Director of Public Health (Health & wellbeing)

Job Summary

A member of the Senior Management Team of the Authority having key responsibility and accountability for improving the health & wellbeing of Telford & Wrekin residents, reducing inequalities in health outcomes and protecting local communities from public health hazards.

To be the statutory chief officer of the authority and the principal adviser on all population health matters to elected members, officers and partners, with a leadership role spanning health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health.

To be a visible system leader in health and wellbeing partnership arrangements within Shropshire Telford Wrekin Integrated Care System.

Professionally accountable to the Council (and the OHID/DHSC Regional Director of Public Health)

Managerially reports to: Directly to Executive Director of Childrens Services & Public Health.

Responsible for: Consultant in Public Health & Service Delivery Managers

The post holder will be responsible for performance of specific services within the directorate including:

1. Public Health & Commissioning
2. Health Improvement
3. Health Protection including Civil Resilience and Corporate Health & Safety

Main Duties of the Job

The Director of Health & Wellbeing will:

1. Represent the Council on all Population Health Matters
2. Manage circa 55 staff
3. Manage budgets up to £15m
4. Manage and participate in on-call arrangements for Senior Management Team and communicable disease control/health protection as appropriate
5. Ensure appropriate management and support for Specialty Registrars (in Public Health)
6. Manage other allocated teams as directed by CEO.

About Us

Telford & Wrekin Council has a population of 185,800 and is a place of contrasts, a distinctive blend of urban and rural areas, with green open spaces alongside contemporary housing developments and traditional market towns. On the face of it, the Borough is a prosperous place but there are clear differences across the Borough. Some neighbourhoods and communities in the Borough are among the most deprived areas nationally. 26% of Telford & Wrekin's LSOAs are among the 20% most deprived and 11.1% are among the 20% least deprived LSOAs in England (IMD,2019).

Telford & Wrekin Council is part of Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System.

Date Posted: 11 December 2024

Pay Scheme: Other

Salary: £100,619 to £110,469 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time

Reference Number: F0129-24-0000

Job Locations: Southwater One, Southwater Square, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4JG

Job Responsibilities

Statutory Role

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:

1. All their local authority's duties to improve public health.
2. Any of the Secretary of State's public health protection or health improvement functions that s/he delegates to local authorities, either by arrangement or under regulations.
3. Exercising their local authority's functions in planning for, and responding to, emergencies that present a risk to public health.
4. 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.
5. Such other public health functions as the Secretary of State specifies in regulations.
6. Producing an independent annual report on the health of local communities.

In order to deliver their responsibilities on behalf of the residents of Telford & Wrekin, 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 Telford & Wrekin, to improve population health.

Working with local communities, he/she 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.

HEALTH & WELLBEING DIRECTORATE

The DPH leads a small directorate with three teams: Public Health & Commissioning, Health Protection (including Food Health & Safety, Civil Resilience and Corporate Health & Safety) and Health Improvement.

The Health Improvement service area includes directly managed Healthy lifestyle and smoking cessation service.

The Corporate Insight Team works with the DPH to develop and deliver the JSNA. The Corporate Communication Team supports Public Health communications and the Community Participation team supports a range of volunteer-led programmes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Support the Chief Executive and Councillors in developing and delivering the Councils strategic agenda.
2. Be the chief officer and principal adviser on public health to the Council, local communities, and local partners.
3. Operate strategically as a member of the Senior Management Team and across the Council influencing policy and practice.
4. To deliver commission, and or deliver services which are effective, value for money and meet quality standards.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Accountable for both the shaping and delivery of the Health and Wellbeing agenda taking account of the national agenda and benchmarking.
8. Deliver an independent annual report on the health and wellbeing of local communities for publication by Telford & Wrekin Council to stimulate debate and/or action by the Council and partners.

The post holder will be responsible for a number of generic tasks as a member of the Senior Management Team. Please see attached job description for further details.