Job summary
This role focuses on leadership for health equity and inclusion health within UKHSA�s remit on communicable diseases and external health hazards. The postholder will lead the UKHSA response to systematic, avoidable and unjust differences in health security exposures, experience and outcomes between different groups of people, which can arise due to where individuals are born, grow, live, work and as a result of other key characteristics such as age or gender.�
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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted previously known inequalities in infectious diseases outcomes and the relationship between health equity, communicable and non-communicable diseases. For example, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are unequally distributed in our population. These illnesses and their underlying causes are associated with increased risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.
To ensure more equitable health outcomes, action needs to be taken to address all the factors that contribute to inequalities � reducing differences in risk of exposure, in vulnerability and in the consequences of the disease and of the control measures. Although there is a specific role for health and care services, much of the action required will be outside the health sector and both national and local government need to play a strong leadership role in mobilising formal and informal resources needed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and hazards to health.�
Job description
The post is subject to the core competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health for Consultant appointments, (or other similar Professional Body if relevant) and the post holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in all of them (Appendix A).��
�The post holder is required to:��
Work with directors and divisional deputy directors to develop a clear vision and strategy for health equity and inclusion health in communicable diseases and external health hazards with measurable goalsLead partnerships work both within UKHSA and externally with local, regional and national groups working in partnership with government departments (including the Office for Health Disparities, DHSC; DLUHC, DfE), local authorities (including Directors of Public Health), NHSE and the voluntary sector with a clear focus on priority groupsSupport the development of appropriate organisational and system assurance for health equity for the areas of responsibility of UKHSA�Work across UKHSA and with other partners in academia to develop a systematic approach to advanced public health intelligence ( linked individual data and phenotyping rather than ecological data) and data driven health equity to ensure evidence-based policy development and implementation and ensure that there is timely monitoring and publication across all disease areas on inequalities to monitor whether efforts to reduce them are successful�Identify research needs and work with research funders, academia and system partners to enable funding�Work within UKHSA and the wider system, alongside UKHSA�s policy team, to provide cross government leadership to ensure capability is built in all government departments to address wider determinants of health�Support the development, application and quality assurance of tools to enable the systematic assessment of health equity Health Equity Assessment Tool, Health Impact Assessment/Equality Impact Assessment�Work across the public health system to develop comprehensive engagement to magnify the community voice, groups and leadership in the work of health equity and inequalities, focusing on inclusion health groups, protected characteristics and vulnerable people.�Work with NIHR Health Protection Research Units to ensure consideration of health equity in their aims and objectives, and to support UKHSA in developing further insight and evidence for the impact and management of infectious diseases and health hazards on specific inclusion�groups including those in particular high-risk settings eg Care Homes, the Prison estate etc.�Work across UKHSA to provide a �People and pathogen� approach, integrating delivery of services such as TB, blood borne viruses and sexual health for inclusion health groups;�for example, by understanding spatial differences including food purchasing and poverty and relationship to gastrointestinal infections, developing interventions to reduce transmission of respiratory infections in multi-generational households and communities etc�Develop a community engagement and research strategic plan and develop a framework�for co-production of interventions for health protection � including awareness, immunisations, testing and management of infections�Develop business cases/proposals for research /evaluation of interventions targeted at inclusion health groups��As a system leader foster appropriate relationships and collaborations at national, regional and global levels, including building on UKHSA�s global work in health and justice to extend this to other areas of health equity and inclusion health.�Ensure advice and support available to deliver effective public�health interventions for vulnerable groups, both in�UKHSA�s day to day and response work.�Lead and manage a division of approximately 30 � 40 people and its associated budget covering a range of public health disciplines�Work closely with the Deputy Director Place & Health Equity Policy to ensure an effective Health Equity Programme and associated Board.�Participate fully in the development of both the HECG Directorate and CPH Group, as a member of both SLTs�Participate in emergency response as needed/ appropriate eg as Incident Director or Strategic Response Director.�Represent the Director or on occasion the CMA, at system- facing and internal meetings as required.�Person specification
At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. �We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.
Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.
Benefits
Learning and development tailored to your roleAn environment with flexible working optionsA culture encouraging inclusion and diversityA with an average employer contribution of 27%