My name is Harriet, I’m an Advanced Public Health Practitioner in the Public Health Team at Devon County Council.
What made you choose to work for Devon County Council?
Having previously worked in public health in a different local authority, I was keen to seek opportunities closer to home to support public health work, services, and provision on my own local authority area and community. Having spent many hours commuting, the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic made me want to improve my work/life balance and working for Devon County Council enabled me to do this.
Can you give an overview of your role?
Most of my role is centred around children and young people, and I work on a variety of different workstreams that seek to support their health and wellbeing. This includes developing and implementing programmes, developing resources, commissioning services, managing government mandated programmes, and working collaboratively with a variety of different stakeholders including colleagues from other local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and community organisations, and schools. Currently my role includes focusing on a schools health and wellbeing programme called the Devon Schools Wellbeing Partnership, the government’s Healthy Start scheme, a compassionate approach to healthier weight, and Smoke Free Generation.
How did you come to be in this role?
My background is in psychology and I also have a master in Nutrition and Behaviour. After graduating I wanted to find a role where I could utilise the knowledge and skills I had gained,
which led me into public health. Initially I worked in a public facing role supporting health improvement with children and young people, before moving into a practitioner role. I then joined Devon’s public health team in a more advanced practitioner role in February 2021.
What support did you receive when you joined Devon County Council?
When I joined DCC we were still mid-pandemic. Aside from collecting my laptop on day one, we were still working completely remotely and so it was quite challenging getting to know people. It took a while to meet everyone in such a structured way, but my manager was supportive and pre-arranged virtual meetings prior to me starting and attended to some of these with me.
What’s your favourite part of what you do?
It’s essential to be able to work collaboratively in public health and I really enjoy this aspect of my role. Particularly working together to bring projects to life and see them through to implementation. It is also rewarding to see the positive outcomes from different projects and knowing that they are supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
How have you progressed through your role?
Since starting my role, I have completed a Masters in Public Health which will support my progression in the future. Additionally, I have been given line management responsibility for our Apprentice Public Health Practitioner which is a great opportunity to develop new skills and experience.
What benefits do you enjoy?
There are lots of benefits working for Devon County Council. For me, the flexible working hours and hybrid working make a huge difference when it comes to maintaining a good work/life balance and this has had a positive impact on my overall wellbeing. There are also other perks such as a good pension scheme, and generous holiday entitlement.
What do you enjoy about living and working in Devon?
Devon is a beautiful county and there is so much to see, do, and explore. There is something for everyone here, and we are especially lucky to have the moors and the coastline so easily accessible and on our doorstep. I think making the most of this is a big part of life in here and definitely a main attraction.