2 Minutes With...
2 Minutes With... is our new, regular feature for the North-West Population Health & Prevention Network members.
The purpose of these articles is to raise awareness of the diversity and opportunities of a career in public health and to raise the profile more generally of public health work and practice across differing themes and settings. For more information regarding the four domains of public health and different roles and careers in public health, click here.
Jan Sinclair - Senior Healthcare Public Health Nurse
Tell us about your role...
I am based in an acute hospital environment and my role is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle for patients, visitors and staff. I set up a health promotion assessment document, care pathways and a user friendly electronic referral system so that patients can be referred to our local community teams for support in lifestyle behaviour change. I liaise with many different teams during my work and ensure that the MECC philosophy is integral to patient engagement with staff. I support the surgical ERAS team as well as the Cancer Service team in promoting optimum health for their patients. I have many opportunities to inform staff about healthy lifestyles in my liaison with the education team and have for the past 4 years helped to organise an All Learners Public Health conference which has increasingly been successful. HEENW have supported the conference and it’s philosophy by including it in their Community Outreach Programme. I have a really positive working relationship with not only Trust departments but also the Public Health Team based at the council as well as a National Network of PH practitioners who regularly meet to share updates relating to important initiatives.
How did you get into your area of work?
I was initially seconded into the role during a 6 month project which was looking at revising the assessment of health promotion for patients, producing health promotion care pathways ( which were ultimately published in 2010) and a referral system which would efficiently process patients from hospital into the community based lifestyle services.
From the initial x9 wards involved in the project this then became a service development throughout the whole Trust and is now embedded in Trust formal documentation.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
I have always enjoyed promoting health as a nurse and see it as an integral part of my role. I have learnt so much from the specialists I have worked with in terms of approaches to public health and how those important health messages transfer into clinical practice. I now see public health as being more of a priority in acute Trusts than ever with key documents such as the new 10 Year Plan emphasising the need for action on prevention.
Tell us a bit more...
I process patient referrals into our community prevention services from the Trust and where possible visit them in the ward environment. I am involved in CQUIN audits and any other public health audits for the Trust (currently, British Thoracic Society). I organise many physical activities for staff in order to highlight the benefits of good health by being a role model and receive much support from our local community providers in providing the session staff. I attend any health related meetings such as Nutrition and Hydration and Health and Wellbeing. I am involved in the process of introducing new initiatives to the Trust such as the current CURE programme. I deliver many different types of behaviour change training sessions both in and outside of the Trust (a key part of my PHE role is delivering training to healthcare staff in the NW). I take part in supporting the Trust prevention programme by attending displays advertising the Health and Wellbeing incentives on offer for staff.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
- Presenting at the WHO conference in 2010
- Winning a Trust award for impact on patient care
- Lead author of the Care Pathways Journal article
- Nursing Times shortlist for Partnership working
- Student Nursing Times award winner for partnership of the Year 2017
- PHE Clinical Champion role 2017 – 2019
- PHE Lead Nurse role for PACC programme
How do you keep yourself motivated?
This is an easy question – I just enjoy making a difference to people’s lives by doing something I enjoy, whether it’s patients or staff.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the constantly changing environments I work in and have so many opportunities to effect change especially with my new PHE role which links in perfectly with my NHS public Health role. No one day is ever the same so I love the variety of the role.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
Being a one person team can be a very busy life but I have lots of people I liaise with though so the job is never lonely but find it frustrating without even simple admin support which would free up a lot of my time.
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Absolutely 100%, as there is much more focus on public health in healthcare environments now and it is in the best interests of the NHS to increase those links embedding prevention into everyday culture.
Dr. Margaret Coffey - Reader in Public Health
Tell us about your role...
My role is split between teaching and research. I teach mainly post-graduate students undertaking their MSc Public Health at the University of Salford. I lead on the module Evidence Based Public Health and teach on the modules Research Methods Applied to Public Health, and 21st Century Global Public Health Challenges. The other part of my role involves me carrying out research, often to evaluate health promotion initiatives, e.g. the Salford Community Food Workers, the Communities in Charge of Alcohol (CICA) project, or smoking cessation interventions, involving the use of e-cigarettes. I also mentor and supervise MSc Dissertation students and Post Graduate Research students doing their PhDs. Other aspects of my role have involved being a programme leader of undergraduate and post graduate programmes, being Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Health Promotion, presenting research findings at conferences (nationally and internationally), delivering training, and publishing from the research studies I have been involved in.
