Menu
Warning This job advert has expired and applications have closed.

Chief Officer for Public Health (Health Protect & Healthcare)

Job details
Posting date: 21 May 2024
Salary: £83,660.00 to £101,808.00 per year
Additional salary information: £83660.00 - £101808.00 a year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 03 June 2024
Location: Bedford, MK42 9AP
Company: NHS Jobs
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: F0073-24-0006

Summary

This is a highly complex role for a Consultant in Public Health / Consultant in Public Health Medicine working to protect and improve health and reduce health inequalities across three unitary authorities (Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes). The post holder will be based in Bedford Borough Council and will be responsible for ensuring that optimal health outcomes are achieved for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes residents. This will involve working with and influencing the strategic objectives of the Local Authorities, the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Integrated Care System (ICS) partners, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The post holder will be responsible for the following strategic objectives: Providing specialist public health leadership and advice to the local health system, building relationships with senior stakeholders and influencing strategic priorities in areas such as health inequalities, prevention, population health management, integrated care, individual funding requests, service prioritisation, programme budgeting, clinical commissioning and pathway redesign. Ensuring continuous improvement of local immunisation and screening programmes (section 7A services) by leading an effective partnership with the regional commissioner and local stakeholders, coupled with close monitoring of local performance data. Strategic leadership, management and oversight of the local authority health protection function, including responsibility for leading the local authority response to health protection incidents, outbreaks and day-to-day operational delivery. They will be responsible, on behalf of the Director of Public Health, for discharging the local authorities duties under the Health and Social Care Act (2012) to protect the health of the population and ensure appropriate planning, resilience and response to public health emergencies. They will seek assurance that effective mechanisms are in place across agencies to prevent the spread of infectious disease in the community and provide public health advice on environmental hazards. Leading a system-wide approach to public health emergency planning, working closely with NHS emergency planning structures and the Local Resilience Forums. This will involve working with two Local Resilience Forums (Milton Keynes Council is part of the Thames Valley LRF, the other two local authorities are part of the Bedfordshire LRF). The post holder will be required to deputise for the Director of Public Health (DPH) as required, and will hold senior management responsibility within the Public Health Team. The post holder will establish strong working relationships with all three Councils, as well as with partners in the ICB, ICS partners and key national bodies including UKHSA and NHS England. The post holder will be the local authorities specialist lead for healthcare public health and health protection. The post holder will advise the Director of Public Health on complex issues of healthcare public health and health protection; and will make evidence-based recommendations to the Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Health and Wellbeing Boards and the BLMK ICB/ICS boards, on matters of healthcare public health, health protection and related health inequalities. The post holder will be expected to cope with multiple and changing demands and to meet tight deadlines. In addition to professional expertise, the role requires a high level of intellectual rigour, negotiation skills, motivational ability and the flexibility to deal with complex public health issues as they arise. A high level of tact, diplomacy and political awareness is also required; along with the ability to understand organisational cultures, to enable effective working across organisational boundaries and to influence without direct authority. Public health consultants work as system leaders at strategic or senior management level or at a senior level of expertise such as epidemiology or health protection. The combination of leadership and managerial skills together with high level of technical skills and knowledge gives them a unique skill set essential for improving the health and wellbeing of populations. They must be qualified as a public health specialist and be on the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register. Consultants have the same professional status irrespective of local line management arrangements and have experience in various areas of public health practice.