Retrospective recognition -
PMETB transitional arrangements

As of 1 January 2007, retrospective recognition of training to count towards a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) criteria is no longer be possible for new entrants for the higher specialist training programme.

However, on 16 April 2007 the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) issued a letter stating that trainees appointed to a training post prior to 1 January 2007 can apply for retrospective recognition up until 31 July 2007.

Those wishing to apply for this please do so as soon as possible but not later than 30 June 2007 so the Faculty will have time to process the documents to meet the PMETB deadline of 31 July.

Please see the Faculty website for the application form and further information.

Consultation on Guidance for Workplace Assessors

Following the acceptance of the Faculty's new syllabus by PMETB, work is underway on guidance for workplace assessors who will start using the new syllabus in August 2007.

The Guidance for Workplace Assessors aims to help assessors judge whether trainees has achieved the learning objectives set out in the Faculty's syllabus.

This guidance is in draft format, and all Faculty members are invited to comment on the first draft by the 15 June 2007. Please email your comments to comments@fph.org.uk.

Download the draft Guidance for Workplace Assessors [Word]

Training Conference & future trainee events

A successful Training Conference was held on the 17 April 2007 at the University of Warwick. The event gave trainees the opportunity to question a variety of public health specialists on the range of options open to them in the remainder of their training and future careers. The presentations from the conference can be viewed online on the Faculty's conference website.

Have your say
If you are a trainee or trainer, and whether or not you attended the conference, we would appreciate your views. Please help us to plan for future events for trainees by completing our brief online survey.

Prioritising Health Services Conference

The Prioritising Health Services Conference on the 26 April in Birmingham was fully subscribed and feedback to date has been extremely positive. The conference covered issues including the Commissioning for Health Framework, priority setting, judicial review and dealing with individual funding requests.

The presentations from the conference are now available on the Faculty's conference website.

Annual Conference registration now open

Registration for the 2007 Annual Conference (26-28 June, Eastbourne) is now open. Following a record number of submissions from across the UK, this year’s new look Annual Conference promises to deliver a wide-ranging and engaging programme for public health specialists.

The conference will explore the big issues across the breadth of public health – from alcohol and prisons to social marketing and sustainability. Plenaries include The Great Public Health Debate, Public Health in the NHS and Local Government, and The Future of the Public Health Workforce. Besides the unparalleled networking opportunities, intensive learning sessions will also allow for professional development in a range of public health areas.

Main speakers to include: Sir Liam Donaldson (Chief Medical Officer for England),
Mr David Nicholson (Chief Executive of the NHS), Sir David King (Chief Scientific Adviser), and Sir Michael Marmot (University College London).

To view the programme and book your place visit the conference website.

Network Groups Update

The Faculty's Network Groups now have more than 400 registered users and a number of new groups have been formed recently. These include the International Public Health group, and the Northern Ireland Public Health Development Programme group. The latter aims to publicise details of, and share learning from, professional development events and opportunities, and to provide a discussion forum for people working in public health in Northern Ireland, to help prepare for changes in public health delivery arrangements.

Anyone interested in joining the groups can register at: http://new.fph-groups.org.uk.

Dental public health capacity and capability project

The Chief Dental Officer (CDO) has commissioned a project on dental public health capacity and capability, to be undertaken as part of the Department of Health's (DH) wider work on the development of the public health workforce. The remit of the project is confined to England.

The group will report to the CDO and to the Health Improvement Workforce Programme Board of the DH. The first meeting is due to be held on 5 June.

The group is seeking representation from the Faculty. If you would like to represent the Faculty on this project, please send a one page CV outlining your expertise and a short paragraph stating why you wish to represent the Faculty on this group to lindseystewart@fph.org.uk by 9 May 2007.

Review of Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

The Department of Health has launched its Review of Parts Two, Five and Six of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. The consultation proposes repeal of the sections currently in Part II and their replacement with more modern and flexible provisions, in order to strengthen the response not only to infectious disease but also to contamination by chemicals or radiation. The aim of the new legislation would be to provide for a more effective response to infection and contamination.

Faculty President, Rod Griffiths will be drafting a response to the proposals. If you would like to input into this response please send your comments to comments@fph.org.uk by 11 May 2007.

Health Foundation Leadership Schemes

The Health Foundation offers leadership development schemes - free of charge - to healthcare professionals from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Their Leaders for Change scheme and the Harkness/Health Foundation Fellowships in Healthcare Policy and Practice are currently open for applications.

Please see the Health Foundation website for further details

Population and Behavioural Science PhD Studentship Funding - CALL FOR SUPERVISORS

The vision of Cancer Research UK is to beat cancer through world class research. If you can provide a strong studentship project and an excellent training environment then their PhD Studentship scheme may provide the funding you require.

A competitive stipend and research running expenses will be provided. Cancer Research will work with successful applicants to advertise the studentship in national journals and on websites to attract the best students.

Applications are welcome from those who do not currently hold Cancer Research UK grants. For more details please look at the CRUK website.

For an application pack, please email fellowships@cancer.org.uk. For further information please contact Donia Sadik donia.sadik@cancer.org.uk

The closing date for applications is 13 June 2007.

Events

Only Faculty sponsored events are listed below, however a list of public health events across the UK is available at www.publichealthconferences.org.uk/all_events.php. If you would like to list your event, please email news@fph.org.uk.

Making Public Health Work
Faculty's Annual Conference
26-28 June 2007
Eastbourne
For further information: www.publichealthconferences.org.uk/annual

Patient Safety Research - Shaping the European agenda
24-26 September 2007
Porto, Portugal
UK Faculty of Public Health, University College London, WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety
For further information see www.patientsafetyresearch.org