UKPHR Practitioner Moderator

Moderation is integral to UKPHR’s system of Quality Assurance and Quality Management for all registration services, including the assessment of portfolios and the devolved process of practitioner registration.

Moderators are appointed by the Board of UK Public Health Register (UKPHR).

The Registrar is responsible for registration services, aided by UKPHR’s office team and under the auspices of the Board. Moderators are accountable to the Registrar and, through the Registrar, responsible to the Board, to which they may have direct access if required.

UKPHR engages Moderators as sessional contractors and UKPHR pays for moderation services at an hourly and/or day rate plus expenses.

Role purpose

Moderators support practitioner registration by:

Operating and upholding UKPHR’s Quality Assurance and Quality Management for all registration services
Assisting the Registrar and the Board in the setting, drafting, reviewing, and interpreting standards for registration and assessment of competencies
Updating guidance and supporting information, and other support materials
Helping to ensure that assessment processes are robust, valid, appropriate, objective, consistent and fair, and that the standards for registration are met
Providing support for assessors, verifiers, and scheme coordinators
Supporting UKPHR’s governance arrangements, working in accordance with the principles of public life and, as a team of Moderators, producing an annual report of the Moderators’ work.

Roles specific to practitioner assessment

To provide the training of practitioner assessors and verifiers
To provide input to other events for local schemes, for example launch days, practitioner introductory days
To provide quality assurance support to local scheme coordinators as required, ranging from informal advice to moderation reports
To provide support to Verification Panels and attend Panel meetings
To develop, maintain and improve the UKPHR Guidance and Supporting Information for practitioner registration as required.

Additional role requirements

To participate in induction for self and for other Moderators
To support other Moderators in moderation work
To cooperate with UKPHR’s office team in maintaining records and assisting in accounting for UKPHR’s use of its finances and other resources
To participate, with other Moderators, in the development of Moderators’ work priorities for the year ahead
To note that Moderators cannot overturn assessors’ decisions – only the Registration Approvals Committee, the Registration Panel and Verification Panels can do so. Moderators can insist that their views are considered and that UKPHR requirements, as set out in Guidance, are met.

Person specification

Essential Skills and knowledge:

To hold registration with an appropriate body/organisation (UKPHR-registered Practitioners and Specialists, along with Public Health speciality registrants from the GMC and GDC)
To have a senior, strategic level of relevant experience in multi-disciplinary public health, over at least five years
To be of good standing with a suitable professional body and/or able to provide appropriate references
To have current Continuing Professional Development registration with a suitable professional body or provide other evidence of being up to date
To be experienced in the education, training and assessment of others, normally within the field of multi-disciplinary public health, and skilled in assessing evidence submitted to demonstrate competence in knowledge and its application in practice
To commit to undertake appropriate induction and ongoing training
To be able to demonstrate having undertaken appropriate training in confidentiality, data protection, equality and diversity, and safeguarding or be willing to undertake such training before commencing duties
To be thoroughly conversant with the public health competences required for registration (following induction)
To be able to maintain independence and impartiality in the role, whilst being supportive of assessors’ work
Effective management of self and staff and able to devote enough time and to give the role appropriate priority
To be able to demonstrate working effectively within a team
To understand the principles of quality assurance and be able to demonstrate application of these in practice.

Desirable Skills and Knowledge

Experience in strategic planning
Involvement in design or operation of schemes of CPD and revalidation.