How did you get into your area of work?
Initially I did degree in Health at Liverpool John Moores University, and towards the end of my degree had the opportunity to apply for a PhD studentship. I jumped at the chance and spent the next three years undertaking a PhD exploring ‘Stress in Social Services’. During my PhD write-up year I was asked to do some part-time lecturing at Liverpool Hope University and whilst working there a full-time position came up, which I was offered and accepted.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
My public health career journey began when my children were young. I gave up my job as a secretary to spend time at home with them, and while doing so started looking at other opportunities with a view to changing career when my children were older. I had always been interested in health and wellbeing and was delighted when I realised that I could complete my university studies while my children were at school. I began my undergraduate degree as a mature student and loved it; completing my first degree and PhD over 6 happy years at Liverpool John Moores. From there I went into lecturing, moving from lecturer to senior lecturer and reader in public health over 15 years post-doc.
Tell us a bit more...
The areas that I work in are health improvement, particularly in relation to work-based health and wellbeing, and health improvement in deprived populations. I like to explore why people adopt different behaviours, some healthy and others less so, and then develop/recommend solutions aimed at improving them.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
Achieving my PhD in 2004 and also becoming a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2018.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
Having the chance to make a difference through the research I undertake and my students, who never fail to inspire me. Hearing about the important health promotion roles they undertake after they finish their Masters or PhDs always makes me proud.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Watching people grow, develop and achieve during their studies is one of the most satisfying parts of my job.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
Like a lot of lecturers (I think!?) I least enjoy marking!
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Absolutely, it’s a privilege to be able to touch so many students lives and know that they’re going to go on to carry out public health roles that can make positive differences to people’s health and wellbeing.
Alison Farrar - Public Health Workforce Development Lead for the PHPN
Tell us about your role...
There are two key elements to my role – running the North West population health & prevention network and running a work programme as part of network business.
My role is all about supporting the prevention or public health role largely of the wider public health workforce (health & care workforce for whom public health isn’t their day job) and to a smaller extent professional development matters for the public health workforce itself, (such as the core public health workforce).
The role includes working at national and regional level, supporting the work of the national HEE population health team and locally supporting ICS level work programmes including MECC and whole system approaches.
It is a truly diverse role and always spans delivery of a number of projects that I hope will have a lasting impact after I have hung up my "workforce hat". I have learned so much since I took on the NW role and enjoy working for HEE immensely.
How did you get into your area of work?
I was working as C&M workforce development lead at Champs Collaborative as my post was funded by the SHA at the time. I was TUPE transferred into HEE as part of the health & social care restructuring of public health function back in 2013 whereupon my role morphed into a NW function. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a so many different people working within public health who are dedicated to improving the health and quality of lives for those us living and working in the North West.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
I am fortunate that I have had a varied and portfolio approach to my career to date. I originally trained in Lancaster in the 1980's as an adult nurse and then went onto qualify as a midwife. I have worked largely in the North West though worked for a brief time in Leicester as a midwife.
During my working career I married, had three children but always returned to work, I spent a short spell in the private sector working as a healthcare sales representative and later worked in a number of different GP surgeries as a GP practice nurse. I really enjoyed that role but in 2000 took a drastic change of direction in order to pursue a career in health promotion services. I was heartened and excited by the new opportunities (and level of investment at the time) to work in prevention services, in smoking cessation and later weight management training and service delivery roles.
I was fortunate to undertake further study at master’s level in public health as well as completing my Prince 2 project management course and have always felt that I have tried to combine my clinical skills and knowledge of the healthcare system into my programme management and delivery style. I always try to espouse the values and beliefs of the NHS within my public health practice and do on occasion miss the instant gratification and contact with patients that clinical practice brings.
Tell us a bit more...
I run a digital platform to support the prevention role of the health and care workforce, we have 1000 plus members now from a range of professions and organisations in the NW and as well as running network events and webinars, offer a central repository of public health news, information, policy updates relating to prevention and public health practice, including a monthly newsletter for our network members.
We have a steering group to support the work of the network and a programme of work with an accompanying budget to manage.
Some of this year’s work programme relates to the core public health workforce such as apprenticeships, UKPHR practitioner programme for the NW and events.
