Frequently Asked Questions

How to use the Public Health Skills Audit Tool

The Public Health Skills Audit Tool may be completed in two ways (short report), in a group setting via a WORKSHOP or as an INDIVIDUAL.

WORKSHOP

This is a useful and dynamic way to utilise the tool, which enables various issues to be discussed and ideas created (facilitators pack). A facilitator must register the workshop before the skills audit tool can be completed online. A unique identification number (ID) will be produced, and EVERY participant in the workshop must be given this ID; the WORKSHOP ID.

Once the WORKSHOP ID has been distributed to members of the workshop, individual participant details can be registered via the 'Participant Registration' button (individual/participant pack). You will be given an PARTICIPANT ID, which must be remembered. Without this ID, you will not be able to complete the tool, and you will not be able to access any results.

INDIVIDUAL

Completing the tool as an individual will enable you to analyse your own skill gaps and the system may be used with your manager as a tool for continued professional development (individual/participant pack). Details are registered via the 'Individual Registration' button. Once registered, a unique INDIVIDUAL ID will be produced. Without your individual ID, you will not be able to complete the tool, and you will not be able to access any results.

IMPORTANT
IDs must be remembered. Without them, the skills audit tool cannot be completed and the result sections cannot be viewed.

Functional Groups

The six functional groups used in the Public Health Skills Audit Tool have been derived from the three categories originally produced by the CMO. These are broad functional groups aimed to ensure that skills can be examined in the context of potential change and analyses are not limited to current occupational roles.

1a Those working on the wider determinants of health and healthcare provision with strategic influence

This category encompasses chairs, leaders and members in the NHS and local government, together with chief executives, mainstream managers in the NHS and others working at director level in local authorities.

It also includes general managers at board level in the NHS who have particularly important leadership roles in providing focus and direction at the local level. In addition to giving visible and committed leadership, people in these roles in the public sector need to manage information for health, understand the principles of population health, work in partnership, appreciate the 'long haul' needed to effect change and work with people and communities.

1b Those working on the wider determinants of health at individual or community level

This includes people from a range of disciplines and levels of seniority in the public sector and wider NHS who are in primarily operational roles that contribute to public health and health improvement.

2a Public health practitioners, managers and team leaders

This includes all those public health practitioners with management or team leader responsibilities.

2b Public health practitioners at individual or community level

This group includes the professional groups cited in the CMO's report, and also those who work exclusively on a specific topic area in a public health related field - for example, a health promotion specialist with responsibility for community development.

3a Public health specialists with strategic influence

Currently, this group includes all public health specialists, whether or not they have qualifications at the Faculty of Public Health Medicine Part 1 level or above.

3b Public health specialists with technical expertise

This group includes experts and scientists in a wide range of disciplines such as toxicology or environmental assessment who provide a very specialised input which is vital for policy development and action.

Expertise

The scale is from 0, where no expertise is required, to 3, where high expertise is required. If you are unsure as to whether you require the particular skill level, then tick the 0.

Every competency question must be completed.

Skill Analysis

The results are presented by three different sections:

1. To evaluate your INDIVIDUAL skill gaps

2. To compare your skill level with others in your WORKSHOP (if applicable)

3. To compare your skill level with others in the ENTIRE DATABASE

In sections 2 and 3, there are two separate analyses:

a) To compare your skill level with other Job Roles

b) To compare you skill level with other Functional Groups (from the CMO categories)

It is recommended that your individual skill gaps analysis be accessed first. This will enable you to become familiar with the analyses.

1. Evaluate your individual skill gaps
For every competency, your actual skill level is presented alongside the required skill level. This grid analysis, which is split by skills set, enables you to identify the magnitude of your skill gaps for each competency and the absolute values.

For example, a grid analysis which displays raw data with the skill gap.

Red - Your actual skill level is lower than your required skill level, i.e. your skills need to be developed for that particular competency.
Amber - There is no difference between skill levels, i.e. your own skills match those skills that are required for the relevant competency in your job role.
Green - Your actual skill level is greater than your required skill level, i.e. you have skills that are not being utilised.

2 and 3. Compare your own skills either within your workshop (if applicable) or across the entire database, with other (a) Job Roles or (b) Functional Groups.

The analyses are displayed as raw numbers in a table, as demonstrated below, and there are links that display the results in different ways (see Additional Presentations below).

The numbers shown in this analysis indicate what your skill levels were, both actual skills and required skills with the average required skills for the same job role or functional group that you specified, i.e. if you were a Community Work - Practitioner, the average required skills for this job role are presented.

The average required skills for all job roles or functional groups are also included in the table as comparisons. The number ('Num') shows the total number of people who are registered within the database for the given job role / functional group.

Example Table

Additional presentations