South Gloucestershire Council

Public Health Specialty Registrar Training Prospectus

Introduction

South Gloucestershire has a rich natural and cultural heritage. It is a mixed urban and rural authority of great diversity located in the South West of England. The area stretches from the Severn Estuary in the west to the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the east. Its southern boundary borders the city of Bristol. The area is well served by the M4 and M5 motorways and has good rail links.

The population of South Gloucestershire is estimated to be 290,400 (based on the 2020 census). This is an increase of 10.5% compared to the recorded population in 2011 (262,800). Sixty percent of the population live in the built up areas immediately adjoining Bristol, namely Filton, Patchway, Bradley Stoke, Kingswood, Downend, Staple Hill and Hanham. Around 19% live in the towns of Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury and the remaining 21% live in the more rural areas of South Gloucestershire.

Structure of the Training Location

The PHWB Division is part of the People Department within South Gloucestershire Council.

Our purpose is to promote and protect the health of the population of South Gloucestershire and to advocate for those whose voice is seldom heard. Our vision is to improve healthy life expectancy and reduce health inequalities in South Gloucestershire.

Our values are as follows:

we have a culture of excellence
our work is evidence based and outcome focused
we are outward looking and client centered
we are a learning Division who reflect and evaluate
we are creative, innovative and dynamic
we are open, trusting and work in partnership

Our priorities for the next two years focus on the following areas:

mental health & well-being
childhood poverty
alcohol harm reduction
health in schools programme
childhood obesity
domestic abuse
partnership working across South Gloucestershire Council, with BNSSG Integrated Care System and with the West of England Combined Authority (WECA)

The Public Health and Wellbeing Division is led by the Director of Public Health, Sarah Weld. The division has a range of teams that work

Drug and Alcohol and Sexual Health (DASH)
Emergency Planning
Evidence, Population Health and Intelligence (EPI)
Health Protection
Healthy Foundations
Healthy Lifestyles and Places
Mental Health, Inequalities and Community Engagement (MICE)
Public Health Leadership Team (PHLT)
Strategy, Systems and Partnerships

Organisation of Training

South Gloucestershire Council is a training location within the South West Public Health Training Programme, overseen by Health Education South West, Severn Postgraduate Medical Education.

Lynn Gibbons is the Specialty Tutor for the training location and has regular links with the training programme. Registrars, Consultants and Specialist Public Health Managers meet formally on a quarterly basis to review registrar workloads, potential projects and provide an opportunity for Registrars to make suggestions, raise concerns and share examples of good practice.

South Gloucestershire Council operates a hot-desking arrangement and all Registrars are provided with a desk within this arrangement, laptop, landline (mobile phone not included), email address and remote access. Close working within the relatively small team results in a flexible and supportive working environment providing numerous opportunities to suit Registrar training needs.

Supervisors

We have five fully trained Educational Supervisors within the team including four Consultants and our Director of Public Health.

We have a range of activity supervisors in the Public Health team, in other parts of the Council and with partners. Both our Specialist Public Health Managers are activity supervisors, as are our programme leads and other key colleagues within all elements of the Public Health division. We also have activity supervisors across the Local Authority, including in Sustainability and Climate Change, the Commissioning team and Environmental Health. We have also developed links with partners including North Bristol NHS Acute Trust and BNSSG ICB to enable projects to be carried out by Registrars within healthcare settings.

Educational Supervisor Portfolios

Sarah Weld is the Director of Public Health (DPH) for South Gloucestershire Council. She trained in the South West and worked in South Gloucestershire Council as a Consultant and Deputy Director before becoming DPH in 2022. Sarah is passionate about public health and social justice and has a particular interest in health care public health and health improvement. She is a Visiting Professor, Centre for Public Health and Wellbeing, UWE Bristol, and Honorary Senior Lecturer to the University of Bristol.

Lynn Gibbons is specialty tutor and has been at South Gloucestershire Council since her CCT in 2017. A marine scientist by background, Lynn worked in sustainable development and sustainable health before Public Health training (in the West Midlands). Her portfolio includes mental health; inequalities and the wider determinants of health; prevention and the built environment and climate change.

Helen Tapson has been at South Gloucestershire Council since her CCT in 2020. With a background in public health intelligence, Helen’s portfolio focuses on Healthy Foundations (Children and Young People).

Gemma Morgan has been a consultant in South Glos Council since CCT in 2018, having undertaken clinical academic public health training locally, including completing a PhD through an NIHR Fellowship. Gemma is a medical doctor and holds the public health portfolios of health protection and emergency planning; evidence, intelligence, and population health; and academic public health.

