Voluntary Register for Public Health Specialists

1
Voluntary Register for Public Health Specialists
where are we now and what next?

• Jenny Wright, Public Health Resource Unit, Oxford

2
Outline

• Background to the register
• Where we are now
• First phase of registration
• Next steps
• What to do now

3
Background to the Register

• New category of public health specialist
  announced in Saving Lives Our Healthier Nation
  1999
• Part of building public health capacity
• Changes at the Faculty of Public Health Medicine
• Either/or posts including DsPH
• Public protection

4
Progress to date

• Tripartite Group responsible, working with DoH,
  for setting up the Register
• Jenny Griffiths project manager
• Launched by Hazel Blears at UKPHA this March
• Will start end of May

5
Getting onto the Register

• Via portfolio assessment for 3 years from end of
  May (in first instance) for senior public health
  professionals from backgrounds other than
  medicine who want to be accredited in all 10 key
  areas (consultant equivalent) (DsPH straight onto
  Register but have to have portfolio approved
  within two years or come off)
• By completion of formal training and signing off
  of CCST equivalent

6
How it will operate

• Joint Board chaired by Jim McEwan first meeting
  27 May
• Wider Advisory Group
• Four panels in the first instance (to be reviewed
  after one year) trained in assessment of
  portfolios
• Administrator being appointed
• Register housed at RIPH
• Pump-primed by DoH then self-funded

7
Being on the Register

• Pay for the privilege!
• Sign up to standards
• CPD
• Revalidation
• May be statutory in time implications for jobs

8
Information available

• Frequently asked questions
• Portfolio assessment
• Top-up
• Website www.education-brokering.org.uk

9
Next phases for Register

• Accrediting specialist/specialist (health
  protection, health promotion, health information,
  academics
• DoH will be issuing tender for the work to be
  completed by spring 2004 or earlier
• Lots of issues which competencies how assessed
• Linking public health competencies across other
  Registers (eg dentists, nurses, community
  pharmacists, health psychologists)

10
What about the Faculty?

• Link in various ways
• Hon Membership (category now closed for new entry
  but a large group pay for Faculty CPD)
• Associate status
• Those on Register will be offered automatically
  Membership by Exemption
• Training
• Likely to move to more flexible training

11
Putting portfolios together

• Will take time so start now if you are thinking
  of this route pilots indicate about 10 15 days
• Look carefully at the examples
• Need to demonstrate both knowledge acquisition
  and application for each sub-area of the 10
  competencies
• Set up a grid
• See if there are 5-6 big pieces of work that
  will cover more than one competency
• Be canny about gap-filling

12
Putting portfolios together

• Retrospective not prospective may need to
  supplement evidence with testimonials
• Can demonstrate application via supervision
• Need for each piece of work to state the aims,
  method used, your role, outcome, reflection and
  competencies covered

13
What do I do now? Who can help?

• Individuals need to reflect on what is the best
  option for them where to they want to be in the
  future where are the gaps in competencies
• Talk to your local lead
• Are there others in a similar position I can talk
  to, work with
• Look at what is on offer top-up training
  broader competency development (funding from
  DoH/WDC)
• May need to speak to line manager/employer to
  negotiate time off
• Should be part of PDP

14
Think Positive

• There has never been a better time for public
  health professionals from backgrounds other than
  medicine
• Think through the options
• Still changes to come/future developments
• Be prepared to seize the opportunities!