Job Overview
Oxfordshire County Council is a dynamic organisation with public health at its heart. As the precise roles and functions of the directorate and organisation change over time, arrangements are inevitably fluid. The post holder will be expected to take an active role in the development of the organisation and the directorate and to take a creative and flexible attitude to changes in roles and function. Any changes will, however, be agreed with the post holder.
On behalf of the local authority, the postholder working with the DPH, Deputy DPH and other consultant colleagues will lead on improving the health and wellbeing of the residents which is underpinned by the statutory duty placed on local government to take such steps as it considers appropriate to improve health of its residents. The postholder will take responsibility for a set of strategic objectives of the local authority and the Health & Wellbeing Board in line with the agreed job plan and will act as a change agent to enable delivery of relevant outcome indicators from the public health, NHS and social care outcome frameworks. The postholder will be expected to work across organisations, be able to influence budgets held by those organisations as well as advocate for change effectively. They will hold direct managerial responsibility for services and budgets which directly contribute to these objectives and also have greater strategic responsibilities across the council and other agencies.
To lead work across all Council directorates as well as influencing partnership boards (dealing with health determinants) to maximise health improvement opportunities and the reduction of inequalities in health outcomes amongst residents.
Key Responsibilities
* The strategic responsibility and key tasks will be outlined in the job plan.
1. Taking responsibility for a range of public health issues and work across organisational and professional boundaries acting as a change agent managing complexity to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing.
2. Providing briefings on the health and wellbeing needs of local communities to Councillors, Council Officers, NHS Commissioners, the 3rd sector, the public and partners. Where required to so, the postholder will provide verbal briefing to Councillors, other colleagues and stakeholders in person which may be at short notice.
3. Taking responsibility for development, implementation and delivery of policies. This may include taking the lead in developing detailed inter‑agency and interdisciplinary strategic plans and programmes based on needs assessments which may lead to service specifications. The postholder will be expected to contribute appropriately to the procurement process.
4. Providing expert public health support and whole system leadership to ensure an evidence‑based approach for commissioning and developing high quality equitable services, within and across a range of organisations including voluntary, public and private sector. This includes the health service component of the mandated core service. This will include expertise in evaluation and development of appropriate key performance indicators.
5. Utilising (and if appropriate developing) information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines and organisations. This may include providing leadership for collation and interpretation of relevant data including production of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Working with the DPH, this will include the integration of the appropriate elements of the public health, NHS and social care outcomes frameworks within the systems developed by the local authority as well as with relevant partner organisations.
6. Supporting the DPH in the development and implementation of robust strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of local communities including ensuring qualitative and/or quantitative measurements are in place to demonstrate improvements. This may include taking responsibility for the judicious use of the ring‑fenced public health grant and/or working with NHS Commissioners, Trusts, the contractor professions and UKHSA/OHID.
7. Providing the key local authority link to the research community, including actively engaging in research where helpful and providing advice/support to colleagues as well as coordinating appropriate access to scientific information. The postholder will be expected to take part in relevant research networks and to influence relevant research programmes across Oxfordshire.
8. Taking responsibility for the training obligations of the directorate, including becoming the Educational Supervisor. These duties will be agreed jointly with the relevant Head of the School of Public Health.
* Undertaking health needs assessments as required to enable actions to be taken to improve the health of the local population.
* Developing prioritisation techniques and managing their application to policies, services and to help resolve issues such as the investment‑disinvestment debate.
* Effective communication of complex concepts, science and data and their implications for local communities, to a range of stakeholders with very different backgrounds.
* Understanding of evaluation frameworks and applying those frameworks to the benefit of local communities.
* A capacity to apply the scientific body of knowledge on public health to the polices and services necessary to improve health and to formulate clear practical evidence‑based recommendations.
* The understanding of human and organisational behaviour and the application of this knowledge to the achievement of change.
* Inspire commitment to public health outcomes and to prevention as a core feature of public sector reform.
Qualifications & Skills
* Education/Qualifications
1. Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List (or be eligible within six months of interview) or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or be eligible within six months of interview).
2. 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.
3. Public health specialty 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.
4. 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.
5. Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up‑to‑date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body.
* Personal Qualities
1. Able to influence senior members including directors and CEOs.
2. Able to work with political members and variety of external and internal partners with competing priorities.
3. Able to both lead teams and to be able to contribute effectively in teams led by junior colleagues.
4. Commitment to work within a political system irrespective of personal political affiliations.
* Experience
1. Delivery of successful change management programmes across organisational boundaries.
2. Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences.
* Skills
1. Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills with political and operational nous.
2. Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public’s health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources.
3. Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances.
4. Analytical skills able to utilise both qualitative (including health economics) and quantitative information.
5. Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement strategies and policies.
6. Ability to influence key senior stakeholders and partners through different communication styles.
7. Ability to work within complex political environments as well as across organisational boundaries as a key corporate player to deliver on system‑wide outcomes.
* Knowledge
1. In depth understanding of the health and care system and the relationships with both local national government.
2. In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluations and evidence‑based public health practice.
3. Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health).
4. Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice.
* Desirable Criteria
1. Master’s in Public Health or equivalent.
2. Media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health promotion messages.
3. Experience of academic research, including research funding, project design, delivery, public involvement and dissemination.
Equal Opportunities
Oxfordshire County Council is an equal opportunity employer. This position is open to all suitable candidates irrespective of gender, religion, race, colour, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity or disability. All applicants will be considered in accordance with the council’s EEO policy and the UK Equality Act 2010.
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