Director of Public Health
Closing date: 28 May
Salary £104,550
The role
We are currently seeking a new Director of Public Health who will have a fantastic opportunity to make a positive difference to our diverse communities and tackle health inequalities that are a significant factor for many residents. You will lead a strong collaborative team, with an expanded portfolio that includes leisure, working closely with our award-winning Council Company, Brio. You will join our unique joint NHS and Local Authority leadership team, improving health and wellbeing across our borough. You will also build on our strong relationship with the University of Chester and become an integral member of the nationally recognised Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health collaborative.
For more information contact:
Luke Judd at Starfish on 07435 270 659 or luke.judd@starfishsearch.com or to apply go to https://starfishsearch.com/jobs/cwc-dph/
Who we are
Cheshire West and Chester is a council that helps you to play your part to make a difference. We have a great reputation locally and nationally, made possible by amazing colleagues working together to achieve great things and with ambitious plans for the future.
We are the fourth largest unitary authority in the North West, serving a population of 357,000 across rural an urban communities with a workforce of just over 3,400 and part of one of the largest Integrated Care Systems in England.
We are a council to be proud of, with a fantastic opportunity to make a positive difference to our diverse communities and tackle health inequalities that are a significant factor for many residents. We have a strong focus on health integration with a unique joint NHS and Local Authority leadership team, strong partnership working, community development and brilliant relationships with the University of Chester and Brio, our award-winning Council Leisure Company. Together, we are all playing our part to improve health and wellbeing across our borough.
However, there are further opportunities ahead of us, including our commitment to tackling climate change, improving mental health and wellbeing, enhancing life chances, and enabling an inclusive economy – all of which need innovative and empowering leadership to achieve our ambition.
Job Description
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 they delegate 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 co-operating 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 Cheshire West and Chester 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 the borough of Cheshire West and Chester. Working with local communities, they 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.
Cheshire West and Chester is a council that helps you to play your part to make a difference. We have a great reputation locally and nationally, made possible by amazing colleagues working together to achieve great things and with ambitious plans for the future.
Our vital services touch people’s lives every day. With almost 3,500 employees, we are responsible for well-known services such as social care, schools, housing, planning and waste collection, but there is much more to what we do, such as supporting businesses, registering births, deaths and marriages, pest control and more.
We are at the cutting edge of doing things differently. We work closely with a range of organisations and local people to make our area fairer, greener and stronger.
Covering an area of 354 square miles with 357,000 residents, we are located at the heart of the Northwest of England. We have strong urban and rural communities. Chester, the borough’s city, is a site of historical importance as one of the UK’s best‐preserved walled cities.
The wider borough is characterised by a distinct rural/urban identity. The industrial towns of Ellesmere Port, Winsford and Northwich stand alongside remarkable countryside. This contributes to 37 million people who visit the borough each year. Strategically placed alongside the major conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester, the borough also benefits from strong relationships with North Wales.
With Liverpool and Manchester airports just 30 minutes away, London just two hours by train and easy access to the M6 and M56 motorways, you are always just a short journey away from wherever you want to be.
Our joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy aims to reduce inequality, increase years of healthy life and promote improved mental and physical health and wellbeing for everyone in Cheshire West. The DPH will play a leading role within the Health & Wellbeing Board and Cheshire West Place Partnership in delivering this vision.
The DPH is responsible for the Public Health and Partnerships Team that is comprised of approximately 20 individuals. The DPH also has an expanded portfolio that includes inclusive leisure, working closely with our award-winning Council Company Brio Leisure CiC. Public Health has very strong and effective matrix management relationships across all areas of the Council and within our new integrated Cheshire West NHS Place team. The DPH is also a core member of the joint NHS and Local Authority leadership team, providing direct influence and leadership opportunities to improve health and wellbeing outcomes right across the borough.
The fundamental purpose of the postholder is to provide the leadership to drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of the residents of Cheshire West and Chester, to reduce inequalities in health outcomes and working in collaboration with UKHSA 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 (Appendix 1) and the person specifications (Appendix 2).
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 corporate management/executive board 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 in order 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 the Council, to stimulate debate and/or action by the Council and partners.
The person specifications for the post are set out in appendix 2. In delivering the responsibilities outlined above, the postholder and his/her team will undertake the following tasks:
1. 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 Cheshire West and Chester, partners and the public, the development of plans to enable local communities to become healthy, sustainable and cohesive.
