Where will you train?
All trainees are required to gain experience in at least two different training locations, in addition to health protection experience, in order to be exposed to a wide range of organisational cultures and public health issues.
Recommended learning experiences in terms of potential vehicles and settings for demonstration of competence are included with each learning outcomes framework for the nine key areas of public health.
Training post locations
The curriculum is predicated on the basis that most public health practice is delivered in core NHS organisations:
- Primary Care Trusts in England
- Health Boards in Scotland
- Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland
- National Public Health Service (NPHS) in Wales
- and the regional/national tier of the NHS/Department of Health
Core learning outcomes are designed to ensure the delivery of an effective consultant workforce for these settings.
Most public health consultants will work in a Primary Care Trust/Health Board and therefore the majority of training and the provision of key learning experience is in this setting. This allows trainees early exposure to routine public health practice.
Public health training programmes are delivered on a deanery or multi deanery basis. Each programme has a range of approved posts at Primary Care Trust/Health Board level into which new recruits will normally be placed during the first two phases of training. These posts are similar across the UK (although the terminology may be different).
Trainees will develop a working understanding of the delivery of healthcare in general practice, primary care, the acute hospital, the community and in partnership with other agencies.
Trainees enrolled on an academic course are encouraged to integrate their knowledge of theory and practice of public health in the context of public health practice in their training location.
Trainees will discuss possible and suitable subsequent placements with their training programme director and deanery Specialty Training Committee to agree the placements that best meet with identified educational needs and career aspirations.
Specialist training posts
Trainees expressing interest in developing special interests and who move onto this path of phase 3 training will be able to achieve additional learning outcomes in certain areas of the curriculum through trainee-selected special interest options and experience specialist settings while also consolidating their more advanced core competence
All training programmes also hold a number of specialist posts which are similar between programmes (eg health protection, academic public health, Department of Health/NHS regional tier, Public Health Observatory etc) which will allow trainees to develop special interests in defined settings.
Several programmes also hold a number of 'national treasure' posts which are available by negotiation and/or competitive allocation during the final phase of training. These posts include highly specialist public health functions such as public health genetics units, central Department of Health, other Government departments, Office of National Statistics, Health Protection Agency Centres, King's Fund, and National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.
For trainees intending a career in international public health, training may be possible with WHO or other agencies abroad.