Purpose

To approve the establishment of a new
Principal Public Health Programme Officer post which will focus on
health protection (Grade P), and to make two existing fixed-term
posts permanent: Public Health Programme Officer (Children) (Grade
N) and Environmental and Public Health Officer (Grade L).

Decision

That the Assistant Executive Director (Public
Health) approves the establishment of a new Principal Public Health
Programme Officer post which will focus on health protection (Grade
P),and makes two existing fixed-term
posts permanent: Public Health Programme Officer (Children) (Grade
N) and Environmental and Public Health Officer (Grade L).
Recruitment to the Public Health Programme Officer (Health
Protection) role would be progressed in line with the
‘Recruitment Policy’.

Alternative options considered

The option of not providing additional
permanent capacity to the public health team was considered. This
was rejected as it would mean that the public health team would
lack capacity: (i) to deliver health
protection initiatives, and plans and programmes to increase uptake
of screening and immunisation, (ii) to create healthy school
environments and to promote the health of children and  young people in educational settings, and (iii) to
deliver across joint work programmes with the Environmental Health
team.