RQ - Director of Public Health

JOB TITLE: Director of Public Health

GRADE: Exec 1 - £850 a day

WORKING HOURS Full time - 36 hours per week

DBS CHECK: Full enhanced

GROUP: Adult Social Care & Public Health

SERVICE: Public Health

REPORTING STRUCTURE

Accountable to: Professionally accountable to the Council and the Secretary of State for Health through Office for Health Improvement and Disparities)

Reports to: Executive Director - Adult Services & Health

Direct Reports: Up to 5

Indirect Reports:

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Director of Public Health is a statutory Chief Officer of the authority and is the Council and wider system leader for assessing and improving the health and wellbeing of residents, reducing inequalities in health outcomes and protecting local communities from public health hazards including infectious diseases and environmental threats.

As the leader for health, the Director of Public Health is the principal advisor on health and wellbeing matters to elected members, officers and partners, with a leadership role spanning health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health.

The Director of Public Health is required to be a visible system leader in Hillingdon Health and Care Partnership (HHCP) and will contribute available resources directly under the DPH control and influence HHCP resource allocation to ensure that the local public health system proactively tackles the health, care and wider determinants that affect health and wellbeing in Hillingdon communities. This will include working with local communities, to develop solutions in response to challenges that affect health and contribute to health inequalities.

1. Statutory Responsibilities

The statutory responsibility and purpose of the post holder is to provide leadership, deliver key functions described below. The post holder is expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty of Public Health Competencies (Appendix 1) and the person specifications (Appendix 2).

The Director of Public Health is responsible for:

• Delivering Hillingdon's duties to protect and improve public health, and any functions and regulations to improve public health protection and health improvement delegated to the local authority by the Secretary of State
• Being the chief officer and principal adviser for public health to the Council, system partners, and local communities, influencing policy and practice
• Supporting the Chief Executive and Councillors in developing and delivering the Council's strategic agenda and maintain their confidence, and the confidence of national, and regional partners
• An effective role as statutory member of the Council's Health and Wellbeing Board; to advise on the development of the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy that sets out the priority assessed needs of the population, and for shaping the health and wellbeing agenda; using the national outcomes frameworks; public health, NHS and social care
• Being an active participant at Place through strategic participation as a leader within HHCP, contributing and directing the priorities for population health improvement, influencing change and enabling a culture of continuous improvement in health and wellbeing, innovation and evaluation.
• Exercising the functions of Hillingdon Council to plan for, and respond to emergencies that present a risk to the publics' health
• Commissioning and the delivery of services which are effective, are value for money and meet quality standards.
• 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.
• Hillingdon Council's role in co-operating with the police, the probation and the prison service to assess the risks posed by violent or sexual offenders
• Producing an annual independent report on the health of the population and communities of Hillingdon, progress that demonstrates improving health and reducing inequalities and making recommendations that stimulates 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 post holder and 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 Council's partners and the public, the development of plans that enable local communities to become healthy, sustainable and cohesive
• Ensure a programme of action (both within and external to 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 effective and fit for purpose
• To work closely with the Corporate Management Team and Directors of the Council responsible for people (children, vulnerable communities and older people) to ensure policies and procedures are in place that addresses the health, care and safeguarding needs of individuals and local communities and is cogent with the national approach.
• Collaborate across organisational boundaries to ensure communities in Hillingdon benefit from population health and care programmes - this includes working with other NWL boroughs to address wider health needs and health risks across different borough communities.

1. Service Delivery Responsibilities

The Director of Public Health's strategic leadership for the Council will take account of:

• Health Improvement
• Developing healthy, sustainable and cohesive communities through participating as an active advisor and member of the Health and Wellbeing Board.
• Developing interventions and work with stakeholders and communities to achieve healthier lifestyles for individuals and communities.
• Tackling place-based health challenges in response to evidence based; data, intelligence and insight informed local needs assessment such as childhood obesity, smoking, hypertension and rising risk of long-term conditions and frailty.
• Monitoring and delivering on core priorities of the Hillingdon Health and Care Partnership
• Developing and implementing strategies for addressing health inequalities and disparities.

• Health Protection
• Dealing with infectious disease threats including food and water borne disease supported by the local UKHSA Health Protection Team
• Preparing for emergencies such as communicable diseases including pandemic, epidemics and localised outbreaks with plans in place to respond especially in vulnerable settings
• Advising on environmental threats that affect health, including pollution, contaminated land and noise and to work with national agencies in response to CBRN incidents and risks
• Providing the public, Council and NHS Leaders and elected Members with expert, objective advice on health matters.
• Report monthly on threats, progress and outcomes to the Health Protection Board.

• Health Care Services Public Health
• Population health support for the NHS to increase uptake of health protection interventions including all age immunisation and screening programmes, including TB screening
• Provide information and advice to the NHS aligned to the 'core offer'.
• supporting the commissioning of appropriate, effective, and equitable health care from the local NHS, and when relevant with the ICB regionally

1. Multi Agency Working

• Provide specialist public heath advice to commissioners on priorities for health and social care spending and the appropriate configuration of services within and between local authorities, including the allocation of Inequalities Funding for population health projects.
• Support Local Resilience Forum in developing comprehensive multi agency plans for an exercised response to threats to public health.
• Play a full part in the authority's action to meet the needs of vulnerable children and adults through effective working with the Local Safeguarding Children & adult Boards.

1. Corporate Responsibilities

• Provide specialist public health advice to the Corporate Management Team (CMT) producing reports and recommendations that sets out how the council meets their responsibilities as a public health council in which health and wellbeing is integral to all our policies.
• Actively develop effective working relationships with Assistant Directors and Heads of Service to ensure the integration of public health thinking into all areas of the Council's services.

1. People Management

• Responsible for the selection, development and performance of the public health team click apply for full job details