Consultant in Health Protection

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic person to join UKHSA East of England within the Health Protection Team as a Consultant in Health Protection. The Health Protection Team provides service across the East of England Region and has three offices: Mildenhall (Suffolk), Harlow (Essex) and Cambridge.

There is an expectation the successful candidate will undertake proactive work in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire area and therefore the role will be based in the Mildenhall or Cambridge office. Travel across the geographical patch and to other UKHSA sites should be expected.

To carry out the role, we are looking for a dynamic public health professional with strong leadership skills and vision. The post of Consultant in Health Protection is a senior level position, suitable for a public health professional seeking an exciting position to protect people's health from infectious diseases and other threats including that of COVID-19.

Main duties of the job

You will require a sound experience of health protection practice in the wider NHS context and have good generic public health skills together with an understanding of and skills in multi-organisational working.

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 health protection service which delivers to high quality standards and is responsive to the needs of the local community and UKHSA's partners in the local public health systems.

About us

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.

Job description

Job responsibilities

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

You will share the responsibility with a multidisciplinary team, including other consultants in health protection as well as health protection practitioners, for dealing with the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and the response to non-communicable environmental hazards including chemical and radiation issues within the East of England. You will contribute to the investigation and management of a full range of health protection incidents (including outbreaks of diseases such as meningitis and food poisoning) and will carry out surveillance, co-ordination, support and monitoring of local implementation of certain key national programmes.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

Option 3 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.

Candidates must either be included on the GMC Specialist Register in Public Health, Microbiology or Infectious Diseases Medicine, or UK Public Health Register for Public Health Specialists or able to provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview.

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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

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 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 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 ( 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

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

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

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