Learning Outcomes Framework

The Learning Outcomes Framework is the portion of the curriculum which outlines the competencies, or learning outcomes, that trainees in public health need to attain in order to complete their training.

 

Key competency areas

The curriculum covers nine broad competency areas. These nine key areas relate to the three domains of public health practice (health protection, health improvement and service quality) and are derived from a description of what a consultant in public health is able to do, in what setting and how they deliver their service.

The nine key areas are:

  • Key Area 1: Surveillance and assessment of the population's health and wellbeing
  • Key Area 2: Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare interventions, programmes and services
  • Key Area 3:Policy and strategy development and implementation
  • Key Area 4: Strategic leadership and collaborative working for health
  • Key Area 5: Health Improvement
  • Key Area 6: Health Protection
  • Key Area 7: Health and Social Service Quality
  • Key Area 8: Public Health Intelligence
  • Key Area 9: Academic Public Health

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Learning outcomes

Each key area consists of a number of learning outcomes. These cover the skills, attitudes and expertise expected of a consultant in public health and outline what the trainee will know, understand, describe, recognise, be aware of and be able to do at the end of training.

Some learning outcomes use words such as ‘complex', ‘weight' etc which are defined in the glossary and give a fuller description of the level of attainment expected. The learning outcomes framework should therefore be read in conjunction with the glossary.

Learning outcomes are divided into:

  • core learning outcomes (those which every trainee must have to gain a CCT)

    and
  • specialist interest trainee selected learning outcomes (these areas of optional special interest are available in addition to the core and allow development of special interest either in a particular area of public health practice or in a particular setting).

The learning outcomes are in turn mapped to:

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Good public health practice

The learning outcomes framework also includes a section on Good Public Health Practice which describes the behaviours and attitudes necessary for professional practice. This is referred to as Ethical management of self and Professionalism.

 

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Target phase of achievement

This is the point in training (i.e. phase 1, 2 or 3) by which most trainees must achieve the outcome. It does not necessarily preclude a trainee achieving outcomes earlier but may act as a trigger for remediation if the outcome is significantly delayed. Where a target phase indicated covers multiple phases, the trainee is expected to provide evidence of achievement at each level.

See the Phases of Training for further information.

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Knowledge and Skills Framework competency

Since public health specialist training is a multi-disciplinary programme, open to graduates from medicine and other disciplines, trainees from backgrounds other than medicine are employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions.

The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework ( KSF) lies at the heart of the career and pay progression strand of Agenda for Change; linking the KSF requirements to this new curriculum is therefore essential.

The NHS KSF is a developmental system that defines and describes knowledge and skills for NHS staff. It provides a single, consistent, comprehensive and explicit framework for review and development for all staff from a background other than medicine.

Each learning outcome is linked to a KSF competency at the level required by the end of training.

 

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Suitable assessment methods

Each learning outcome will be assessed by multiple methods and by multiple assessors. Suitable methods are outlined in the assessment section. These are described further and blueprinted in the curriculum section on assessment/examination.

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