The South West Population and Public Health Academy brings together the South West Public Health Training Programme and Public Health Workforce Development Programmes.
This joint newsletter will provide highlights and updates which we hope will be useful for Public Health colleagues across the South West.
Newsletters are created after each Academy Board meeting taking place in January, May and September each year.
Please see below the latest academy newsletter
South West Population and Public Health Academy Newsletter
Summer 2023
Welcome to our Population and Public Health Academy Newsletter
The South West Population and Public Health Academy brings together the South West Public Health Training Programme and Public Health Workforce Development Programmes. This joint newsletter will provide highlights and updates which we hope will be useful for all.
Key Dates for 2023
SW Public Health Practitioner Scheme Introductory Webinar: 5th September
Faculty of Public Health National Registrar’s Conference: 21st September
Specialty Tutor Meetings: 3rd October, 21st November
Academy Board Meetings: 3rd October
First Year as a Consultant workshop: 3rd October
Open Evening: 5th October
Health Inequalities Webinar Series: Gambling (16th October)
ARCP dates 2023: 17th October
Development School: 1st November
Supervisor Training: 7th November
Quality Panel: 28th & 29th November
Contact gemma.cooke@hee.nhs.uk if you would like to attend as an observer at our ARCPs.
Details of all training events are posted on the website
Training Programme update
From the 1st April 2023 we have seen the legal entity of Health Education England cease as the transition has been made into the NHS England. As part of the transition, the previous Programme team office at Park House will close in August and the team will temporarily move to 360 Bristol before moving into a new office in Temple Street, Bristol in the New Year.
These continue to be busy and challenging times in Public Health, and we appreciate all the continued hard work and support from our Registrars, Specialty Tutors, Supervisors and colleagues. The Training Programme continues with regular communication with the Specialty Tutor group and StRs by conducting bi-monthly virtual meetings and attending monthly tutorials.
The team continue to support work to deliver hybrid meetings and tutorials and have started to see more colleagues returning to an office environment. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many colleagues in person at the Training Conference in July and hope to see more face-to-face activity going forward.
Health Inequalities Webinar Series
All the recordings from the health inequalities webinar series are now available to view via our webpages.
Development School 2023
The Programme has started planning for this year’s Development School which will take place on the 1st November 2023 via MS Teams. It was agreed to deliver this event virtually this year. Please save the date and keep checking the school website for updates.
The Development School is open to anyone working in a public health related field from across the South West. There will be a wealth of opportunities for new learning and the discussion of new ideas. As always, the school will help to develop both individual practice and strengthen us as a public health community. Sessions will also be recorded for those who are unable to attend on the day.
South West Marmot Region – Helping accelerate the reduction in Health Inequalities in the South West Region
The launch of the South West Marmot Region was held on the 20th April 2023 in Taunton. Since then, the first South West Region Marmot newsletter has been published, designed to keep colleagues informed and updated about the SW Marmot Programme.
The newsletter will feature events and programmes happening across the SW Region aimed at improving health outcomes and reducing Health Inequalities.
Please contact PublicHealth.SW@hee.nhs.uk if you would like access to the SW Marmot region newsletter.
Exam Results
Congratulations to all Registrars in the South West who have recently passed the diplomate or membership exam:
DFPH - Monica Koo
MFPH - Alexandra Creavin, Nick Shaw
Public Health Practitioner Masterclasses
We will be commissioning a further two sets of practitioner masterclasses to be delivered in this financial year.
Supervisor Training
Details of the training required to be an accredited Supervisor in the South West is listed below:
All potential Educational, Academic and Activity Supervisors are required to complete the same training which comprise of the completion of modules 1-5 of the Public Health specific Supervisor Training. All 5 modules are delivered by the Training Programme. The next training session will take place on the 7th November 2023. More information here
Please note that supervisors must attend the Public Health specific training delivered by the programme. More information here
SW Specialist Portfolio Support Group
We have convened a specialist portfolio support group in the SW. This will provide support to those nominated by our local and regional Public Health Directors to work towards compiling their portfolios for specialist registration with UKPHR.
Training Conference 2023
The South West Public Health Training Conference took place face to face in Exeter on 4th July 2023. It was a very well attended, successful event and great to see so many colleagues in person.
All Registrars and Supervisors were invited to attend the event which will act as the 2023/24 annual update for Supervisors to retain their accreditation to supervise in the South West. The conference was recorded for those who were unable to attend on the day. With thanks to the planning group for supporting the event and all those that contributed; initial feedback is looking excellent.
First Year as a Consultant Support
The South West Population and Public Health Academy are pleased to offer new Consultants in Public Health in the South West access to workshops that will provide them with a regionally recognised support structure.
Depending on identified support needs, colleagues with particular expertise will be invited to support these workshops e.g. HR, coaches/facilitators. Each workshop will have a theme which contributes to a rolling agenda of workshops e.g., CPD, hints and tips, wellbeing, culture.
These workshops will be supported by senior/experienced Consultants in Public Health who will also act informally as mentors to new consultants.
Upcoming workshops for new Consultants:
• 3rd October 2023 2-3 pm via MS Teams
If you are a new Consultant in Public Health and would like an invite to the workshops, please contact PublicHealth.SW@hee.nhs.uk
Please see our dedicated webpage for the First Year as a Consultant support here
Quality Panel
A key mechanism to understand the quality of education and training is assessed through a Quality Panel. The South West Quality Panels are an annual review of the quality of all training locations.
The 2023 Public Health Quality panel will take place virtually on the 28th and 29th November.
Training locations should save the date and await further details. More information on Quality Panels can be found here.
SW Public Health Practitioner Scheme Introductory Webinar: 5th September 2-3pm
The webinar will cover the following:
• Criteria/eligibility
• Application process
• Compiling your portfolio and the assessment process
• Overview of the support available once accepted onto our scheme
To register your attendance, click here
South West Public Health Practitioner Scheme is seeking additional portfolio assessors. If you are a senior public health practitioner and/or a currently registered Public Health practitioner who would be interested in becoming an assessor, please do email us PublicHealth.SW@hee.nhs.uk. We can provide more details and arrange for you to complete training with UKPHR.
For those interested in applying to Train in the South West
There is a dedicated webpage available for those who wish to apply for Specialty Training or to gain more experience in Public Health.
A structured process was developed to ensure that those interested can receive the information and experience they need, and this is working well.
The first step in this process is to attend a Career Event, the most recent event took place in May and was recorded. Please contact PublicHealth.SW@hee.nhs.uk if you would like to access the event recording.
If you have attended a Career Event or have watched the online session, you now have the opportunity, if you like, to attend a Taster Session. These sessions are run by local authorities across the South West and are also free to attend.
At a taster session you can gain some valuable knowledge on Public Health and get involved with some activities within the Council with the Public Health team. Information on upcoming events, and to register, please click here
The next South West Public Health Open Evening will take place on the 5th October 2023 5.15-7pm via MS Teams. This is an open session and will be particularly helpful for anyone interested in applying for the South West Public Health Training Programme in 2024. Please see the event webpage to register to attend.
Public Health Apprenticeships
We are delighted to have been able to support 8 public health apprentices across the regions to undertake the Level 6 Public Health Practitioner Apprenticeship. We are now working with education providers to establish a course for the Level 3 Community Health and Wellbeing Apprenticeship within the region. We will keep you updated. For more information on the Level 3 apprenticeship please click here.
If you would like more information on any of these items, please contact PublicHealth.SW@hee.nhs.uk