POSITION DESCRIPTION

Role Title: Health Protection Officer

Reports To: Team Leader Healthy Environments

Directorate: Women’s Children’s and Public Health

Direct Reports: None

Location: Queenstown

ROLE OF THE DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD
Our Vision:
·  Better Health, Better Lives, Whanau Ora.
Our Mission:
·  We work in partnership with people and communities to achieve their optimum health and wellbeing. We seek excellence through a culture of learning, enquiry, service and caring.
The Southern Way
·  Patients are the centre of everything we do
·  Create a high performing organisation with a focus on quality
·  Become a single unified DHB
·  Provide financially and clinically sustainable services to the community we serve.
Our Statutory Purpose:
·  To improve, promote and protect the health of our population.
·  Promote the integration of health services across primary and secondary care services.
·  Seek the optimum arrangement for the most effective and efficient delivery of health services.
·  Promote effective care or support for those in need of personal health or disability support services.
·  Promote the inclusion and participation in society and the independence of people with disabilities.
·  Reduce health disparities by improving health outcomes for Maori and other population groups
·  Foster community participation in health improvement, and in planning for the provision of, and changes to the provision of services.
·  Uphold the ethical and quality standards expected of us and to exhibit a sense of social and environmental responsibility.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
Health Protection Officers (HPO’s) are designated by the Director General of Health to ensure compliance with and to ensure that public health related legislation is effectively implemented. As well as participating in a variety of national/local surveillance strategies and initiatives, HPO’s are a responsive workforce that are able to investigate and report on public health issues as they arise. HPOs are expected to utilise a variety of strategies as well their personal competencies to achieve a positive health outcomes and are expected to work closely with other Public Health Team members and external agencies to achieve this. HPOs would also be expected to obtain designation as a Food Act Officer (FAO) and may also obtain additional designations such as: Drinking Water Assessor, Enforcement Officer under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, Authorised Person under the Biosecurity Act and Smoke free Enforcement Officer as required.
ORGANISATIONAL COMPETENCIES
Customer Focus / Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Integrity and Trust / Is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t misrepresent him/herself for personal gain.
Drive For Results / Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; Is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
ROLE SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
Interpersonal Savvy / Relates well to all kinds of people – up, down and sideways, inside and outside the organisation; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can defuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Problem Solving / Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers. Makes good decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience and judgement.
Priority Setting / Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s important; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal; eliminates roadblocks; creates focus.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Internal
Team Leaders
Professional Directors
Medical Officer of Health
Team Members
Health Protection Officers
Public Health Staff / External
Ministry of Health staff
South Island Drinking Water Assessment Unit (SIDWAU)
Environmental Health Officers
Officers of other relevant agencies and District and Regional Councils
Government agencies and Ministry of Health contracted agencies including - Ministry for the Environment, ESR, Ministry for Primary Industries
Primary Health Organisations
Voluntary Service and Community Groups
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIRED
Essential Criteria – Health Protection Officers must hold a degree in Environmental Health Science from either Massey University or the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). For AUT this will include a Bachelor of Applied Science with a certificate in Public Health. Other qualifications include an approved undergraduate science degree with a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Health (Massey), a relevant science degree with a Diploma in Public Health (e.g. DPH Otago); a Royal Society of Health Diploma for Public Health Inspectors (NZ) or the later equivalent.
Experience/Knowledge
Experience as an Environmental Health Officer or Health Protection Officer is desirable. A superior record of professional work, performance and achievement is highly desirable.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES / DELIVERABLES / EXAMPLE MEASURES
Deliver Services according to contracts and specifications / ·  Public Health Services as per Service Specifications are delivered / ·  Delivered in accordance with manuals, guidelines and annual work plans
Fulfil functions as Designated Officers under appointed legislation / ·  Fulfil functions within the limitations of designations obtained / ·  Carry out functions as a designated Health Protection Officer, Food Act Officer (Ministry for Primary Industries) and other designations as required
Follow best practice guidelines and procedures / ·  Deliver services in accordance with best practice guidelines, manuals and standard operating procedures / ·  Follow the procedures in the Designated Officer Administration Manuals
Participate in the delivery of services District Wide including attending professional development / ·  Respond to requests to provide assistance to other team members (e.g. by the Team Leader) / ·  Provide assistance to the orientation of new staff and other staff/attend training sessions and meetings where appropriate
Participate in the development of plans for service delivery (Project Plans, Service Plans, Annual Plans including District and Regional where appropriate) / ·  Constantly look for ways to contribute to and take an active part in the planning for work delivery to ensure the constant improvement in quality, efficiency and accuracy of work delivered / ·  Attend and actively participate in Team and Service planning activities where requested
Maintain excellent relations with key external agency staff and those connected with the delivery of public health services / ·  Create and maintain excellent linkages with external agencies and internal staff / ·  Excellent relationships with Local Authority and Regional Council staff as necessary to carry out functions including regular communication
Effective Communications / ·  Maintain excellent communication both written and verbal with all stakeholders. / ·  Business letters/email and phone communication in an appropriate manner using humour where relevant (verbal delivered in a friendly and helpful manner)
Takes initiative for ensuring the continuing competency for designation / ·  Maintains an individual Professional Development Plan, attends professional development opportunities where appropriate, actively seeks work opportunities to ensure ongoing competency / ·  Attends sufficient courses to maintain designation and actively engages in work to keep competencies up in all areas of designation
Participates in after hours on call roster / ·  Participates in a district Health Protection after hours on call roster / ·  Undertake after hours on call duties when rostered to do so
Treaty of Waitangi / ·  The Southern District Health Board is committed to its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. As an employee you are required to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi - Partnership, Participation and Protection. / ·  Carry out all functions and activities utilising the Ministry of Health Whanau Ora Tool
·  Maintaining linkages and liaison with key stakeholders including Te Ao Marama and Kai Tahu Ki Otago Ltd (KTKO)
·  Maintain professional development and work towards meeting Maori competency requirements
Health and Safety / ·  Foster and support commitment to achieving the highest level of health and safety, including identification and reporting of all hazards, assistance in resolving issues that may cause harm to staff, and working safely at all times. / ·  Follows Southern DHB health and safety policies and is aware of their Health and Safety obligations and responsibilities under the Health and Safety in Employment Act and Regulations
Quality and Performance / ·  Maintain professional and organisational quality standards.
·  Ensure delivered work is planned, delivered, and implemented consistently against quality standards.
·  Continuously identify improvement opportunities to perform job in most effective manner. Investigate opportunities to achieve goals in a more efficient way. / ·  Performance is in alignment with HR quality audit standards, organisational requirements, and professional standards.

Note: The above example measures are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this position will require further discussion between the job holder and manager.

Date: ______

Staff member initials: ______