Helen Asquith has been a Consultant at South Gloucestershire since 2023. She leads on Healthcare Public Health, Adult Social Care and Healthy Ageing. She trained in London and worked for Camden and Islington Councils, where she led the COVID-19 Emergency Response.

What do Registrars Think of South Gloucestershire?

Current Registrars:

"I have been in South Gloucestershire for almost a year, having started as an ST2 after finishing my Health Protection Placement. The team were incredibly welcoming, dedicated and enthusiastic, and I was able to get stuck into substantial pieces of work such as the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and the Director of Public Health's Annual report whilst also preparing for the MFPH. I have found that there are always lots of different opportunities for projects and that Educational Supervisors and Activity Supervisors pay attention to how those projects meet learning outcomes. As an ST3 I have been co-leading on the Ageing Well portfolio, alongside other pieces of work on things like Financial Security, Drugs, Alcohol and Sexual Health, and Diabetes Management. These have given me the opportunity to work more closely with partners and take more responsibility for areas of work. Overall, South Gloucestershire is a great place to work, and a great group of people to work with to develop Public Health skills and confidence."
Dhanya Gardner, ST3 Registrar

"I’ve recently started in South Gloucestershire Council as my second Local Authority training placement. It’s a really welcoming team with a strong emphasis on developing a sense of ‘team’ alongside learning and working in projects and programmes. With my supervisor I’ve been able to shape my workstreams to help me work towards completing specific learning outcomes and to identify pieces of work to help me get a broad experience and develop both professional and personal skills.

The team has a real focus on Registrar development with regular catch ups and CPD sessions. I’m regularly encouraged to pick up projects, access training or attend sessions that will help to enhance my Registrar experience. I’ve had great support from my Educational Supervisor and it’s helpful to have such an engaged and helpful wider team to support my learning."
Charlotte Cadwallader, ST3 Registrar

Previous Registrars:

"South Gloucestershire Council has been my first placement as a public health registrar, and I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive place to begin my training. I arrived to lots of potential project ideas already available, but have also been able to tailor some of my work to my own specific areas of interest. Every single person I have been supervised by is passionate, dedicated and really supportive of registrars.”
Elizabeth Smout, placement in SG as ST2 Registrar

“I started in South Gloucestershire Council in ST2 having moved from Field Services at PHE I have found everyone, at all levels, to be very welcoming, encouraging and supportive. There has been appropriate attention to working towards learning outcomes but also space to develop confidence and professional skills in general and it has been a very enjoyable training experience.“
Claire Ferraro, placement in SG as ST2 Registrar

"I have been in South Gloucestershire Council for 2 years in the second half of my training. I have found my training experience to be excellent with a focus on both achieving learning outcomes and contributing in a positive way to the work of the department. I have worked on a breadth of different public health projects and been given responsibility for areas of work.

The team is friendly and enthusiastic about the work they are doing and I have found everyone, at all levels, to be welcoming of registrars and interested in the work they are doing."
Helen Erswell, placement in SG as ST4 Registrar

"I came to South Gloucestershire Council as on out of area placement from the Wessex deanery. I felt welcomed and part of the team really quickly. I had a very specific topic in mind, health and the environment as a determinant of health, but even within this there were lots of opportunities to get involved in. My main project was producing a Clean Air strategy which was a cross-council document. The council has very good working relationships between Public Health and Environment and Community Services which is a real strength. The project work was accommodated to meet my required Learning Outcomes and I was able to achieve full-sign off for all of the ones I had hoped for. I was also able to get leadership experience, such as establishing a steering group and presenting to elected members, which have been really helpful in the latter years of training. I definitely recommend South Gloucestershire as a training location.”
Rachael Marsh, placement in SG as ST4 Registrar

Continuing Professional Development

When based with South Gloucestershire Council, Registrars are enabled to attend Training Programme tutorials and encouraged to attend any in-house training that is of interest. Registrars are also invited to attend monthly Divisional Management Team meetings where frequent CPD discussions lead by internal and external colleague are held. The Division also runs a ‘tea and chat’ and a ‘lunch and learn’ series.

What is Unique About South Gloucestershire?

Overall population indicators for South Gloucestershire are generally good, often at or exceeding national averages. However inequalities exist, and may often be hidden, which provides a real need for public health input. There are opportunities for working as a public health professional to reduce inequalities, working closely with local communities and partner agencies.

South Gloucestershire Council offers Registrars the opportunity to work across a number of different Divisions within the organisation, for example with the planning team via the Built Environment Partnership Officer post, with climate change and sustainability, and with the environmental health and licensing teams through the Safer, Stronger Partnership.

