Somerset Council

This is Somerset

Somerset Council has come into being from 1st April 2023 following a merger of Somerset County Council and four district authorities. It is now one of the largest councils in England. Somerset has a larger proportion of older people in the population profile than average and features in the top ten most rural counties in the country, which presents challenges for both service delivery and public health.  The public health team in Somerset is well established and has good links across the council. There is one Somerset NHS Foundation Trust which covers the whole local authority area. Somerset Foundation Trust is approved as a training location so we can offer Healthcare Public Health placements with local supervision. The co-terminus nature of the structures makes for good working relationships across the system.

Educational Supervisors

Professor Trudi Grant, MSc PH UKPHR FFPH
Trudi has been Director of Public Health since 2012.  She holds the Executive Director of Public and Population Health post for Somerset Council and the Somerset Integrated Care Board.  Her role sits on the senior leadership team of both organisations and holds a formal seat on the Board of the ICB.  Her work focusses on influencing across the Somerset system to improve health and tackle inequalities.  Trudi directs the specialist Public Health Team and a team of approximately 250 public health practitioners.  She acts as the lead for population health transformation and health inequalities on behalf of whole system. 

Louise Woolway, MSc, UKPHR, FFPH

Lou is the Deputy Director of Public Health and Service Director of Somerset Council. Her work focuses on providing strategic leadership and direction, operational management, and financial control for the Public Health function of the Council, collaborating with Elected Members and Non-Executive Directors, the Chief Executives, the Senior Leadership Teams, and partner organisations to develop the culture and achieve the aims, strategic priorities, and desired outcomes of the Council and Integrated Care System (ICS). Lou comes from a sports science, leisure management and physical activity and play development background. 

Dr Orla Dunn, BSc, PgC LTHE, MPH, UKPHR, FFPH

Orla has a background in health psychology and retains an interest in behaviour change and health research.  She currently leads on population health management including, public health intelligence, and takes a lead role on cardiovascular health.  She also fulfils the role of Specialty Tutor for Public Health for Somerset.

Alison Bell, MSc RN FHEA FFPH UKPHR

Alison is the lead for health protection, sexual health and substance use within the public health team and works closely with the ICB around primary care commissioning. Somerset has many unique health protection challenges, ranging from flooding on the Somerset Levels, Hinkley Point nuclear power stations and the world renowned Glastonbury festival, so there is never a quiet moment, with lots of opportunities for system working to tackle challenges. Alison’s background initially was in cardiac nursing which evolved into a career in International Public Health and a passion for Public Health

Alice Munro, MPH, MFPH UKPHR

Alice is currently lead for the wider determinants of health, including developing the Public Health Ambassador programme to build relationships and capacity to support public health outcomes across all council functions.  Her professional background is in nursing, with an undergraduate degree in economics.

Patsy Temple, MSc PH, MFPH UKPHR

Patsy is currently the lead in public health for children and young people physical and emotional health and wellbeing and health improvement. She has a background in psychology and health psychology and an interest in behaviour change.  

Dr Rachel Handley, MBChB MPH MFPH

Rachel has been leading on a new way of working for the public health team, as well as using her skills as a generalist with an interest in systems thinking to lead work on personalised care, social prescribing, and reducing tobacco use. Rachel has a medical background and loves to incorporate drawings into work whenever possible, including for the FPH Yemen Special Interest Group for which she is the Vice-Chair.

Quotes from Registrars

"Working in Somerset has enabled me to be involved with a range of public health projects, fully supporting my development as a registrar.  My placement provided me with great opportunities to lead work across the Council and work with stakeholders across the county, developing my public health skills and competencies in line with the curriculum.  With a commitment to training, highly skilled team and a unique population, I would recommend Somerset [County] Council as a training location for registrars at all phases of training." 

"Somerset [County] Council take a proactive approach in ensuring that SpR's are involved at a senior level and work alongside consultants in Public Health, offering a diverse range of learning opportunities"

What We Can Offer

We are flexible and hope to be able to respond to the learning needs of a wide range of Registrars, across the stages of their training.  Specifically we believe that we can offer:

  • A very positive experience of Local Authority public health working
  • Very good relationships with and embedded work with Director of Adult Services and Director of Children Services
  • We are keen to develop stronger links with academia and so if you have a project in mind, do think of Somerset
  • Good links with local GP speciality tutor and paediatric speciality tutor so plenty of opportunities for joint projects and shared clinical experiences across Specialties
  • Core offer well developed and good opportunities to progress work in surveillance, evidence based public health, public health intelligence and service public health competencies with good supervision from both educational supervisors and primary care
  • Opportunities to experience of Public Health commissioning within Local Government
  • Site of a new 2024 launching Health Determinants Research Centre so opportunities to develop research in local authority
  • Healthcare public health placements at Somerset Foundation Trust

Unique training opportunities in our location include:

  • Diverse background of Consultants and PH team
  • In-house Health Visiting Service
  • Glastonbury! The festival and the place
  • The Somerset Levels and legacy of flooding
  • Hinkley Point – the largest economic development site in Europe currently, bringing public health challenges amongst others

Key contacts

Key contacts

For further information, please contact:
Dr Orla Dunn, Specialty Tutor

Somerset Council

Public Health Department

Somerset Council
County Hall
Taunton
TA1 4DY

 

This page was last updated February 2024