Population Health Clinical Fellow

Job description The Clinical Fellow will work within the Population Health Unit in the Strategy, Planning and Evaluation Directorate, under the supervision of a Consultant in Public Health. The post provides an opportunity to develop practical experience in population health, public health, strategic commissioning, clinical leadership and health and care transformation across a large and complex integrated care system. The postholder will bring a medical perspective to commissioning, service transformation, resource allocation and quality improvement. They will work across organisational and professional boundaries to help translate national policy, clinical guidance and best practice into deliverable local programmes, policies and service changes. The Clinical Fellow will take responsibility for defined projects or workstreams, working with an appropriate degree of autonomy within agreed professional and organisational parameters. This will include planning and coordinating complex activities, managing interdependencies, identifying and resolving delivery issues, maintaining appropriate project documentation and ensuring that agreed outputs are completed. The postholder will contribute to the organisations approach to utilisation management and value for money. This will include considering how resources are used across the health and care system, assessing the financial and operational implications of proposed changes, and contributing to business cases and programme budgets. The role does not include direct patient contact or an on-call commitment. Main responsibilities 1. Project and programme delivery Take responsibility for agreed projects or discrete workstreams, developing clear objectives, milestones, deliverables and monitoring arrangements. Coordinate contributions from different teams and organisations, ensuring that activities are aligned and interdependencies are identified and managed. Provide concise updates and briefings to senior colleagues on progress, risks, dependencies, decisions required and proposed mitigating actions. 2. Clinical advice on commissioning decisions Interpret clinical recommendations, professional standards and national guidance in the context of local commissioning decisions. Apply agreed local policies and decision-making frameworks consistently when contributing to value assessments. 3. Policy review and implementation Review existing local clinical policies to determine whether they remain consistent with current national guidance, professional standards and organisational priorities. Draft or revise local policies and supporting documentation for consideration through the relevant approval process. Translate national guidance into clear local requirements, identifying areas in which implementation may require changes to contracts, workforce, digital systems, referral arrangements or clinical practice. Assess the potential consequences of proposed policy changes for patients, providers, commissioners and different population groups. Support the implementation of approved policies by developing practical guidance, briefings, implementation plans and monitoring arrangements. Advise colleagues on the interpretation and application of national, professional and organisational policies within the scope of the role. 4. Resource stewardship and value for money Consider the financial, workforce, operational and opportunity-cost implications of proposed policies, services and improvement initiatives. Contribute clinical advice to business cases, options appraisals and investment or disinvestment proposals. Examine the potential effect of decisions across different parts of the health and care system, including the risk that costs or activity may be transferred between organisations or services. Support the identification of opportunities to improve productivity, reduce low-value activity and make more effective use of available capacity. 5. Utilisation management Support work to understand variation in the use of health and care services and the factors contributing to that variation. Examine whether activity is taking place in the most clinically appropriate setting and whether alternative approaches could deliver better outcomes or value. Contribute to reviews of referral patterns, thresholds, clinical practice and service utilisation within defined programmes. Help identify opportunities to reduce avoidable, ineffective or lower-value activity while protecting patient safety and access to clinically necessary care. Support the translation of utilisation findings into practical commissioning, improvement or implementation actions. 6. Clinical quality and safety Identify potential clinical risks associated with proposed service, pathway or policy changes and ensure these are considered through the appropriate governance process. Support the development of proportionate clinical quality and safety measures for defined programmes. Escalate concerns promptly where information suggests a significant risk to patient safety, quality of care or organisational assurance. Work within professional standards, organisational policies and agreed limits of competence when providing clinical advice. Maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling patient-level, commercially sensitive or otherwise restricted information. 7. Strategic planning and implementation Provide medical and public health input to medium- and long-term plans for service development and system transformation. Translate strategic objectives into defined actions, deliverables and implementation requirements. Consider how proposed changes may affect different services, organisations, professional groups and parts of the population. Support options appraisal where several potential courses of action are available and the evidence or operating environment is uncertain. Anticipate practical barriers to implementation and propose proportionate actions to address them. Contribute to the alignment of local plans with national policy, organisational priorities and available resources. 8. Information systems and records Use relevant local and national information systems required for the delivery of assigned work. Support the effective operation of designated information systems where responsibility is allocated to the postholder. Ensure that information is recorded, stored, shared and retained in accordance with organisational requirements. Maintain accurate records of project activity, recommendations, decisions and supporting evidence. Apply information governance, data protection and confidentiality requirements when using identifiable or sensitive information. 9. Governance, assurance and accountability Ensure that assigned work complies with relevant statutory, regulatory, professional and organisational requirements. Prepare evidence and documentation required for programme assurance, internal review or audit. Support transparent decision-making by clearly recording the evidence reviewed, options considered, judgements made and approvals obtained. Follow appropriate routes for clinical, financial, information and corporate governance. Work within delegated authority and seek senior advice where matters fall outside the postholders competence or remit. Contribute to the regular review of risks, controls, actions and delivery assurance within assigned programmes For full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role please refer to the job description and person specification documents attached.