Public Health

The Public Health Team moved from the NHS to Devon County Council in April 2013 when many of the functions of Public Health were made the responsibility of local authorities, following the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Our aim is for people to live longer in better health. Each year there is an Annual Public Health report, written by the Director of Public Health, that reviews the health of the people of Devon and outlines recommendations that will contribute to reducing health inequities.

There are a variety of roles across Public Health including consultants and specialists, analysts, commissioners and emergency response. Across the service we are committed to personal and professional development and employers are encouraged and supported to learn and develop. Informally, through the variety and challenges offered in the work; and formally through opportunities to complete recognised qualifications, such as, leadership and management apprenticeships or Master’s in Public Health.

Public Health Consultants and Specialists

Public Health Consultants and Specialists come from many different backgrounds such as medicine, academia, sports science, health psychology and environmental health. They provide public health leadership in the areas of:
• Healthcare public health – public health advice to the NHS
• Health improvement
• Health protection
This includes work in areas such as population health management, children, young people and families, mental health, substance misuse, healthier lifestyles, disease prevention and sexual health.

Public Health Intelligence

Intelligence Analysts in public health explore, analyse, research, translate and present information that can inform decisions to improve population health and wellbeing. This is not just concerned with health services; housing, education and employment are important factors in health and wellbeing. Work is presented in a variety of forms, such as, websites, interactive reports, webtools, reports, newsletters and presentations.

Public Health Commissioning

Commissioning services in public health means getting the best value for the people of Devon by assessing need locally, contracting with partners to meet needs, and influencing support from other organisations. The team is responsible for the strategic administration and contract management of public health funded activity. This includes services around sexual health, substance misuse, health visiting and school nursing, healthy lifestyles and diabetes prevention.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response

The emergency preparedness, resilience and response functions sit within the public health team and provide leadership for incidents and events across the council and wider system and align closely with the local authority health protection functions.