Senior Clinical Lead; Consultant in Public Health

The Consultant in Public Health, Senior Clinical Lead will work within NHS England's Vaccination and Screening Directorate, providing senior clinical and public health leadership for a national screening portfolio. Working as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team, the postholder will support the delivery, quality assurance, quality improvement and strategic development of screening services, ensuring programmes are safe, effective, equitable and evidence based.

The postholder will provide expert public health advice, oversee clinical and professional input into the programme, lead the management of quality and safety issues, and contribute to the development of national policy, standards and guidance. They will work closely with colleagues across NHS England, regional teams, providers and key stakeholders to drive continuous improvement, reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for the population.

This is a fixed-term appointment for six months to provide maternity cover and offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the leadership and delivery of nationally important screening programmes during a period of transformation and improvement.

• Provide senior clinical and public health leadership for one or more national NHS screening programmes, ensuring safe, effective, high-quality and equitable services.
• Work with the Head of Operations within an integrated portfolio team to deliver strategic and operational priorities across screening programmes.
• Provide expert public health advice to support policy development, service improvement and evidence-based decision-making.
• Lead quality assurance and improvement activity, promoting continuous improvement and embedding learning across programmes.
• Support the development and implementation of national standards, policies, guidance and quality frameworks.
• Lead the management of screening incidents and quality concerns, ensuring appropriate escalation, investigation and risk management.
• Develop and maintain clinical and professional advisory arrangements, ensuring access to specialist expertise
• Work with NHS England colleagues, providers, professional bodies and partners to improve screening quality, uptake and equity.
• Provide leadership and line management to staff, supporting professional development and high performance.
• Contribute to wider public health and cross-directorate work within the Vaccination and Screening Directorate.
• Represent the programme at national forums, deputise for senior colleagues and provide expert advice during significant incidents or emerging issues.

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

For further details / informal visits contact:
Name:
Rebecca Maclean

Job title:

Interim National QA Lead Email address:

If you would like to discuss the role any further please contact Rebecca Maclean, Interim National QA Lead