Job Description

Job info	Job info details
Job title	Director of Public Health
Strategic team/Directorate	Public Health
Service	Public Health
Business unit	Public Health
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Chief Executive
Accountable to (line manager)	Chief Executive
Salary grade	£110,000 to £114,999

1. Key purpose of job

The Director of Public Health is the system leader for improving the health and wellbeing of residents, reducing inequalities in health outcomes and protecting local communities from public health hazards (infectious diseases and environmental threats). As such, the Director of Public Health is a statutory chief officer of the authority and the principal adviser on all health matters to elected members, officers and partners, with a leadership role spanning health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health. Section 73A(1) of the NHS Act 2006, inserted by section 30 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, gives the Director of Public Health responsibility for:

all of their local authority’s duties to improve public health
any of the Secretary of State’s public health protection or health improvement functions that s/he delegates to local authorities, either by arrangement or under regulations – these include services mandated by regulations made under section 6C of the 2006 Act, inserted by section 18 of the 2012 Act
exercising their local authority’s functions in planning for, and responding to, emergencies that present a risk to public health
their local authority’s role in cooperating with the police, the probation service and the prison service to assess the risks posed by violent or sexual offenders
such other public health functions as the Secretary of State specifies in regulations
producing an independent annual report on the health of local communities

In order to deliver their responsibilities on behalf of the residents of Torbay the DPH will need to be a visible system leader in the health and wellbeing partnership arrangements. The DPH will be expected to use all the resources at their disposal to ensure that the local public health system is able to tackle the full range of determinants of health affecting communities in Torbay. Working with local communities, he/she should be able to inspire development of innovative solutions that support improvements in health and wellbeing and reduction in health inequalities whilst at the same time maintaining the confidence of Councillors and government.

The LA and the Public Health Department

The PH team in Torbay is one the smallest in the South-west so in order to be successful the DPH must be able to work as a systems leader using his/her skills to influence population health. To develop a comprehensive plan to address deprivation and inequalities, the DPH therefore needs highly developed influencing skills to achieve impact through collaborative working.

Partnership working forms a core component of the role and the DPH will need to work across council departments and work closely with both other public sector bodies and with community, voluntary and social enterprise sector. There is also a significant leadership role within the STP with the current DPH leading the Devon wide prevention programme and in rotation, the population Health management programme. Collaboration and shared commissioning across the 3 Devon Public Health teams is also an important component

Particular roles of the DPH include:

prevention lead and SRO within the Devon-wide STP
close working in respect of Domestic Abuse and Sexual violence and input into the community safety partnership
close working with Children’s services including an innovative 0-19 contact
close working with housing and homeless services including alliance contacting for those with Multiple Complex Needs
work across Health and planning
working with the Community sector in all areas to encourage small scale community resilience programmes including for mental health
working within the Governing body of the CCG and strategically within the Emerging Local Care Partnership
teaching of medical students
excellence in Public Health registrar training.

The fundamental purpose of the postholder is to provide the leadership to drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of the residents of Torbay, to reduce inequalities in health outcomes and working in collaboration with PHE to protect local communities from threats to their health through infectious diseases, environmental and other public health hazards. In delivering the key responsibilities described below, the postholder is expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty of Public Health Competencies and the person specifications.

support the Chief Executive and Councillors in developing and delivering the Council’s strategic agenda
be the chief officer and principal adviser on public health to the Council, local communities and local partners
operate strategically as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and across the Council influencing policy and practice.
to deliver commission, and or deliver services which are effective, value for money and meet quality standards.
to act as a leader across the local system of public services, influencing change and enabling a culture of continuous improvement in health and wellbeing, innovation and evaluation.
utilise the public health resources imaginatively and cost effectively across all domains of public health to improve health and wellbeing of local communities and reduce inequalities in health outcomes.
accountable for both the shaping and delivery of the Health and Wellbeing agenda taking account of the national agenda and benchmarking (using the national outcomes frameworks; public health, NHS and social care).
deliver an independent annual report on the health and wellbeing of local communities for publication by Torbay Council to stimulate debate and/or action by the Council and partners.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

Professional responsibilities will be reflected in the job plan. The Director of Public Health will be expected to:

participate in the organisation’s staff and professional appraisal scheme and ensure participation of all staff members.
ensure quality improvement (and clinical governance) programmes are an integral component of the public health approach in the Council.
contribute actively to the training programme for Foundation Year Doctors/Specialty Registrars in Public Health as appropriate, and to the training of practitioners and primary care professionals within the locality.
pursue a programme of CPD, in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements, or other recognised body, and undertake revalidation or other measures required to remain on the GMC/GDC Specialist Register with a license to practice or the UK Public Health (Specialist) Register or other specialist register as appropriate.
practise in accordance with all relevant sections of the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice (if medically qualified).
agree any external professional roles and the time required to deliver those roles with the Council. an

