Deputy Regional Director of Public Health (South East)NHS

Job summary

The Deputy Regional Director of Public Health in the South East regional team is an exciting opportunity to join a multi-professional public health team of 30 colleagues at the heart of implementing new government and NHS policy and collaborating with dynamic local systems.

Based primarily in the London office, the role spans the South East region working with 4 ICBs (Kent & Medway; Surrey & Sussex; Hampshire IoW and Thames Valley), colleagues in UKHSA SE regional team and an excellent network of local authority Directors of Public Health and their teams.

Main duties of the job

The primary purpose of the Deputy Regional Director of Public Health (DRD) is to work together with the Regional Director of Public Health (RDPH) and deputise on their behalf to lead the delivery of regional priorities for public health across the three domains of public health (health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health) and leadership with strategic partners within the South East region.

The DRD is a senior public health expert who on behalf of the RDPH takes the lead for specific programmes of work regionally and nationally as agreed. The DRD works closely with the RDPH and the Deputy Directors to set strategic direction through strong, visible and professional leadership and is responsible for ensuring that the RDPH receives appropriate assurance on the effective delivery by the regional teams.

For full details please see the attached candidate pack.

Job description

In delivering the full range of responsibilities and duties, the postholder will be expected to demonstrate a high level of practice of the FPH competencies (Appendix 1), covering all domains of public health practice as defined by the Faculty of Public Health.

Steering an effective programme of action across the region

The DRD will support the RDPH to lead the development and implementation of programmes to deliver OHIDs national priorities for prevention and health disparities and NHSEs objectives for prevention and health inequalities in the region. They will

Work with national policy and strategy teams to support the development and delivery of policy through provision of regional intelligence and insights

Provide expert advice and support the development of innovative solutions to complex challenges and share best practice

Drive the use of public health intelligence to improve population health outcomes and inform regional programmes

Lead the development and oversight of the regions business plan..

Provide visible and exemplar leadership to create an innovative and results-focused team with a high-performance culture, a dynamic and inspiring leadership team, and high calibre and motivated people

Lead on ensuring that the regional team is supported by effective governance processes including clinical governance, financial and risk management. Provide leadership to the business support team in delivering corporate functions.

Strategic partnerships across local systems

Alongside the RDPH the DRD will provide professional leadership to the delivery of national and local public health priorities by developing effective relationships with and convening local government, ICSs, NHSE and other system partners to maximise impact.

ICBs - Working with the RDPH and the public health regional teams in OHID and NHSE the DRD has a key role in supporting the ongoing development of ICBs in their region, helping ICBs to shape their public health priorities, and supporting the development of capabilities to address these priorities. This will include the use of robust data and intelligence, development of skills to support population healthcare, and the sharing of best practice.

NHS England - The DRD will deputise for the RDPH as a member of the NHSE regional executive and leadership teams. They will contribute senior public health expertise across the breadth of the NHSE regional business plan working in a matrix way with the NHSE Directorates. The DRD will contribute to the NHSE ICB assurance process. This will include a focus on population health, prevention and health inequalities.

Local Government - the DRD will work with Local Government, in particular Directors of Public Health and their teams to support the continuous improvement of public health services and strengthening oversight and assurance of Local Government delivery of public health objectives, which includes:

enablement of effective spending on public health programmes by supporting Local Authorities (LAs) to get the most value from the public health grant and comply with its conditions

supporting OHIDs annual assurance of the public health grant including leading the use of intelligence to inform the process

Supporting the Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) on their sector-led improvement programmes.

Using data and intelligence with LAs and ICBs to improve local decision-making and performance on outcomes and acting as a critical friend for LAs at risk of underperformance.

UKHSA working to develop effective links with UKHSA to:

contribute to health protection strategies in the region supporting join up across the public health system

develop joint approaches across the Regional Public Health Group to public health programmes needing cross organisational co-ordination and collaboration

Lead the development of surveillance across the Regional Public Health Group to inform system response eg winter pressures, adverse weather events

Academic partnerships

work collaboratively with academic partners that are aligned to national and regional public health priorities.

Workforce development

With the RDPH and DD Health Improvement work with LAs, NHS organisations and other stakeholders to develop and implement the regions Workforce Development Plan to increase public health capacity and capability across the system.

Deputise for the RDPH in representing the Secretary of State in the appointment of DsPH who are appointed jointly by the Local Authority and the Secretary of State

Contribute to the training of Specialist Trainees and Fellows placed in the regional team

Management responsibilities

Act as a senior member of the regional public health SLT, actively taking part in, and advising on, key business decisions

Provide visible and exemplar leadership to create an innovative and results-focused team with a high-performance culture, a dynamic and inspiring leadership team, and high calibre and motivated people

ensure wide participation in the development and implementation of business plans and operational responsibility to ensure that OHID Regional Public Health Team is able to meet performance standards through the establishment of performance objectives and alignment of resources

Directly line manage staff as agreed with the RDPH and responsible for associated duties with staff, including recruitment, appraisals, disciplinary and grievance responsibilities, in accordance with OHID policies

Lead on ensuring that the regional team is supported by effective governance processes including clinical governance, financial and risk management. Provide leadership to the business support team in delivering corporate functions

About us

Sitting at the heart of DHSC, the work of OHID will shift the focus of the department, the NHS and wider health system, and wider partners across local and national government and beyond, ensuring that public health and prevention areprioritised, and health disparities are reduced.

OHID is the home of the Governments health improvement and prevention agenda and will systematically tackle the top preventable risk factors, improving the publics health and narrowing health disparities. It shapes and drives health improvement priorities for government, and works with the whole of government, the NHS, local government, industry and wider partners to deliver on these priorities.

The creation of OHID in DHSC ensured that core public health responsibilities and capabilities are placed at the heart of government and operate as an integral part of DHSC, supporting the whole Department to go further in promoting good health. OHID draws on strong relationships across government (national and local) and the NHS to ensure it is able to drive change on the drivers and determinants of health and health inequalities.

OHID brings expert public health advice, analysis and evidence together with policy development and implementation to ensure that decision-making and delivery are informed by the best evidence, are outcome-driven and joined-up. This is done across a range of major themes, including healthy weight, addiction and childrens health, underpinned by a strong analytical core.