The majority of the work programme addresses wider public health workforce development including supporting delivery of a new health literacy e-learning resource, community outreach programme for 11 HEI’s across the North (a chance for undergraduates to give back to the local community and hone their prevention skills), events, establishing a new regional hub to increase adoption and spread of behavioural sciences in public health practice, as well as providing leadership support and advice to the system.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
I have been fortunate to win a chairman’s award during my time at HEE for developing an audit tool for HEI’s to use to audit public health content in undergraduate healthcare curricula.
I try to take a solutions-based approach to my work and have co-developed an e-learning programme on suicide prevention that I was particularly proud to have been involved with. Taking a co-production approach was challenging but rewarding.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I enjoy the diversity and autonomy of the role – we are expected to get on with things. I consider myself an enabler in the system – I try to make things happen for the benefit of others where and when I can.
There seems to always be so much more that we can do within public health – I am committed to "doing my bit" and enabling preventive healthcare practice to flourish across the NW.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Working with such a wide range of people, organisations and areas of work – there is rarely a dull day!
I have no regrets taking an alternative path into public health and have enjoyed my career to date.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
I would like a Tardis – train travel can get you down sadly, my gripes are minor so I can’t complain.
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Yes of course – lots of change, challenge, people, work and interesting views.
Matthew Ashton - Director of Public Health / Head of Health & Wellbeing
Tell us about your role...
The Director of Public Health role within the local authority is responsible for all aspects of Public Health within the Local Authority, including Strategy and Intelligence, Health Improvement, Public Health Commissioning, Public Health Quality, and Health Protection, as well as wider responsibilities incorporating Early Intervention & Prevention, Health in All Policies, and Welfare Reform.
How did you get into your area of work?
I come from a family of public health people, but didn’t actively choose to follow in their footsteps. I studied Economics at University, before completing a Masters in Business, and as a result my maths has always been pretty good. When I left university I worked both for a bank, and for the Inland Revenue, before moving into the public sector in a role looking at the surveillance of communicable diseases and how they spread in our communities.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
I started off looking at patterns of disease, and how they spread, before moving into how we developed strategies to respond to the spread of diseases. At first my role was around communicable diseases such as meningococcal and tuberculosis, before moving onto sexually transmitted infections and HIV. This led to me undertaking a Masters in Health Informatics, and a Masters in Public Health, which then led first to a joint role between the Health Protection Agency and Liverpool John Moores University working with the sexual health team, before moving to Knowsley Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2005 as a public health specialist, covering strategy and intelligence. Eventually I qualified as a consultant in public health, and become firstly Deputy Director of Public Health and then Director of Public Health for Knowsley, before moving to Sefton in 2018 as Director of Public Health and Head of Health & Wellbeing
Tell us a bit more...
My work area is incredibly broad. We have a small public health team that works to improve health & wellbeing in Sefton, and it does this in many ways. For example, we commission public health services such as community sexual health services, drug and alcohol treatment services, stop smoking services and wider integrated wellness services, and also our health visitor and school nurse services. We work closely with the health sector to help and support them to make a difference from a health services perspective. We also work with partners and elected members across the council, the rest of the public sector, and the voluntary, community and faith sector, to help them embed prevention and wellbeing into the heart of everything they do, so that we can all have better physical and mental health.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
Working on the outbreak of legionnaires disease in Barrow-in-Furness, one of the worst outbreaks this country has seen, which really opened my eyes to the difference public health in practice can make.
Getting my Masters in Public Health and qualifying as a consultant in public health, which was very hard work, but gave me an amazing sense of achievement.
Moving the public health function from the NHS into the local authority in 2013 as a result of changes to national legislation, an incredibly difficult shift both operationally and culturally, but one I think we managed very well, establishing our own reputation and purpose within a council setting.
The transformation of public health services in Sefton, and the public health annual reports in Sefton over the last couple of years, which I think really help show that if we all work together we really can make a difference!
How do you keep yourself motivated?
The potential to make a difference for the communities we serve, and tackling some of the inequalities and unfairness that exists for some of our least well-off communities, whilst at the same time working to help everybody be healthier and happier. We don’t have all the answers, but by working with brilliant people both inside and outside of the public sector I absolutely believe we can make a difference.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Most, talking to our cabinet members and our councillors and communities, people who really matter, about what affects their health and wellbeing, and how we can support them better.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
Least, meetings, lots of them!
