Health intelligence practitioners and specialists collect, analyse, interpret and communicate information about health. This chapter sets out the vision for this important public health function, particularly following the centrality of its role during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an overview of its vital contribution to population health and outcomes, the main employing bodies, the skills and qualifications needed by the workforce, the range of roles that can be undertaken – as well as the challenges and rewards of working in this area and, lastly, how to enter. It concludes with career journeys from a specialist and practitioner working in the field.

This section looks at the UK public health training scheme for those who wish to become accredited specialists in public health practice and eligible to apply for consultant-level public heath posts. It covers how to apply, what to expect from the training and its various stages, including examinations, and includes a personal perspective from the authors.

Healthcare public health professionals aim to improve and protect patients' health and outcomes by reducing inequalities in the provision of, and access to, health and social care and ensuring that services are safe and effective. This chapter sets out the vision for this important public health function, then provides an overview of why the function is needed and the specific roles public health professionals can undertake within the NHS in supporting the commissioning and provision of health and social care. It describes the particular skills and qualifications needed, the challenges and rewards of working in this field, and the roles undertaken, as well as how to enter. It concludes with career stories from a senior public health professional working within a community provider and from a research midwife.

A list of useful resources and weblinks to accompany the earlier chapters in this section, falling into the categories of health improvement, health intelligence, healthcare public health, health protection, academic public health and climate change.

This chapter introduces the reader to public health, what it is, its history and objectives, as well as what has been achieved to date, with a particular focus on the recent pandemic. It then outlines who is in the public health workforce, how they are categorised and the main areas of public health practice in the UK. It sets out a broad introduction to careers in public health and how they are entered, bearing in mind structural and organisational differences in each UK country which can affect how and where the workforce is employed and deployed.

Health improvement professionals work actively to promote and improve people's health and wellbeing, which can involve working with individuals, communities, whole populations and policy makers. This chapter sets out the vision for this important public health function, then provides an overview of precisely what it contributes to population health and outcomes, the main employing bodies, the skills and qualifications needed by the workforce, the range of roles that can be undertaken, the challenges and rewards of working in this field and, lastly, how to enter. It concludes with career journeys described by a specialist and a practitioner working in the field.