Competency frameworks
The Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework is UK-wide and is regularly updated with a variety of tools to support its use.
Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework overview (PDF file, 4.4 MB)
The Faculty of Public Health curriculum describes the core competencies in the ten key areas of public health practice:
- Use of public health intelligence to survey and assess a population’s health and wellbeing.
- Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of interventions, programmes and services intended to improve health or wellbeing of individuals or populations.
- Policy and strategy and evidence development, translation and implementation.
- Strategic leadership and collaborative working for health.
- Health promotion, determinants of health and health communication.
- Health protection.
- Health and care public health.
- Academic public health.
- Professional personal and ethical development.
- Integration and application of competences for consultant practice.
Case studies of GPwER in population health and health inequalities
Role description
"I run the professional education for the National Trailblazer Programme. This is a programme supporting (mainly early career) GPs working in areas of deprivation across the UK with personal and professional development. The aim of the programme is help support these GPs to thrive working in areas of deprivation and with inclusion health groups. It is a privilege to regularly meet and learn with/from such incredible GPs working with colleagues and patients to improve health outcomes for those most in need."
Protected time for the role
"Eight hours per week - I do this work on a Friday."
Developing additional skills for the role
- Working as a salaried GP at a group practice
- Leadership fellowship in Health Equity 2018-2020
- Leadership for population health, Kings Fund 2019
- Health Equity special interest group, RCGP 2020-current
- Fairhealth Trustee 2021-2023
- Deep End GP Yorkshire and Humber 2018-presesnt
Role description
From job description:
The post holder will be the GP lead for Health Inequalities across the Health Board and will be a key member of the Public Health Team. The post holder will be expected to work across General Practice and with key partners to strategically develop interventions to improve the health of people living in our most deprived communities.
The overall aim of the post is to advise and lead on developing the role of General Practice in tackling health inequalities. To reduce health inequalities through the development of high quality and accessible primary care services for disadvantaged groups and communities. Working across General Practice and with key partners to strategically develop interventions to improve the health of people living in our most deprived communities.
Amount of protected time for role
Funded by Public Health - two sessions per week.
Developing additional skills for the role
"I see the role as a clinically informed, research-based, policy inputting one, with an education and training element. And so the skillset involved depends on the particular task. The hugely important skills of networking and organising, and personal tenacity are not to be underestimated! So regular psychotherapy (I attend a monthly GP psychotherapy small group, and have done for 7 years) and conferences/meetings. Of course, there are more formal/traditional CPD elements - today I attended a MS365 Planner tool introduction which was interesting."
Useful resources
Main resources for creating a role or job description for a GPwER PH and HI
- Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework, August 2019 Update (UK Government)
- PHSKF Self Assessment Tool - for GPwER to self-assess learning needs
- PHSKF Mapping Tool - for employers to map organisational skills gaps and to develop GPwER role descriptions.
- Curriculum - Faculty of Public Health (FPH)
- GP curriculum
- PHSKF – Professional and Ethical Underpinnings
- Good public health practice framework 2016 (FPH) (PDF file, 185 KB)
- 1 The Seven Principles of Public Life (UK Government)
- 1 Public health ethics in practice (UK Government)
- One hour webinar explaining how this framework was developed, including information from GPs working in this role, December 2024
Learning resources
Population health
- Centre for Population Health
- Public Health Textbook (FPH)
- NHS Population Health Training Pathways (NHS England)
- Population Wellbeing Portal
- Welcome to Health Knowledge (FPH)
- Developing the public health workforce: training and recognizing specialists in public health from backgrounds other than medicine: experience in the UK | (Public Health Reviews)
- Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England and specific endorsed ones, including public health Centre-endorsed credential specifications (NHS England)