Job vacancy: Locum Consultant in Health Protection, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham

Job summary

Main area

Health Protection

Grade

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant or AfC Band 8d

Contract

Fixed term: 6 months (Until 31 January 2025)

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

10 sessions per week (37.5 hours per week)

Job ref

919-HM-32732079-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: UKHSA West Midlands
Town: Birmingham
Salary: £83,571 - £131,964 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 22/07/2024 23:59

Locum Consultant in Health Protection

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant or AfC Band 8d

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Candidates should refer to the Job Description for a full overview of the role and remit of the post prior to completing their application.

Other Information

Option 1 - External  - Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.

The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d.

Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)

If included in the GMC Specialist Register/ in a specialty other than public health medicine, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice

Public Health Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC.

Selection process details

STAGE 1 – Application & Sift:

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the person specification. You will be required to complete an application form. You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This will be assessed in line with the advertised criteria.

Applicants are strongly advised to use the person specification section as sub-headings in the application to make it clear how you meet each of the selection criteria.

At sift stage you will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the job advert and statement of suitability.

Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1250 wordcount.

Please note: The system will allow you to write upto 1500 words but please do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview and assessment, a presentation will form part of this assessment.

STAGE 2 – Interview

All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will progress to an interview and will be assessed on the essential criteria as advertised.

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

Interviews will be held virtually over Teams.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

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

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

For further information or an informal discussion about the post, please contact:

William Proto, Consultant in Health Protection - [email protected]

UK Health Security Agency promoted diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunities employer.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 www.legislation.gov.uk In accordance with legislation; GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months of interview
If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine/or medical microbiology practice
Public health speciality registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC register, GDC Specialist list in dental public health or UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview. All other applicants not yet granted specialist registration must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence from the register concerns that they have submitted satisfactory evidence and therefore registration within six months is assured.
Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of the Faculty of Public Health/Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
MFPH by examination or evidence of equivalent qualification FRC Path or evidence of equivalent qualification MRCP or evidence of equivalent qualification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

Minimum 6 months experience in Health Protection practice
Practical experience in leading and facilitating change
Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
Experience of working with other agencies
Experience of emergency planning
Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, audit, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
Understanding of social and political environment
Understanding of laboratory microbiology services
Understanding of clinical infectious diseases services
Understanding of clinical toxicology services
Understanding of the principles of radiological protection
Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards / chemical incidents

Desirable criteria

Experience of budget management and financial processes
Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
Peer reviewed scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars, etc

Skills and Capabilities

Essential criteria

Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills, including management of change
Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
Adaptable to situations, can communicate with people of all capabilities and attitudes
Project management
Understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the public and the media)
Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
Computer literate
Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
Resource management skills
Strong commitment to public health principles
Commitment to team-working and respect and consideration for the skills of others
Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
High standards of professional probity

Desirable criteria

People management and training
Training and mentoring

Equality nd Diversity

Essential criteria

An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

I understand my application may be rejected or I may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

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

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan.  If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. 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 (attached as a supporting document).

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 UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] 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 here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates 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 usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

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 take into account 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/