Working at PHA

Health and Social Care values provide clarity for all HSC staff, including prospective staff, on the values you should live every day, and the behaviours expected of you, regardless of the HSC organisation you work for.

These values and behaviours will send a clear message to patients, service users, families, and carers about the care and support they should expect, and how this should be delivered.

Values shape everything we do every single day. They are visible in every interaction we have with each other, our patients, their families and partners. Behaviours provide a guide for how we can bring our values to life. Behaviours define ‘how’ we are expected to approach our work and sit alongside ‘what ‘ we do and our attitudes to work.

Staff are able to take advantage of several benefits. These include:

Agency terms and conditions

• Agency Terms and conditions are in line with Agenda for Change. This allows the Agency to offer a comprehensive remuneration package and terms and conditions of employment. Our employment practices and policies adhere to all relevant employment legislation and we are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity in employment for our staff.

Annual leave and general public holidays
(separate entitlements apply to Medical and Dental and Senior Executive Staff)

• On appointment 27 days plus 10 public holidays 
• After 5 years’ service 29 days plus 10 public holidays
• After 10 years’ service 33 days plus 10 public holidays

The Agency offers a wide range of Human Resource Policies and schemes to underpin the value it places on its staff.

HSC pension scheme

• The HSC pension scheme is an important benefit and membership is voluntary. As a member of the scheme you get a package of benefits including an employer contribution rate equal to 22.5% of your salary towards the cost of your pension. Further information may be obtained from the HSC Pension Service Website.

Health and wellbeing initiatives

• Wellbeing webinars and exercise classes to support staff, which include themes of healthy mind, healthy body, healthy lifestyle and health culture.
• Access to Inspire Services which offer free 24 hours support including counselling, specialist wellbeing information and access to the Inspire Support Hub.
• Corporate gym memberships with both community and private facilities available at a reduced rate (prices may vary).
• Access to health and wellbeing resources and support networks, support packs and much more.

Family friendly policies

• The Agency offers a wide variety of options for family leave to our staff should they need to avail of it. These include maternity leave, adoption leave, shared parental leave, (up to 9 months paid leave depending on continuous service), as well as paternity leave, bereavement leave, time off for fertility treatment, fostering, public service and many more. Many of the Agency’s special leave provisions go further than legislative requirements.

Flexible working arrangements

• All our People have the right to request flexible working in their jobs from their first day of employment.  We offer a range of flexible working arrangements to enable them to balance home and work commitments and improve their working lives including hybrid working, compressed hours, term-time working and flexi-time working.

Travel schemes

• The Cycle to Work Scheme allows staff to loan cycle and safety equipment from a wide range of suppliers across NI.
• The Translink Scheme enables our staff to avail of an A-Link Card which offers up to 20% discount compared to the purchase of monthly tickets.
• The NHS Car Lease Scheme allows our staff to access a new car, with no deposit required and fixed costs.

*Terms and conditions apply to accessing all of these travel options.

The Public Health Agency is committed to nurturing our people, developing our talent and building our teams to help each of us contribute to achieving our public health objectives.

In our Organisation Development and Engagement Forum (ODEF) we aim to create the best possible experience for our people.  We do this by supporting and developing our people and the Agency now, and, for the future, to deliver high quality services. This portfolio of organic development focuses on the following:

• Workforce Development - growing and developing our people;
• Staff - care and compassion for our people;
• Culture - fostering leadership at all levels.

The PHA work towards through this by engaging in a range of People and Organisation Development functions:

• High-quality People and Organisation Development advice and guidance; 
• A wide range of opportunities to develop individual and collective skills, and;
• A variety of offers that support the wellbeing of our People;
• Opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of Teams;
• A collection of Leadership, Management, Coaching and Mentoring development opportunities;
• Advice, guidance and facilitation on how we can make the Trust a great place to work for all our people regardless of their background;
• Facilitation of staff forums;
• Provide specialist HR advice and support to Directorates on organisational development, service improvement and change management;
• Innovative approaches and interventions that enhance our People’s collective capability to achieve shared goals and high performance;
• A systems approach to our work where alignment, connection, co-production and inclusion with our People and Services are at the heart of what we do.

• We aim to provide high quality services through appropriate training, research and support.

