Public Health Manager – Leisure Insourcing
In a borough with amongst the greatest public health challenges in the country, do you have what it takes to work with local communities, the council and partners to improve health outcomes and address health inequalities in Tower Hamlets?
We are offering an exciting opportunity to join our team to support the insourcing of our leisure centres, which provides a unique opportunity to increase physical activity and wellbeing in the Borough .
The purpose of the role is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Tower Hamlets and reduce health inequalities through the opportunities afforded to us by the insourcing of leisure services and the new facility in Shadwell.
The post holder will lead on the development of our ambitions to ensure the current leisure service evolves into a wider health and wellbeing offer by building relationships with commissioners and funders of health and social care interventions to develop an agreed theory of change. Following that, the post holder will set out a proposed commissioning & investment strategy which will detail what services within the health and social care economy could contribute to this agenda.
This role will need to work across a large project team and will contribute to the broader Public Health teams plans and duties.
Key responsibilities include:
1. Developing a shared theory of change as to how the new leisure service can be an active health and wellbeing service.
2. Working in partnership to identify joint health/leisure initiatives and developing an action plan for aligning these to the new in-sourced service, along with a method for prioritising options.
3. Navigating and convening commissioners and providers of health/care services, to identify opportunities for service redesign and pathway development. Setting out clearly and communicating the ‘offer’ of the new service to commissioners of health and social care services.
4. Ensuring the design of the new service delivery is in line with ambitions to provide an equitable, accessible and active wellbeing offer.
5. Convening a T&F group to support the above priorities.
6. Supporting development of any relevant new initiatives linked to health and wellbeing, such as a single point of access, developing a business case for any initiatives identified.
7. Exploring and designing commissioning and payment models for partner services, as required.
8. Identifying and implementing an approach to work alongside residents to develop the offer.
9. Writing and presenting relevant papers for senior-level boards.
10. Developing an approach to evaluating the programme.
This post will ultimately help the council and its partners to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes for residents, particularly those currently least active. This will be achieved by increasing accessibility to the new service; and providing a more comprehensive, joined-up and accessible health and wellbeing offer to residents. Through achieving better health, the health and social care system will also experience reduced demand as a result of the preventative approach taken; and the new service will experience a wider range and number of residents, leading to increased income for the council, supporting the financial sustainability of the service.
The post holder reports to the Project Director for Leisure Insourcing and will work closely with the Public Health team throughout the work. Some limited evening and weekend work may be required.
This post will help the council address our ambitions to increase physical activity in the borough; support children to be a healthy weight; and increase participation among women and girls. Tower Hamlets has high levels of physical inactivity with over one fifth of adults reporting themselves to be physically inactive. Physical activity is key to addressing the physical and mental health long term conditions that drive health inequalities and cause poor health outcomes. Addressing these conditions will also address high dependency on health and social care services in Tower Hamlets. Alongside this, another strategic priority is addressing child unhealthy weight levels: supporting more children to be physically active will help the council achieve this ambition.
We will be shortlisting candidates against criteria below. Please provide examples in your application to demonstrate how you meet these criteria.
11. Good understanding of NHS, local government cultures, structures, policies and the interface between health and social care
12. In depth understanding of health inequalities, the main determinants of health and interventions to effectively promote health and wellbeing.
13. Significant experience of public health practice at a senior level and at a practical level to improve health and wellbeing.
14. Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills including strategic planning, policy development and implementing change across different organisational settings
15. Commitment to team working and demonstrating effective interpersonal, motivational, and influencing skills with respect and consideration for the skills of others.
16. Understanding of social and political environment.
17. Understanding of the impact of sport and leisure on health outcomes.
18. Understanding of the Leisure industry and current trends
“Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.