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

Strategic leadership

Delivery of a system to support surveillance, monitoring and evaluation of health and wellbeing and inequalities in health outcomes of local communities (including an easily accessible Joint Strategic Needs Assessment System)
Ensure all activity undertaken by the Council takes account of both, the need to reduce inequalities as well as the requirements of the Equality and Diversity Act.
To ensure scientific principles are applied to assessing need, exploring interventions and assessing progress of the Council’s strategic agenda.
Ensure as a core member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and in partnership with the wider Torbay Council, partners and the public, the development of plans to enable local communities become healthy, sustainable and cohesive
Ensure a programme of action (both within and outwith the Council) to impact on the wider determinants of health that will promote improvements in health and wellbeing of local communities and reduction in health inequalities.
Provide assurance that the health protection system for local communities is fit for purpose
To work closely with Directors responsible for people (children, vulnerable communities and older people) to ensure to develop, implement and maintain a “fit for purpose” integrated strategy which meets the needs of local communities and is cogent with the national approach.
Collaborate across organisational boundaries to ensure communities in Torbay benefit from population health and care programmes (development of sustainable transformation plans 2016-20).

Directorate specific accountabilities

To be an advocate for improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities
Exercise the statutory responsibilities including the delivery of the mandated services
To advise Torbay Council on its statutory and professional public health obligations.
Work with the PHE Centre and NHS England to ensure local communities are protected from infectious disease threats (including food and water borne disease, pandemics, etc) and environmental hazards
Ensure the development and delivery of a credible plan to improve health and wellbeing of communities in Torbay and reduce health inequalities.
Ensure that the Council has implemented its EPRR responsibilities and through Co-chairing of the Local Health resilience Forum, that partner organisations (PHE, NHS England and the CCGs) have delivered their EPRR responsibilities.
Work in partnership with CCGs and Directors of Social care to take responsibility for Population Health and Care; including oversight and promoting population coverage of immunisation and screening programmes
Provide public health advice (the core offer) to CCGs supporting the commissioning of appropriate, effective (based on evidence), and equitable health services.
Support the Health and Wellbeing Board to deliver its statutory duty to promote integration for the benefit of local communities
Collaborate across local authority boundaries to ensure residents of Torbay benefit from population health and care programmes (the Sustainable Transformation Plans which apply from 2016 to 2020).

Resource management

To be accountable for the budget including reporting on the use of the public health ring fenced grant.
To manage Council resources (People, property, information and finance) imaginatively and efficiently.
Manage public health staff and ensure that they are able to influence in such a way as to ensure health and wellbeing in its fullest sense is central to Torbay.

Commissioning

Ensure services for improving health and wellbeing of local communities are commissioned within the Council policy for procurement and monitoring system and are responsive to the needs of the communities in Torbay and over time.
To set the framework for standards for commissioning and delivery; including the promotion of innovative approaches and appropriate risk management systems which are responsive to performance challenges.
To ensure scientific principles of evaluation underpin all commissioning and delivery, of health and wellbeing services.

Advocacy

Develop a constructive relationship with the media and the public, within the context of the Council Communications policy.
To use the Faculty of Public Health, the LGA, the ADsPH, PHE and other channels to advocate for the public’s health.

As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

Manage the Public Health budget of circa £10m

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

Manage a team of 14 staff (including trainees) and will undertake the full range of line management duties for small number of direct reports.
Be expected to take part in on call arrangements for communicable disease control/health protection as appropriate depending on local arrangements
Ensure appropriate management and support for Specialty Registrars (in Public Health)

10. Other duties

Expected competencies

All public health consultants/specialists irrespective of their background are expected to be proficient in the competencies set out below:

Use of public health intelligence to survey and assess a population’s health and wellbeing
To be able to synthesise data into information about the surveillance or assessment of a population’s health and wellbeing from multiple sources that can be communicated clearly and inform action planning to improve population health outcomes.
Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of interventions, programmes and services intended to improve the health or wellbeing of individuals or populations
To be able to use a range of resources to generate and communicate appropriately evidenced and informed recommendations for improving population health across operational and strategic health and care settings.
Policy and strategy development and implementation
To influence and contribute to the development of policy and lead the development and implementation of a strategy.
Strategic leadership and collaborative working for health
To use a range of effective strategic leadership, organisational and management skills, in a variety of complex public health situations and contexts, dealing effectively with uncertainty and the unexpected to achieve public health goals.
Health Improvement, Determinants of Health, and Health Communication
To influence and act on the broad determinants and behaviours influencing health at a system, community and individual level.
Health Protection
To identify, assess and communicate risks associated with hazards relevant to health protection, and to lead and co-ordinate the appropriate public health response.
Health and Care Public Health
To be able to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, safety, reliability, responsiveness and equity of health and care services through applying insights from multiple sources including formal research, health surveillance, needs analysis, service monitoring and evaluation.
Academic public health
To add an academic perspective to all public health work undertaken. Specifically to be able to critically appraise evidence to inform policy and practice, identify evidence gaps with strategies to address these gaps, undertake research activities of a standard that is publishable in peer-reviewed journals, and demonstrate competence in teaching and learning across all areas of public health practice.
Professional, personal and ethical development
To be able to shape, pursue actively and evaluate your own personal and professional development, using insight into your own behaviours and attitudes and their impact to modify behaviour and to practice within the framework of the GMC's Good Medical Practice (as used for appraisal and revalidation for consultants in public health) and the UKPHR’s Code of Conduct.
Integration and application for consultant practice
To be able to demonstrate the consistent use of sound judgment to select from a range of advanced public health expertise and skills, and to use them effectively, working at senior organisational levels, to deliver improved population health in complex and unpredictable environments.