Ensure a programme of action (both within and out with 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 Cheshire West and Chester benefit from population health and care programmes includes being an active member of the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative (CHAMPS) and working closely with the NHS Cheshire & Merseyside Director of Population Health.
Contribute towards public health research and training opportunities with the University of Chester as described within the agreed memorandum of understanding with the Council.
2. 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 Cheshire West and Chester on its statutory and professional public health obligations.
Work with UKHSA and other partners 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 the borough of Cheshire West and Chester 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 have delivered their EPRR responsibilities.
Provide support to the Deputy Chief Executive Health & Wellbeing/Director of Adult Social Care and Health (including as a member of the Directorate Management Team) in the collective development of the Directorate strategies and operational management standards to ensure that Directorate initiatives and priorities are achieved
Inform, support, and advise Members of the Council so that they can perform their executive, scrutiny and representational responsibilities and ensure that decisions are appropriately informed, and service delivered according to Council priorities.
Work in partnership with NHS, Adult Health and Social Care, and Children and Families services to take responsibility for Population Health and Care, including oversight and promoting population coverage of immunisation and screening programmes.
Provide public health advice to the Cheshire West Place Committee to support the commissioning of appropriate, effective (based on evidence), and equitable health services.
The Lead Director in supporting the Health and Wellbeing Board to deliver its statutory duty to promote integration for the benefit of local communities.
The SRO for the local Combatting Drugs Partnership, and responsible for leading the Cheshire West and Chester partnership to deliver the 3 strategic priorities as set out in the new 10-year drugs strategy From Harm to Hope.
Collaborate across local authority boundaries to ensure residents of Cheshire West and Chester benefit from population health and care programmes.
3. 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 (Appendix 3) and ensure that they can influence in such a way as to ensure health and wellbeing in its fullest sense is central to the borough of Cheshire West and Chester.
4. 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 Cheshire West and Chester 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.
5. 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 ADPH, OHID and other channels to advocate for the public’s health.
The Director of Public Health will be professionally accountable to the Council (and Secretary of State for Health through OHID) and managerially accountable to the Deputy Chief Executive of the Local Authority with access to the Chief Executive as appropriate. An initial job plan will be agreed with the successful candidate and reviewed annually.
The Director of Public Health will:
Manage the development and appraisal of a team of 20 staff (including trainees) to ensure the achievement of the team’s work programme and review the performance of both team and individual
Manage budgets (the Public Health Allocation)
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)
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.
Teamwork, Honesty, Respect, Innovation, Value for money and Empowerment
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 be able to influence and contribute to the development of policy as well as 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 Communications
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 practise 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 of competencies 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. In addition, they are expected to 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.
Person Specification
Establishing and promoting a clear public health vision which is coherent with the business strategy and the political vision for the borough of Cheshire West and Chester 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
Recruitment and selection - CV and Interview
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 Cheshire West and Chester
Recruitment and selection - Application form and Interview
Co-development of a model of health with local stakeholders (including local communities) and the national metrics to support; taking account of Cheshire & Merseyside Population Health indicators and local Health & Wellbeing Board Strategy.
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
Recruitment and selection - Interview
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
Recruitment and selection - Interview
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
Recruitment and selection - Application form and Interview
Demonstrates detailed knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice as set out byFaculty of Public Health.
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 assessments
Demonstrates knowledge of project management tools and techniques.Sufficient skill to develop and implement large scale projects, utilising and leading multi-skilled project teams.
Recruitment and selection - Application form and interview
Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist Register/UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists. If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist Register in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine practice.
Public health specialty registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC specialist register/GDC specialist register 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 on the GMC/GDC/UKPHR specialist registers
Essential to have MFPH
Must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e., be up to date) in accordance with the Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
Recruitment and selection - Application form
Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
Understanding of social and political environment
Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the media) including to present to mixed audiences and the media
Negotiation and motivation skills. Practical experience i facilitating change
Budget management skills
Completion of a structured management development programme.
The normal duties of the role may involve travel on a regular or occasional basis. It is a condition of employment that the role holder can exercise satisfactory travel mobility in order to fulfil the obligations of the role. For those journeys where an alternative form of transport is unavailable or impracticable the role holder will be required to provide a suitable vehicle
This position is subject to a criminal records disclosure check
This is a politically restrictive position
Recruitment and selection - Application form and interview