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Yes, absolutely! I work on things I passionately believe in, that actually make a difference to real people, and I work with and around brilliant people to do this. Every day is a challenge, but it is a challenge with a purpose, which makes it feel so worthwhile.
Rory McGill - Public Health Specialty Registrar (ST4)
Tell us about your role...
I am on a split placement on the training scheme at the moment. My role is very varied across these, ranging from leading on a suicide prevention pilot within a primary care context, to exploring how we can promote a health in all policies approach across a local authority setting. I am also co-chair of the North West behavioural science steering group as well as being the Cheshire and Merseyside rep within this group.
How did you get into your area of work?
I found out about the training scheme while working as a postdoc in public health at the University of Liverpool a few years after completing my PhD in psychology. I wasn’t aware that this scheme was open to non-medical applicants but once I found out, I applied and the rest is history!
Tell us about your public health career journey...
I found academia to be too theoretical for my personal enjoyment so I thought becoming a public health consultant would be a good way to both continue developing my academic skills but also apply what I have learned in a practical setting. I wanted to maintain my social science interests so I spent my ST3 year with the national Behavioural Insights Team at PHE in London. I am the first registrar to organise this from the NW and hoping I have paved the way for others to do the same! For my ST4 year I was keen to work both within a local authority setting as well as at a regional level via Champs so as to apply some of my strategic knowledge from my time working at a national level.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
I am passionate about older LGB health and made this the focus of my dissertation research. I then had the opportunity to be interviewed by Sir Martyn Lewis for national radio to discuss my findings. I also got the amazing opportunity to record a podcast with Will Young on the issue of older LGB health which was very exciting! It is available on Spotify here. Impactful dissemination is very important so we can get the messages out to those who need to hear it the most.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I am very passionate about public health. I am a gay man who was raised within a very deprived background surrounded by alcohol dependency and mental illness. The intersectionality between being a member of a sexual minority group and being from a lower socioeconomic position (both of which are known to have worse health outcomes) gives me a unique insight into the communities I serve and their associated health inequalities. I am now in a position to influence national policy to help those who are like me which is a great feeling!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The thing I enjoy the most about my job is the people. I thrive when I am meeting new people and building relationships, which is a huge part of being a public health consultant I am told!
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
My least favourite thing is being on call for my health protection duties, but this is coming to an end very soon!
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
I would absolutely recommend the training scheme. I am unaware of anywhere else where your employer pays for your masters in public health, as well as provide protected time to do so! On top of this, the scheme is what you make it, so you can seek out opportunities that interest you. And you make lifelong friends while training who really do make the journey very enjoyable!
Susan O’Looney - Head of Public Health Commissioning
Tell us about your role...
Currently my role as Head of Public Health Commissioning provides me with a much broader area of responsibility across services including Substance Misuse, Sexual Health and Health Improvement services.
I am responsible for ensuring that these services are appropriately commissioned to meet the needs of the public and in particular are targeted at those that need these services the most .
Reducing health inequalities and improving health and well-being in Liverpool by focusing on people/places with the greatest level of need, by tackling social and economic factors that affect people’s health.
Collaborating with providers and communities to improve health outcomes through population-wide behaviour change, using all available resources to support people to make the right choices about their health.
How did you get into your area of work?
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 was introduced and under the revised structures my role as Addictions and Offender Health Commissioner was disbanded due to the budgets being split between Liverpool City Council and NHSE and I was successful in gaining the broader role of Head of Public Health Commissioning.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
My career in Public Health started in 2013. However, I have worked in the health and social care sector for 28 years , this experience has enabled me to create and implement changes to the Public health Commissioning landscape, through:
- Transforming service delivery and achieving significant savings.
- The development of a structured approach to enable more integrated interventions for all service users. E.g. integrated young persons and adult substance misuse services.
- Secure value for money and ensure full compliance with Liverpool City Council’s Financial and Contract Standing Orders.
Tell us more...
As the Head of Commissioning, it is my duty to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately and that services are commissioned based on the needs of the population. In recent years there have been significant budget cuts to the sector, which has meant having to make difficult decisions and taking the responsibility for making important decisions with regards to the decommissioning of particular services, founded on a strong evidence base to lessen the impact on residents as much as possible.
