Public Health Practitioner
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Posted
- 11/08/2026
- Closes
- 01/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role involves leading the development of a whole-prison public health and recovery-oriented approach across four prisons in the North East. You will embed health promotion, social prescribing, digital inclusion, and peer support into prison healthcare, aiming to reduce health inequalities and improve lives. The position requires developing and implementing public health plans, collaborating with various partners, and using data to design targeted interventions. It's a pivotal role in widening access to public health interventions and building on existing social prescribing work.
Essential criteria
- Highly developed specialist knowledge, underpinned by theory and experience Knowledge of specialist public health field acquired through relevant degree plus additional training or experience to master's degree or equivalent
- Significant experience in prisons/criminal jus-tice/inclusion health or public health practice
- Significant experience of public health work and/or specialist public health knowledge
- Excellent communication, training, and relationship-building skills (including with low-literacy popula-tions).
- Experience of working with excluded or disadvantaged populations
- Ability to lead change, influence stake-holders (governors, officers, clinicians), and overcome institutional barriers.
- In depth understanding of prison systems, organisa-tional culture, security and healthcare
Desirable criteria
- Public health qualification (MPH, UKPHR practitioner registration or SCPHN qualification, or equivalent)
- Direct experience in prison healthcare or equivalent institutional settings
- Demonstrable experience of delivering training to large groups
- Experience of de-veloping non-clinical support pathways in institutional or inclusion health settings
- Track record of leading or taking a key role in delivering peer-led programmes
- Experience of delivering training to large numbers of staff, especially in prisons or similar institutional settings
- application form
- Highly developed specialist knowledge, underpinned by theory and experience Knowledge of specialist public health field acquired through relevant degree plus additional training or experience to master's degree or equivalent
- Significant experience in prisons/criminal jus-tice/inclusion health or public health practice
- Significant experience of public health work and/or specialist public health knowledge
- Excellent communication, training, and relationship-building skills (including with low-literacy popula-tions).
- Experience of working with excluded or disadvantaged populations
- Ability to lead change, influence stake-holders (governors, officers, clinicians), and overcome institutional barriers.
- In depth understanding of prison systems, organisa-tional culture, security and healthcare
- Public health qualification (MPH, UKPHR practitioner registration or SCPHN qualification, or equivalent)
- Direct experience in prison healthcare or equivalent institutional settings
- Demonstrable experience of delivering training to large groups
- Experience of de-veloping non-clinical support pathways in institutional or inclusion health settings
- Track record of leading or taking a key role in delivering peer-led programmes
- Experience of delivering training to large numbers of staff, especially in prisons or similar institutional settings
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £49,387 – £56,515 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 19d ago · Closes in 3d
Applications close soon — apply now if this is a fit.
Full advert · preview
Job summary
Are you passionate about reducing health inequalities, improving lives and helping people in prison build healthier futures? This is an exciting opportunity to join Spectrum in a new and influential role, leading the development of a whole-prison public health and recovery-oriented approach across three male Category C prisons in the NorthEast and HMP Low Newton, a women's prison.
You can make a real difference by embedding health promotion, social prescribing, digital inclusion and peer support into prison healthcare. You will help create healthier, more hopeful environments where people are supported to make informed choices, improve wellbeing, access meaningful activity and prepare for successful resettlement.
Working at the heart of Spectrum's public health ambitions, you will contribute to trauma-informed, strength-based and recovery-focused models of care. The post aligns with national HMPPS strategies, the Chief Medical Officer's report, Spectrum's healthcare peer support model at HMP Low Newton, the North of England Recovery in Prisons Project and local place-based public health priorities.
A pivotal role in widening access to public health interventions across the Spectrum North East prison cluster. Building on existing social prescribing work, you will co-design referral pathways that connect people to non-clinical support such as creative arts, physic
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