The DPH as a public health leader is expected to have both the technical expertise as well as:

the ability to use those techniques to both, lead and support the development of complex solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.
have skills and the attitudes to be able to present the results of applying their technical expertise so that they are understandable and stimulate actions by a range of individuals and organisations.

Other Information

N/A

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Director of Public Health
Strategic team/Directorate	Public Health
Service	Public Health
Business unit	Public Health

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the media) including to present to mixed audiences and the media
Practical experience in facilitating change
Budget management skills

Functional competencies

Demonstrates detailed knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice.
Full and high level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation. Develops service practices and ensures appropriate application. Provides advice on the more complex instances.
Detailed knowledge and experience in driving and assisting in the management of change in a variety of settings, proactively seeking opportunities to create and implement improved service effectiveness.
Detailed knowledge of personnel management. Carries out effective performance management of staff and demonstrates understanding of policies related to pay, capability, disciplinary matters and grievances. Plans department activities and use of staff resources effectively. Participates in workforce planning and training needs assessment.
Demonstrates knowledge of project management tools and techniques. Sufficient skill to develop and implement large scale projects, utilising and leading multi-skilled project teams

Desirable skills and effectiveness

N/A

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
Understanding of social and political environment

Desirable knowledge

N/A

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

Leadership

Establishing and promoting a clear public health vision which is coherent with the business strategy and the political vision for Torbay and consistent with Government policy and takes account of social and economic trends. This is about role modelling through their own actions the types of behaviours expected of others in creating a high performing public health culture.
Developing an effective PH team with appropriate skill mix to enable the Authority to deliver its full range of PH responsibilities
Developing effective relationships with elected members to ensure a coherent PH vision and operational plan
Work with fellow directors to enable/ensure public health perspective/principles underpin all aspects of LA delivery
Work with communities and media to ensure needs of local communities are made explicit and addressed by the H&WB
Deliver the independent report of the DPH in such a way as to compel all members of the H&WB to take action

Community and population focus

It means working together to a common agenda and objectives with a shared purpose and common values, always looking for ways to improve access to services by communities and individuals. This is seen by:

Actively seeking to understand the communities that are served and promoting and demonstrating an active commitment to meet their needs
Setting new standards for innovation in commissioning and delivery of services that anticipate and exceed expectations
Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and partners to gather and evaluate information and make collaborative judgements and decisions
Making timely and where needed, difficult decisions for the benefit of the people of Torbay

Results Focus

Co-development of a model of health with local stakeholders (including local communities) and the metrics to support; taking account of Public Health Outcomes Framework, the NHS Outcomes Framework and the Social Care Outcomes Framework. This is seen by:

Acknowledging and working with ambiguity and complexity, making significant decisions where no precedents exist
Ensuring a best practice performance culture is developed and sustained
Setting, communicating and monitoring stretching organisational objectives and objectives
Pro-actively identifying corporate, directorate and service risks, and ensuring action is taken to mitigate them
Formulating risk management plans and creating a positive health and safety culture

Improvement and change

Developing and sustaining a culture of innovation and creativity underpinned by evaluation, where employees are engaged and have the desire to do things better, more efficiently and effectively to improve performance. This is seen by:

Taking risks and moving into unchartered territory while taking accountability for results and failures
Welcoming the inevitable mistakes as part of the creative process
Suggesting the unthinkable to stimulate alternate ways of thinking
Focusing team performance on the achievement of outcomes that will maximise the resources available
Finding new ways of securing or deploying significant amounts of financial resource to meet new objectives
Advocating and role modelling the use of evaluation techniques to support innovation

People development

Knowing and managing the strategic talent requirements for the organisation. It is about promoting and encouraging a culture where people focus on developing themselves and others to deliver improvement while developing careers. This is seen by:

Holding direct reports accountable for people development generally and specifically for releasing high performers for personal development
Articulating the many long-term benefits of talent management and developing the talent pools required for succession
Ensuring comprehensive workforce plans are in place

Desirable experience and achievements

N/A

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or
Inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)

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 speciality 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

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 · MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment Recruitment and selection Application form

Must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with the Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body.