Training and Careers
What is Public Health?
Public health is focussed on improving health in populations rather than treating illnesses in individuals. It is concerned with the ‘bigger picture’. This involves a collective approach to population health which has a strong emphasis on the socio-economic and wider determinants of health such as housing, education and employment. There are many health issues which require a population approach in order for there to be improvement.
Are you interested in a career where you:
- focus on population health
- use evidence and intelligence to inform your practice
- advocate for people who often are not heard
- work collaboratively with stakeholders
- influence policy
- shape and deliver local services and programmes
If yes, then it sounds like a career in public health could be for you. There are a wide range of public health careers available in the North of Scotland.
What is it Like to Live and Work in the North of Scotland
There are six Health Boards in the North of Scotland: NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, NHS Tayside and NHS Western Isles. In each NHS Board area there are Public Health Teams either within Public Health Departments and/ or Health and Social Care Partnerships. These teams have Practitioners and Specialists working in all public health areas including health care services, health protection, health improvement and health intelligence.
The number of people working in these Public Health Teams varies across the six board areas. The teams are comparatively small and therefore tend to provide close-knit and supportive working environments. The same can be said for the partner organisations we work with and has helped foster close partnership working.
Working in the North of Scotland provides opportunities to develop your breadth and depth of experience and take on professional responsibility and autonomy, where this is appropriate.
It also provides opportunities to gain insight into the issues involved in promoting and protecting health within remote and rural communities and the challenges surrounding the provision of equitable access to healthcare.
Local geography dictates that the distances involved in travelling may be considerable. However NHSScotland uses Microsoft Teams as our secure communication & collaboration tool. This means that all North of Scotland Boards have the digital infrastructure to connect colleagues, enable remote working, share files and collaborate to deliver services. Digital/ remote and flexible working is now integral to the way public health teams work in the North of Scotland.
Public Health Specialty Training Opportunities
In the UK, Public Health Specialty Training posts are recruited annually at the national level. Information on this can be found on the Faculty of Public Health Website National Public Health Specialty Training Recruitment – FPH.
The number of training places available in the North of Scotland varies each year and are available with NHS Grampian, NHS Tayside, NHS Highland and NHS Shetland.
These places are open to doctors and to graduates / professionals from a background other than medicine who can demonstrate the essential competences /experience to enter training. The training programme is up to 5 years and includes completion of academic public health training (Masters in Public Health), 18-24 months general training in the employing Health Board followed by rotation to other attachments.
Training Attachment or Placements in the North of Scotland
In addition to specific training positions there are a variety of opportunities for short-term attachments or placements with North of Scotland Boards. Placements can be adapted to suit the interests and training needs of registrars but are likely to be between three and six months in length. However, more flexible options such as short residential placements to fit with school holidays combined with protected time at your base of origin can be arranged (rather than on placement) in order to enable you to complete pieces of work.
There are also opportunities for individuals from any clinical background, to undertake attachments in the North of Scotland that last from 3 months to 3 years. This could include Intercalated BSc projects to PhD theses. These projects could be undertaken in conjunction with other clinical departments, primary care or academic colleagues in a range of universities.
There are currently no relevant opportunities to display. Opportunities may still exist that are not displayed, so please get in touch via our contact page if you wish to find out more.
Further Information
For further information on specialist training within the North of Scotland please visit the NES website (http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/) or contact:
- Elisabeth Smart, Consultant in Public Health with NHS Highland and Public Health Specialist Training Programme Coordinator elisabeth.smart@nhs.net
- Phil Mackie, Consultant in Public Health with NHS Grampian and Public Health Specialist Training Programme Coordinator phil.mackie@nhs.scot
- Dr Jane Bray Consultant in Public Health with NHS Tayside and Public Health Specialist Training Programme Coordinator Jane.Bray@nhs.scot
Job Vacancies
The NHS Scotland Jobs | Job Train Gateway will lead you to all live Public Health Vacancies in the North of Scotland.