Assistant Director Public Health

Full Vacancy Description

role                                                     Assistant Director

Reports To:Director Public Health

Job Purpose:

The organisation’s vision to be a modern council has been developed closely with members and our partners across the City and provides an exciting and challenging view for the growth of the Birmingham, where every child, citizen and place matters. Designed to develop our people and communities and to focus on our priorities of children, housing, health, jobs and skills.

The foundations are laid for a 21st Century Council, with 21st Century Officers and Councillors. The Assistant Director Public Health is key to building on these foundations, by ensuring that the relevant capabilities available to the Council are used to maximum effect to support children and families, in particular both financial and human capital.

The role will, through inspiring others identify, drive and secure opportunities to  improve  and transform services. These opportunities will be found across the services directly managed and across the Council. Because the pace of improvement needs to be rapid and sustainable the portfolio may change over time, so adaptability and focus on delivery are also critical features.

This role provides leadership to drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of the residents of Birmingham, to reduce inequalities in health outcomes and work in collaboration with Public Health England to protect local communities from threats to their health through infectious diseases, environmental and other public health hazards.

The post is at the heart of the Extended Leadership Team and deputises for the Director Public Health as and when required, assisting to lead and manage Public Health service across Birmingham.

Key Accountabilities:

The Assistant Director Public Health assists the statutory chief officer of the authority (Director of Public Health) to advise 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, specifies the Director of Public Health’s responsibilities, for which, the Assistant Director Public Health will provide underpinning leadership and support on operational and strategic level;

any of the Secretary of State’s public health protection or health improvement functions delegated to local authorities, either by arrangement or under regulations

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

To support the Chief Executive, Corporate Directors, Elected Members and colleagues in translating strategic vision and priorities into operational plans, monitoring their progress on a regular basis, identifying exceptions.

To work with colleagues to identify and determine the best models of service delivery, which deliver high quality outcomes and performance and a high-quality customer experience.

To provide strong professional and managerial leadership across the organisation, including setting clear objectives and measures, managing performance and resources, and assessing impact/risk.

To create a working environment where employees will flourish and deliver services  within Birmingham City Council to the highest possible standard.

To develop/negotiate joint approaches to local service planning and delivery in partnership with all the relevant internal and external services providers and regional and national bodies.

To develop and maintain positive and creative relationships with diverse stakeholders  including; elected members, council officers and other external agencies in order to maximise joint effort and pool resources wherever possible.

To develop a robust performance management system for the service to ensure all activities have clear business plans linked to council plans which direct staff objectives both within the service and across the Council.

To act as an ambassador for the Council, promoting and enhancing the authority’s image, forming strategic alliances and developing effective local, regional and national working relationships.

To ensure the Council is equipped at all times and open to inspection/external assessment in order to maximise opportunities to learn and enhance outcomes and levels of achievement.

To ensure all employees, both within the portfolio and across the  council,  are  developed  and supported to enable them to reach required competencies to deliver services to both national and local standards through systematic and targeted performance management.

To lead and promote good employee relations through staff engagement and regular contact with

Trade Union representatives at all levels.

To promote the council’s core values and equal opportunities with our communities and staff through personal example, open commitment and clear action.

To develop a positive working environment encouraging active involvement of employees in shaping the development and co-production of services.

To foster a cross Council culture by ensuring the overall vision, ethos and values are central to the use of resources through introduction, development and application of appropriate organisational development strategies and delivery plans.

To lead empowerment of managers and staff to operate within a culture of accountability and shared responsibility for generating and delivering the best possible outcomes.

To deliver JNC Officer duties and to be available for emergency planning on a rota basis.

To lead the Public Health Division programme of work on health and social care, including public health specialist input and leadership on mandated public health services, public health advice to the NHS, health protection, chair the child death overview panel, and provide public health leadership on child and adult safeguarding and specialist death/homicide reviews.

Key Results Areas:

The delivery of efficient, effective Public Health across Birmingham

To foster effective partnerships with the NHS and social care partners.

To work collaboratively to ensure integrated health and social care delivery.

To support the DPH in delivering committed savings proposals and have appropriate governance in place.

The Assistant Director of Public Health will be expected to:

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme and departmental audit and ensure appraisal and development of any staff for which s/he is responsible.

To 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

To pursue a programme of CPD, in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements, or other recognised body, and undertake revalidation, professional appraisal, audit or other measures required to remain on the GMC/GDC Specialist Register or the UK Public Health (Specialist) Register or other specialist register as appropriate.

To practise in accordance with all relevant sections of the General Medical Council’s Good Medical

Practice (if medically qualified) and the Faculty of Public Health’s Good Public Health Practice.

To support the DPH in the provision of Health Improvement, Health Protection and Health Services.

To support the DPH to produce an independent annual report on the health of the population, progress on improving health and reducing inequalities and making recommendations.

To support the DPH in the provision of 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.

To support Local Resilience Forum in developing comprehensive multi agency plans for the anticipated threats to public health

To have full access to the papers and other information that they need to inform and support their activity, and day to day responsibility for their authority’s ring-fenced public health budget.

Faculty of Public Health key tasks & obligations for ADPH

1.   Strategic Leadership – support for DPH

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 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 Birmingham benefit from population health and care programmes.

Division Specific Accountabilities

To improve health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities

Exercise the statutory responsibilities including the delivery of the mandated services

To advise Birmingham City Council on its statutory and professional public health obligations.

Work with the PHE Centre and NHS England 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 Birmingham 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 (PHE, NHS England and the CCGs) have delivered their EPRR responsibilities.

Work in partnership with CCGs and Directors of Social care to take responsibility for Population Health and Care; including oversight and promoting population coverage of immunisation and screening programmes

Provide public health advice (the core offer) to CCGs supporting the commissioning of appropriate, effective (based on evidence), and equitable health services.

Support the Health and Wellbeing Board to deliver its statutory duty to promote integration for the benefit of local communities

Collaborate across local authority boundaries to ensure residents of Birmingham benefit from population health and care programmes (Sustainable Transformation Plans 2016 to 2020).

2.   Resource Management

To support the DPH in budget monitoring, including reporting on the use of the public health ring fenced grant.

To manage Council resources (People, property, information and finance) imaginatively and efficiently.

3.   Commissioning

Work with Assistant Director Commissioning to 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 Birmingham 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.

4.   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 ADsPH, PHE and other channels to advocate for the public’s health.

Finance and Staffing Dimensions

The Assistant Director (Health and Social Care) will manage the Health and Social Care Team within the Public Health Division; this includes teams leading work on smoking and tobacco control, health protection, NHS health checks and health and social care public health support.

The AD will also be expected to supervise higher specialist trainees in line with their educational supervision accreditation, and graduate education placements and student placements.

The AD role has financial responsibility in line with a corporate assistant director and specific accountability to the Director of Public Health for spend on the mandated public health services.

These duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and you may be expected to undertake duties and responsibilities, as directed by the Chief Executive.