Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic person to join UKHSA South East, within the Health Protection team as a Consultant in Health Protection. The Health Protection team provides service across the South East and has four offices; Chilton (Thames Valley), Fareham (Hampshire), Horsham (Surrey and Sussex) and Ashford (Kent). Post holders can be based at any of our sites (with equity required across) but likely to be supporting the Kent and Surrey/Sussex teams. 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 including leadership 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 underrepresented in our work force.
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 equality of opportunity for all.
Job description
Job responsibilities
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 South East. 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.
Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the person specification (available online) as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria. Please also see job description for competencies.
Candidates must be included on the GMC Specialist Register in Public Health, Microbiology or Infectious Diseases Medicine, or UK Public Health Register for Public Health Specialists.
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.
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Job description
Job responsibilities
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 South East. 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.
Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the person specification (available online) as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria. Please also see job description for competencies.
Candidates must be included on the GMC Specialist Register in Public Health, Microbiology or Infectious Diseases Medicine, or UK Public Health Register for Public Health Specialists.
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.
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (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 within 6 months of interview
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List 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 speciality registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC register, GDC Specialist list in dental public health or UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview. All other applicants not yet granted specialist registration must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence from the register concerns that they have submitted satisfactory evidence and therefore registration within six months is assured.
- 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
Desirable
- 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 (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource management skills
Desirable
- People management and training
- Training and mentoring
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
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (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 within 6 months of interview
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List 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 speciality registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC register, GDC Specialist list in dental public health or UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview. All other applicants not yet granted specialist registration must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence from the register concerns that they have submitted satisfactory evidence and therefore registration within six months is assured.
- 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
Desirable
- 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 (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource management skills
Desirable
- People management and training
- Training and mentoring
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
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
