Senior Health Protection Practitioner

Job summary

The Senior Health Protection Practitioner is a key member of a multi-disciplinary team who will provide and at times lead, the day to day acute service response. They will play a lead role under supervision in the provision of a health protection service in relation to infectious and non-infectious environmental hazards.

The post holder will require demonstrable generic public health skills and will have specific lead areas of work involving partnership working with external organisations, and assisting in the development of joint plans and system wide priorities for public health action or improvement. The post holder will contribute to the strategic work of the locality/patch-based health protection team and deputise where appropriate.

The post holder may be expected to work across regional sites, providing leadership and development to the service.

We are currently seeking a NMC registered Senior Health Protection Practitioner (AfC Band 8a) or a Senior Health Protection Practitioner (Grade 7).

AfC Band 8a: £57,528 - £64,750 per annum pro rata

Grade 7 (National): £56,185 - £66,581 per annum pro-rata

Candidates holding NMC registration will be appointed on NHS Terms & Conditions at NHS AfC Band 8a. Candidates without NMC registration will be appointed on Civil Service Terms and Conditions at Grade 7 grade.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

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 equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Job description

1. Management and supervision of the day to day acute response service to ensure high quality safe and effective delivery.
2. Use expertise and knowledge to support and where required lead under supervision the management of routine and complex incidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases and non-infectious environmental hazards.
3. Manage and carry out continuing responsibility for a caseload ensuring accurate, up to date records of contacts/action by completion of relevant records and compliance with team handover procedures, in line with UKHSA’s standards for record keeping.
4. To utilise an evidence-based approach to manage clinical/professional advice and discussions within the team and support and participate in the team’s formal case review process.
5. To monitor standards, ensuring quality and consistency and to escalate to senior manager and/or take action where any shortfall occurs as appropriate to role.
6. Contribute to and where required lead under supervision of the Principal/Advanced Practitioner/Consultant in HP the ongoing longer-term management of issues relevant to a defined geographical area within their region.
7. Contribute to the UKHSA response during incidents in line with UKHSAss Emergency Planning and Resilience Response (EPRR) arrangements as part of the region’s responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act.

8. Contribute to and support the UKHSA region’s input into Emergency Planning arrangements.
9. May be required to participate in a local on call rota at local, regional or national level as required.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Master's degree in Public Health or a related discipline, or equivalent postgraduate-level knowledge and experience in health protection
• Registration with an appropriate health or science related professional body (For CS Ts & Cs) OR Registered Nurse with current professional NMC registration. (For AfC Ts & Cs)
• Significant experience in a senior health protection role, including the management of communicable disease incidents, outbreaks and environmental hazards.
• Specialist knowledge of health protection principles, public health practice, epidemiology and surveillance.
• Experience of providing expert advice and risk assessment to healthcare professionals, partner organisations and the public.
• Proven experience of leadership, line management, supervision, performance management and staff development.
• Experience of leading quality improvement, audit, governance and service development activities.

Desirable Criteria

• Professional Public Health registration e.g. Specialist Community Public Health (SCPHN) part of the NMC Register or UK PH Register for practitioners
• Applied experience or CPD in Infection Prevention and Control
• Experience of teaching, mentoring, coaching or supervising healthcare or public health professionals and trainees.
• Knowledge of health inequalities and approaches to reducing their impact on population health.
• Experience of media handling, stakeholder engagement or public communications relating to health protection incidents.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% OR

  This role can be offered under Agenda for Change (AFC) Terms and Conditions if you have the professional registration:

  • If you are already on AFC T&Cs or accept the role on a fixed-term contract, you will be enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme or keep your current AFC Pension.
  • If you take the role on a loan or temporary promotion, you will retain your existing, substantive T&Cs.
  • If the role is available under either AFC or Civil Service T&Cs depending on your registration, your pension scheme will align accordingly.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (6) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1,500 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications, we will longlist into 3 piles of:

1. Meets all essential criteria
2. Meets some essential criteria
3. Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Registered General Nurse with current NMC registration (AFC 8A)
  • Registration with an appropriate health or science related professional body (Grade 7)
  • Significant experience in a senior health protection role, including the management of communicable disease incidents, outbreaks and environmental hazards.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single face to face at Bristol, Rivergate. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview

Candidates will be asked to prepare a short powerpoint presentation which will be assess the following:
• Proven experience of leadership, line management, supervision, performance management and staff development.
• Experience of leading quality improvement, audit, governance and service development activities.

Full details will be provided at the interview stage.

Interviews dates to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at Bristol, Rivergate OR Follaton.

We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at our office.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a enhanced disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Eligibility Criteria – External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

• AfC Band 8a: £57,528 - £64,750
• Grade 7 (National): £56,185 - £66,581

Candidates holding NMC registration will be appointed on NHS Terms & Conditions at NHS AfC Band 8a. Candidates without NMC registration will be appointed on Civil Service Terms and Conditions at Grade 7 grade.

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud Check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo an enhanced (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Gurkamal Bhambra
• Email : gurkamal.bhambra@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Visit the Civil Service Commission website for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk