Angela Grant, Development Officer for the Outer Hebrides Alcohol and Drug Partnership and member of the Health Promotion Department, who has become the first registered UK Public Health Practitioner within NHS Western Isles.
Public health practitioners play a key role in improving the health and wellbeing of the population and, following a rigorous application process to the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR), Angela was able to demonstrate her competence against the key standards and areas of practice in public health through preparing a portfolio approved by the UKPHR.
Angela said “There was a significant investment in time and effort when this was all undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic and it wasn’t without its challenges, having been redeployed to assist Public Health with covid-related work.
"I was also grateful to my manager for his support throughout the process. I will continue to develop my area of work which plays a key role in improving the health and wellbeing of communities and individuals throughout the Western Isles”.
Dr. Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health & Health Strategy, said, “I am delighted with Angela’s success in achieving practitioner status with the UK Public Health register. She has put a lot of hard work into this as the portfolio requirements are considerable. Many congratulation to her!”
Meanwhile Isabell MacInnes, Health Protection and Screening Nurse Specialist with the Public Health Division, recently travelled to Westminster to receive an award from The Churchill Fellowship.
Isabell received a fellowship in 2018, which was jointly funding by the Churchill Fellowship and the Burdett Trust for Nursing, and she travelled to USA, Canada and France to meet with a range of experts working in many different aspects of Tick and Tick-borne disease.