Access to Learning for the Public Health Agenda

ALPHA is a unique NHS Public Health resource based in the East of England, where ALPHA is core-funded by a group of Primary Care Organisations. ALPHA provides consultancy services and training to support working methods, management, and a variety of process skills for Public Health.

The increasing profile of the Public Health Agenda is set to make new demands on individual Public Health professionals from all backgrounds. Crucial to the delivery of high profile Public Health priorities is the capacity, capability and effectiveness of the workforce. This is ALPHA’s key area of influence, working with PCOs to develop a strategic approach to enhancing and increasing the abilities and aptitudes of their workforces. ALPHA is a responsive and flexible resource maximising access to multi-disciplinary Public Health skills and knowledge.

Training Courses

ALPHA is developing new training courses and implementing a new modular approach designed to help people improve their Public Health skills. The new modular system has been designed to allow people to match their training to their competency profiles adding more depth as their roles evolve. The Faculty of Public Health's ten competencies informed the development and content of all the modules. The training content also acknowledges the imminent arrival of the Standards and Domains as described in Better Standards for Health.

ALPHA works in partnership with PCOs, and other organisations, to expand capacity and capability for Public Health in 3 distinct ways. Firstly as a contracted part of the Public Health resource with our affiliated (core funding) PCOs. Secondly ALPHA works with individual Trusts to design, deliver and follow up specific projects on a one off commission basis. Thirdly ALPHA independently runs an extensive Fixed Programme of training courses to which everyone is welcome.

The Fixed Programme contains courses as diverse as the 1-hour Public Health Induction Module and the Royal Institute for Public Health certified 5 day Foundation Course in Multi-disciplinary Public Health. The programme encompasses a wide range of Public Health skills training, from Basic Epidemiology to Report Writing via Clinical Audit and Questionnaire Design. More details and a list of planned events can be found on the ALPHA web-site http://www.alpha.nhs.uk.

To make our training and support truly tailored to an individual commissioner, ALPHA endeavours to draw upon local knowledge and encourage collaboration wherever possible. By facilitating contact with other local organisations ALPHA can enable local solutions which have relevance to the everyday work of those receiving our support.

ALPHA delivers training and events in the commissioner’s locality wherever practicable. Using a team based project management approach we can quickly and efficiently turn an idea into a proposal and then into a live project.

ALPHA has a Committee Secretariat service that works in partnership with over 25 specialist groups. ALPHA also provides practical consultancy around a variety of areas including; qualitative research, reviews & reports, external project evaluation, project management, facilitation of workshops and team days, organisational development, conference planning and organisation, meeting and steering group co-ordination and collaborative working for health.

Public Health is everybody’s business and the range of professionals who use ALPHA as a resource for support, training and development include:

Directors of Public Health, School Nurses, Research Fellows, Health Visitors, Consultants, Clinical Governance Co-ordinators, Project Managers, Local Authority Managers, Pharmacists, GPs, Ambulance Workers, Environmental Health Officers, Health Promotion Staff and Specialist Registrars, to name but a few.

A growing awareness of ALPHA as a unique organisation with an excellent strategic understanding and extensive event development and management skills has begun to ensure our involvement in Public Health at a national level. We are already working with the Leadership Centre, NHSU etc to extend our programmes.

ALPHA
Windmill Block
Ida Darwin
Fulbourn
Cambs CB1 5EE

Tel: 01223 884806
Fax: 01223 884801
Email: ted.yeoman@alpha.nhs.uk
Web site: www.alpha.nhs.uk

 

Click here to obtain a copy of THE NAPC REVIEW