Senior Clinical Lead (Consultant in Public Health) | NHS England


Company:	NHS England
Salary:	£113,565 - £150,569 per annum
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	London, SE1 8UG
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	23 Sept 2026
Closing date:	23 Oct 2026

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Summary

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 announcedthat 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.

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

The postholder will work closely with the Head of Operations and other senior colleagues to develop and implement strategic and operational priorities, providing expert public health advice to inform national policy, programme delivery and service improvement activities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing expert clinical and public health leadership for one or more national screening programmes.

• Leading the development and implementation of quality assurance and quality improvement activities to support high-quality service delivery.

• Supporting the development of national policies, standards, guidance and operational frameworks.

• Ensuring appropriate management, oversight and escalation of incidents, risks and quality concerns affecting screening programmes.

• Developing and maintaining effective clinical and professional advisory arrangements, ensuring timely access to specialist expertise.

• Analysing and interpreting complex data and intelligence to identify trends, risks, opportunities and priorities for improvement.

• Working collaboratively with NHS England directorates, regional teams, providers, commissioners, professional bodies and other stakeholders to improve programme quality, uptake and outcomes.

• Leading and contributing to programmes of work focused on reducing health inequalities and improving access to screening services.

• Ensuring lessons learned from quality assurance reviews, incidents and improvement initiatives are shared and embedded across programmes.

• Providing strategic leadership and line management to portfolio staff, supporting professional development and high performance.

• Leading or contributing to cross-directorate and cross-programme workstreams within the Vaccination and Screening Directorate.

• Representing NHS England at national meetings, stakeholder forums and professional networks.

• Supporting the training, development and supervision of public health trainees and other staff where appropriate.

• Deputising for senior colleagues as required and providing expert advice during significant incidents or emerging issues affecting screening services.

This is a fixed-term appointment for six months to provide maternity cover and offers an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the leadership, assurance and improvement of national screening programmes during a period of continued development and transformation.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

This advert closes on Wednesday 7 Oct 2026

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