Questions and answers for Health Euity Fellowship 2021
Where do I find out more information about the fellowship?
You can find more information about the fellowship, including how to apply, the statement of interest form, and project examples on our Health Equity Fellowship page.
What is the deadline for applications?
To apply please complete the statement of interest form and submit to emmerline.
Before you apply, please make sure you have the commitment from your employing organisation and your line manager.
Applications
Is the fellowship open to volunteers?
Yes, we welcome applications from all partners across the voluntary and community sector.
How have previous schemes worked involving voluntary sector partners?
This is the first time we have run this fellowship in West Yorkshire. However we have a number of other programmes where voluntary sector partners have applied successfully and we have developed great work in partnership. You can see some example case studies on the difference our partnership is making page.
We have also secured funding to backfill for five voluntary sector fellows.
Why is the scheme only offering places to 30 participants?
We are limited by training place numbers, so we are planning an initial cohort of 30 and depending on success will look to continue the programme annually.
I can't find the application, where is it located?
You can download and fill in the statement of interest form which is on the Health Equity Fellowship page.
Can I apply if I run my own project and don’t have a line manager?
Yes just sign the application on behalf of yourself.
Accessibility
Will this fellowship provide adjustments and accessible information?
Yes, absolutely. By law we are required to produce accessible versions of information and publications. If you apply and need additional support, then we'll make sure we can do what we can to meet this.
The Public Health Training Providers are also happy to accommodate any accessibility requirements or specific needs that you have. We will need discuss these in advance with you so that we know what is needed.
Funding
Does the programme provide funding for backfill?
Not for statutory organisations. Funding is available to support applications from the voluntary community social enterprise sector to backfill time for successful applicants for a minimum of five fellowship positions. If we have a number of applicants from the voluntary sector we will have to decide as a panel how we apply the funding.
Who would fund any required project costs?
Additional funding is not currently available to cover health inequality projects. When agreeing projects, we will take resource into consideration and where this may come from.
Many initiatives will have to be cost neutral or be reinvestment projects or have the caveat ‘this might be something we need to do or should do, but we need to find the resource to go with it’.
Who will cover the costs needed to take part in the fellowship a day each week?
All salary costs will come from the employing organisation. That means you’ll need to agree this in advance with your employing organisation and line manager.
There is no cost to undertake the fellowship or for any of the support and training provided. The costs for organisations will be related to releasing staff for a day a week to carry out the programme, project, and training.
We suggest that where possible, you choose health equity projects that relate directly to your organisation priorities or your area of work.
There may be other sources of funding that you can accesses, for example, Health Education England funding provided to individual trusts for continued professional development purposes.
Dedicate one day a week
How much time/days will the course take?
The fellowship will run for a total of nine months. Each fellow is required to spend one day a week on fellowship training, support or delivering a health equity project.
Is it confirmed what day fellows need to take and does it have to be on a day where I would normally we working for my employer
There will be one set day a month to attend the formal training. Other days will be flexible and it doesn’t have to be an employed day.
What about project days?
You will need to attend on a set day each month to attend the public health training – we will release a timetable soon. Your project days will be flexible and we can discuss this if you are successful with your application.
How will you incorporate people working part time?
There is an expectation for all fellows to carry out a health equity project as part of the programme, regardless of whether you work full or part time. However, we can discuss any specific requirements with you and how that fits in with your working day.
How many cohorts are you planning?
We hope this cohort and evaluation will provide the case for change for introducing an annual programme.
What constitutes one day a week?
7.5 hours is a working day.
Health inequalities project
Can projects focus on inequalities amongst healthcare staff or only patients?
You can focus on any population you choose and we are happy to help successful applicants work through projects. If you have an idea and just want to test it out with us, then we are happy to do so.
Will learning and information from projects be published or shared?
Yes, we will carry out a process evaluation of the fellowship and publish all projects on the Health Inequalities Academy page. For previous projects, such as those delivered as a result of Health Inequalities Funding we have produced short case studies and videos. We also held an event for all projects to do a short presentation on the learning and successes.
Do I have a say in which project to take part in?
You will need to provide an outline of your project idea as part of your application. We will support you to refine and develop your project once selected to take part.
Should the health equity project be at organisational level or at departmental level?
You can focus your projects at any level or part of an organisation.
Will it be possible to publish projects, for example, as a journal article if my employer is willing to pay the costs?
Yes, this would be a possibility. We will also publish details about the projects on the partnership’s website. And they may also form part of case study evaluations and short films.
Public health training
What does the course work look like?
Coursework is not a part of the training programme. You will need to take part in the course which covers key topics and ideas, and it will help with projects. There are six training sessions in total covering a range of public health skills and lots of discussion. Training sessions will include teaching, but you will also be expected to join in with group work in each session.
The aim is to equip you with the core skills that will support you in tackling inequalities and improving population health more effectively.
If you attend all six public health training sessions, you will receive a certificate from the University of Leeds which highlights learning outcomes from all sessions. You will also receive continued professional development (CPD) credits that you can use for personal development plans or equivalent.
We will also provide you with a foundation in public health programme training outline, including learning outcomes of all those sessions. All training will take place online.
Can colleagues, who do not receive a place on the fellowship, still access the public health workforce development programme or is that commissioned separately?
If you work in Yorkshire and the Humber, then you are eligible to join the training programme. Places are limited and we will release details of our new programme in December 2021. Anyone who is interested can email Emma Mason who will add you to a mailing list and let you know when the process is open. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
There are 13 sessions planned for next year, so we've added extra ones on. So, there's a good chance you will get a place. If you're not on this cohort of fellows, you can still access the Health Inequalities Academy.