The South Gloucestershire Public Health & Wellbeing Division has excellent working relationships with external partners offering Registrars a wide range of opportunities to work closely with, for example the ICB, UKSHA and OHID. The University of the West of England is based in South Gloucestershire and we have developed good academic links and shared workstreams.

Examples of Recent Work

Current Registrars

"In the year I have been working in South Gloucestershire I have been able to work on multiple projects across wide public health remit. I was able to lead on the delivery of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, and the Director of Public Health's annual report which focused on clean air and climate change, and also carry out a service review and options appraisal for the Home Safety Equipment Scheme which provides safety equipment to families with small children. Currently I am co-leading the Ageing Well portfolio, specifically an Adult Social Care focused Ageing Well Needs Assessment, as well as working on the development of a financial security framework for the council to address the ongoing impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and beyond, and creating an action plan for implementing Equalities recommendations across Drug, Alcohol and Sexual Health Services. In addition, I am working on a project across the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board footprint to appraise Type 2 Diabetes Management options. I feel I have been able to work with partners across the system and from across the public health team, to lead on pieces of work, and tailor projects to meet specific learning outcomes."
Dhanya Gardner

"One of my current pieces of work is a needs assessment on Violence Against Women and Girls which is allowing me to work with the Council’s Community Safety team as well as partners across the Council and beyond such as the Police and commissioned support services. It’s a great opportunity to work on a really important topic and to facilitate community engagement with the local population to find out what is important to them."
Charlotte Cadwallader, ST3 Registrar

Previous Registrars

"At South Gloucestershire, I have been well supported in preparing for both the Diplomate and Membership exams. I have been given increasing responsibility as my own knowledge and skills have developed, as well as having opportunities to work with partners from across the wider public health, health and social care systems. Examples of work I have been involved with include the development of a new drugs strategy for South Gloucestershire, producing a trauma-informed Knowledge and Skills Framework for professionals working in a range of organisations across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, and leading on community outreach for COVID-19 surge testing.”
Elizabeth Smout, placement in SG as ST2 Registrar

"I started in South Gloucestershire Council in ST2 having moved from Field Services at PHE. As my first local authority placement, I wanted to experience the breadth of public health from a LA perspective and was given the option of a number of diverse projects including developing the Health & Wellbeing Board Strategy, Children & Young People’s Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing Needs Assessment, work on financial insecurity and health protection assurance.”
Claire Ferraro, placement in SG as ST2 Registrar

"I have completed a wide range of different projects such as needs assessments and strategy development for breastfeeding and sexual health. I have led public engagement work for the healthy lifestyles service and am the lead for oral health. I have also worked on projects contributing to the delivery of the clean air strategy."
Helen Erswell, placement in SG as ST4 Registrar

"I have had exposure to a range of work across the three pillars of public health whilst at South Gloucestershire. I led the development of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Strategy, working collaboratively across multiple organisations – including the council, CCG and Parent Carer Forum – gaining valuable experience in strategy development, stakeholder engagement, partnership working and an in-depth understanding of the political context and council processes including accountability arrangements, public consultation and equalities impact assessments. I also presented the work at Health and Wellbeing Board and the Children and Families Partnership and was involved in its launch at the local Children and Young People’s Mental Health Improvement Conference. I have undertaken a Needs Assessment for People Living with Neurological Conditions, developed a dashboard to support the Health Protection Assurance Group in meeting their responsibilities, worked with colleagues to develop and evaluate an emotional resilience workshop delivered to public health colleagues and am currently undertaking an evaluation of the alcohol interface nurse at North Bristol Trust. I was part of a senior leadership team responsible for reviewing, appraising and scoring business cases for year-end reserves and subsequently wrote a business case for an integrated healthy lifestyles service which combined several business cases with a view to providing a more holistic, efficient and cost-effective service. I have also gained additional leadership experience as Duty Consultant on the Public Health rota. My work at South Gloucestershire have been broad, interesting and varied and always in line with meeting my training needs and the needs of the team."
Lucy McCann, placement in SG as ST4 Registrar

Key Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Lynn Gibbons, Consultant in Public Health & Specialty Tutor (Tel: 01454 865747, email lynn.gibbons@southglos.gov.uk)

South Gloucestershire Council

Public Health Department
South Gloucestershire Council Offices
Badminton Road
Yate
South Gloucestershire
BS37 5AF

This page was last updated March 2024

This page was last updated December 9th 2021 (2 years ago)