Healthy Lives, Healthy People:
a Public Health Workforce
Strategy
Wessex Public Health Network CPD Event, Tuesday 18 June 2013
1
A Public Health Workforce Strategy
White Paper Healthy Lives Healthy People (2010) gave
commitment to develop a PH workforce strategy for
consultation
DH Working Group includes members from the FPH, BMA,
LGA, DCLG, RCN, the Deaneries, HPA as well as DH policy
officials.
Consultation from 27 March - 29 June 2012: sought views on
the content of a public health workforce strategy – nearly 250
responses
Consultation had an inclusive approach and was jointly
branded with the Local Government Association
2
Key themes from consultation responses
• a more explicit link to the Public Health Outcomes Framework;
• the balance between national leadership and local delivery;
• further clarity on the public health workforce roles and
responsibilities of key organisations in the new system;
• potential career pathways for public health describing the different
entry points and opportunities for provider workforces;
• building on the role of the wider local authority workforce;
• issues such as regulation of the public health workforce and
medical revalidation.
3
Key commitments
• LGA advice and guidance dealing with ideas for local innovation in
workforce development and the alignment of skills with local
community priorities
• review of the Public Health Skills and Career Framework that will
be used to develop a new skills passport for public health
• the PHORCaST website will migrate to Health Education England
and be developed as an interactive website
• a minimum dataset for the public health workforce to support
workforce planning for public health specialists and the wider
public health workforce
4
Key commitments (contd)
• PHE will support and develop its non medical scientific workforce,
linking with the Modernising Scientific Careers Programme
• DH will extend statutory regulation to non-medically qualified public
health specialists
• Health Education England (HEE) will lead on workforce planning,
education and training with professional advice from PHE
• PHE will work with HEE to identify a lead LETB for public health
• A review of the Faculty’s curriculum for the national public health
specialty training programme
5
Key commitments (contd)
• Councils and the LGA will work closely with DH and PHE and other
colleagues in the public health system, including the NHS
Leadership Academy (NHSLA) to co-design and develop
leadership programmes
• PHE, in partnership with local authorities and other key
stakeholders, will lead the development of the knowledge and
information workforce at national and local level
• PHE’s Chief Knowledge Officer will lead on developing academic
public health capacity for PHE
• academic competencies should be given appropriate weighting
and the lead LETB for public health will identify and promote high
quality academic training placements
6
Conclusion
The commitments in this strategy will enable us to:
o Understand our workforce better
o Focus on the workforce development role of local authorities
o Give a clearer road map for future career pathways and
skills development
o Give greater reassurance on the competence and
professionalism of all public health specialists
o Improve connections between commissioners of education
and training and the end-users
o Promote leadership skills and
o Embed public health knowledge and capacity across the
healthcare system
7
Next steps
• The commitments will be taken forward by the range of
organisations as set out in the strategy
• PHE Deputy Director of Professional Workforce Development –
Kathryn Rowles
• PHE Professional Leadership Forum jointly chaired by the Medical
Director/Director of Health Protection and Director of Nursing
• DH retains oversight of strategy implementation
• DH, PHE and the LGA will monitor implementation of the strategy
and, in partnership with stakeholders, review and if necessary
update it in 2015.
8