I also have an important role in ensuring positive relationships between stakeholders across service providers and with other commissioners across the local authority, Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England, both locally and regionally. These positive relationships and joint commissioning of services during a time of austerity have proven to be important in ensuring service provision across a wide range of services. In addition to this, I also have to manage working in a politically charged environment and having to meet regularly with councillors and other elected members of the council.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
Establishing the Liverpool Community Alcohol Service (LCAS) in 2011 was a particular highlight.
Prior to that date, the city had no joined up community provision. We had to make a convincing case to the board of the PCT in order to gain approval to set up the service. We followed a tight procurement timescale and the service was up and running across the city.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
As the lead commissioner for drug and alcohol treatment services, our services deal with some of the most chaotic, complex people in the city. When I meet people who have been treated by our services and have gone on to live productive lives free of addiction, it gives me all the motivation I need!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the sense of achievement when I work with colleagues to deliver new services and see it come to fruition.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
The least enjoyable element can be the bureaucracy involved in getting new services established. I know and agree that it is necessary…but it can be draining!
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Yes, leading on the overall commissioning process for Public Health allows me to plan services that will meet the populations needs that is underpinned by data.
Deborah Bancroft - Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner
Tell us about your role...
I work as an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in the Bury Integrated MSK service at Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation, which is part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group. My role is to triage, assess and manage patients referred in by their GPs with orthopaedic, rheumatology and pain conditions. One of the aims of the service is to manage a high proportion of patients throughout their episode of care, without the need for them to be seen by an orthopaedic surgeon, rheumatologist or pain consultant.
I also have a lead role within the MSK physiotherapy services, in developing and improving care pathways which support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our patients.
Tell us about your public health career journey...
I have always been interested in supporting my patients to lead healthy lifestyles. However, my real interest in public health started in 2014 when I became a volunteer for a movement in Bury called 'I Will if you Will', which aims to support more women and girls to be more active. I worked with the communications and marketing team and my role was to engage with women attending different community exercise classes to gain an understanding of what they perceived as the barriers to becoming more active, and what support might help them overcome these. The movement was funded by Sport England and delivered by Bury Council. Insights from the project went on to shape the national 'This Girl Can' campaign. Working closely with the wider team, made me realise that our physiotherapy service shared a common goal with the movement, to support our patients to become more active and that both organisations could benefit by working collaboratively to improve signposting pathways, which we went on to do. As a result of this I became an Ambassador for the movement and have had the opportunity to represent them at a number of national conferences and events.
My physiotherapy colleague, Caroline Moss and I have develop the Fairfield MECC Model, which is now fully embedded into our MSK physiotherapy services and this continues to evolve.
Tell us more...
We have developed our own MECC training programme to equip staff with the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver brief advice and tailored signposting and we now work in partnership with a large range of support organisations.
A recent development which is proving to be a real asset to patients is the introduction of a Health Trainer within the services. Patients can now be provided with more in depth personalised support around healthy eating and weight management, stopping smoking, drinking sensibly and improving sleep, at the same time they attend for physiotherapy.
What have been your career highlights / greatest career achievements?
Without doubt, this has been undertaking my MSc in Public Health at the University of Salford, which I thoroughly enjoyed and completed this summer. The journey has been life changing! It has given me the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the wider determinants of health and the contribution health care professionals can make in supporting population health and wellbeing.
Fully embedding MECC within the MSK Services has been a major achievement for us and the evidence shows that our physiotherapy teams are truly having a positive impact on patient’s health and wellbeing.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I am fortunate to come into contact with so many inspirational and passionate people who want to improve population health. But the real motivator is when I am able to support a patient to make positive lifestyle changes and they feel empowered to do so.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Being able to constantly develop new ideas to improve service delivery and supporting staff to realise the impact they can have on improving their patient’s health and wellbeing.
On the flipside, what do you enjoy least about your job?
Whilst it is wonderful to see rotational staff develop their confidence in delivering a MECC approach, six months quickly passes before it is time for them to move on. Workforce development is an on-going challenge as well as an opportunity to train more staff. Hopefully, some will develop an interest in public health and their MECC training will shape their future practice.
Lastly, would you recommend your job to others? If so, why?
Most definitely! I came into my profession in the hope of making a difference to people’s lives, developing my public health role has enabled me to realise this ambition.