorship as appropriate.

Please refer to the Job Description for further explanation on responsibilities for this role.

External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Competency (these are set out by the FPH)

At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) 1500 word Statement of SuitabilityThis should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible)

Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1500

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

Only those that meet all essential criteria will be taken through to sift.

In the event of large number of applicants meeting essential criteria, desirable criteria will be used.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview stage (competency based):

You will be invited to a face to face interview.

This vacancy is being assessed using core competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health. During the interview we will assess against the below:

• Knowledge
• Experience
• Skills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be what do you think are the main health protection issues in the South East and how will you work to address these.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

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).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.

Additional Information

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our office in Horsham or Ashford. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at our office.

Salary InformationIf you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Security Clearance

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Qualifications

Essential

• Score Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register or UK Public Health (Specialist) Register (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 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 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, or MRCPath, or MRCP MFPH by examination or evidence of equivalent qualification; FRC Path or evidence of equivalent qualification; MRCP or evidence of equivalent qualification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• 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

• 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, etc

Skills and capabilities

Essential

• 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

• 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

• Score Strong commitment to public health principles
• 5 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

• 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

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).