NHS PUBLIC HEALTH SCOTLAND

JOB DESCRIPTION
1. JOB DETAILS

Job Clinical Fellow in Public Health

Immediate Senior Officer/ Line Consultant in Public Health (Health Protection)/ Head of Division
Manager

Department Infections Services / Environment and Emergency Response

Divisions

Directorate Clinical and Protecting Health

Location Glasgow or Edinburgh

CAJE Reference TBC

2. JOB PURPOSE

The post is for a junior doctor, who has recently completed or about to finish Core Medical Training or
equivalent, to gain experience within health protection. Health Protection is one of the three 'domains' of
public health (health protection, health improvement and healthcare public health) and is responsible for the
investigation and management of communicable diseases and environmental hazards in order to protect
population health.
The post holder will work on specific health protection programmes within the Infections Services and / or
Environment and Emergency Response Divisions in the Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate.

The post holder will work with colleagues across Scotland to safeguard the population’s health through the
development of Public Health strategies and policies for communicable disease, reduction of vaccine
preventable disease, infection control and environmental health and will be responsible for agreed areas of
work within the Health Protection agenda, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be an opportunity for the post holder to gain insights into how health protection activities and public
health operates at a national level. They will have the opportunity to gain career development experience in
research or leadership projects in line with the Directorate objectives.

3. DIMENSIONS

The post holder will be deployed on specific health protection programmes and use evidence-based
knowledge and best practice to support all aspects of health protection at national level in support of local
frontline services.
The post holder will assist in the investigation and management of incidents and outbreaks risk
assessments, reviews of policy, guidance and evaluation as they arise at national level.
In addition to core clinical duties, the specialty fellow post contains 4-8hrs protected time per week for the
development of non-clinical skills. It is anticipated that majority of this time will be spent
developing/improving an area of mutual professional interest to the post-holder and the service. This may

Page 1 of 5
include quality improvement and safety, management and leadership development.

4. ORGANISATION CHART

Clinical and Protecting Health

Environment and Infection Services Clinical, Health Intelligence Vaccination and

Emergency Response and Research Immunisation

Clinical Fellow

5. ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate is comprised of three Divisions:

Infections Services Division includes:

 Respiratory
 Blood Borne Viruses & Sexually Transmitted Infections
 Immunisation
 Public Health Microbiology

Environment and Emergency Response Division includes:

 Environmental Public Health
 Gastrointestinal and Zoonosis
 Travel and International Health
 Emergency Planning

Clinical Health, Intelligence and Research Division includes:

 Clinical public health
 Pharmacy
 Research and Knowledge Services
 Healthcare Audit
 Clinical Trials Unit
Page 2 of 5
6. KEY RESULT AREAS
The exact format of each post will be agreed with the successful applicant, the Director and the Head of
Division. However, the following general principles will apply. Within a 10 session (40 hour) working
week contract, each fellow will contribute approximately:
 4-8 hours per week of protected development time
 4 days per week of supervised clinical activity to support the PHS Health Protection function

Completion of agreed research, education or leadership projects in line with the Directorate objectives
that meet the training needs of the post holder.

7. ASSIGNMENT AND REVIEW OF WORK

 The post holder will be subject to annual appraisal in accordance with national guidance.

 A job plan will be agreed with the successful candidate in collaboration with the Consultant in Public
Health Medicine (Health Protection)/ Director of Public Health Science & Medical Director. Work is
subject to regular review as part of ongoing professional development and target setting.

8. DECISIONS AND JUDGMENTS

The post holder needs to be capable of critical thinking to understand and solve problems; and be able to
operate and make decisions in uncertainty.

9. MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE JOB

The post holder will be required to work in often fast paced, responsive programme areas

The post holder should be able to demonstrate initiative and resilience to adapt and respond to changing
circumstances, timescales, organisational structures and systems

The post holder needs to be capable of operating under pressure and awareness of own limitations.

10. COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder is expected to have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be capable of
communicating effectively to a wide variety of audiences, adapting language as appropriate to the situation.
The post holder will have the capability to listen, build rapport, persuade, and negotiate with individuals and
groups.

The post holder will be expected to establish and maintain extremely good communications and working
relationships with a wide range of staff, including:
 Consultants, healthcare scientists, data analysts, service and programme management staff working
in the Directorate
 Health Board Public Health Teams
 Scottish government and local government colleagues

Page 3 of 5
11. QUALIFICATIONS AND/OR EXPERIENCE SPECIFIED FOR THE POST
 Applicants must have MBBS or equivalent medical qualification

Applicants must:
 be eligible for full registration with, and hold a current licence to practise from the GMC.
 a minimum of 2 years of postgraduate medical experience by time of appointment (equivalent to that
obtained in a UK Foundation Training Programme)
 have evidence of achievement of foundation competences, in the three and a half years preceding
the advertised post start date for the round of application, via one of the following methods:
o ➢ current employment in a UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO)-affiliated foundation
programme; or
o ➢ having been awarded a Foundation Programme Certificate of Competence (FPCC) or
FACD 5.2 from a UK affiliated foundation programme within the 3.5 years preceding the
advertised post start date; or
o ➢ 12 months medical experience after full GMC registration (or equivalent post licensing
experience).

12. EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY

The post holder will be expected to use a laptop and VDU.

13. SYSTEMS
The post holder will be required to familiarise, and use appropriately, the PHS health protection systems.
This will be done in accordance with data protection, freedom of information and confidentiality principles.

The post holder will have a competent knowledge and working of Microsoft packages, statistical packages,
systems for personnel management, financial management, internet/intranet, databases, personal
development systems (iMatter/TURAS) and to be able to use these systems to capture relevant information.

14. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

Physical Effort:
Frequent requirement for sitting at a keyboard e.g. 2-3 hours at a time with (appropriate breaks).
Requirement to carry heavy equipment to internal and external meetings e.g. laptop.
Occasional travel required which may include driving between 2 and 3 hours; also travel by train and by air.

Mental Effort:
Strong element of unpredictability in working day. The ability to make sound judgements, deal with
unpredictable interruptions and meet deadlines, using own initiative. Requirement for post-holder to change
from one task to another, prioritising effectively and adjusting plans

Substantial mental effort required in terms of problem solving, juggling demands, and negotiating and
influencing to ensure sound judgements are made.

Sustained concentration, 2-3 hours at a time required to create and review complex analyses and reports.
Frequently required to work to tight deadlines.

Emotional effort:
Page 4 of 5
Occasional exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances in relation to health protection programme
activities.

Working Conditions
Standard office working conditions apply to this post.

15. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT

A separate job description will need to be signed off by each postholder to whom the job description applies.

Postholder Signature: Date:

Postholder Print:

Manager Signature: Date:

Manager Print:

Manager Title:

Page 5 of 5