Assistance to study

• The Assistance to Study Policy is available from HR. It sets out how we support staff development by providing study time and a financial contribution. The specialised training and support are available as need.

Professional development

• When you join the PHA, you can expect development opportunities. Professional development is offered in line with patient and service needs, and also the requirements of The CPD Certification Service and your registering body.

Workforce education

We aim to deliver the highest standards of service through ongoing training and support the PHA staff need.

Our People Plan is a plan for everyone who works at the Public Health Agency. It sets out our commitment to each other and how we can work together to continue to deliver the best possible experience and outcomes for our Patients, Clients and Carers. 

Our 5 People Priorities of:

• Belonging
• Wellbeing
• Growing
• Empowering
• Leading

are at the core of Our People Plan. 

By concentrating on our 5 People Priorities we will be best placed to create and sustain a culture where our People join us, stay with us, are proud to work here, and continually give their best.

The PHA is currently offering unpaid placement opportunities for:

• Students in school or Further Education/Training working towards a Level 2/3 qualification
• Students studying a Level 4 or above course with a requirement for a work experience placement as part of that course.

If you wish to apply for a work placement, please contact the relevant department to discuss your request.

If the placement can be arranged, you will be asked to complete a placement agreement and submit this back to the relevant coordinator. The PHA agree to as many placement requests as possible, where an area is in high demand you may get a message on the form asking you to check back soon for availability.

Apply for placements here:

• Finance & Corporate Services - Click here to apply
• Nursing & AHP - Click here to apply
• Public Health - Click here to apply

Paid undergraduate placements and Internships are not currently unavailable.

Graduate training schemes

The HSC offer a variety of Graduate Training Schemes that are designed to provide a fast-track to a career in Health and Social Care. If you’re looking to start or change career in a rewarding and supportive environment, with the opportunity to make a difference and have an impact.

The Public Health Agency is engaged in two different graduate pathways including:

• General Management (2 years)
• Accountancy (3 years)

To apply for the HSCNI Graduate Trainee Scheme, please visit: https://jobs.hscni.net/

This section will provide you with some key websites about living in Northern Ireland.

Key resources:

For general information on living in Northern Ireland try the official sites below: 

• Northern Ireland Tourist Board - Discover Northern Ireland
• Living in Northern Ireland | nidirect
• Local councils in Northern Ireland | nidirect

Our office locations:

• Belfast (Head office), Unit 12-22 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BS
• Belfast, 9th Floor Linum Chambers, Bedford Street, Belfast, BT2 7ES
• Ballymena, County Hall, 182 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT42 1QB
• Londonderry, 15 Gransha Park, Clooney Road, Londonderry, BT47 6FN
• Armagh, Tower Hill, Co Armagh, BT61 9DR

Adele Dunn – Health Improvement – Day in the life

I am the Regional Lead for the Needle and Syringe Exchange Service working within the Substance use Team in Health Improvement.

My day to day work will involve:

Working with community pharmacy, drug treatment services, community addiction teams, community and voluntary sector agencies and hostels to deliver harm reduction services to people who inject drugs. The needle and syringe exchange service offers free, sterile injecting equipment to reduce reusing and sharing of injecting equipment and therefore reduce transmission of HIV, Hep B and C. Each week I would be completing on site visits and also spending time within exchanges so I can meet the people who are using the service to hear first-hand their opinions and ideas for the service.

Design and develop services, alongside those with lived experience, to ensure we are meeting the needs of people who inject drugs. Needle Exchanges are moving towards offering a more holistic approach to harm reduction and expanding from simply offering free injecting equipment to also including wound care treatments and blood-borne virus screening for example. Exchanges also take place in person, via a postal service or utilising a vending machine to try to increase coverage of the service.

I work with local community and voluntary training providers, national and international leaders in the harm reduction field to ensure our harm reduction practitioners within exchanges are trained to a high level based on current drug use trends. In October 2024 the PHA’s first Needle and Syringe Exchange Service Conference was held in Belfast and attended by over 120 people.

Meet with colleagues across UK and Ireland to network, share learning and compare emerging drug trends and appropriate harm reduction responses.

Deliver the Take Home Naloxone Programme. Naloxone is a lifesaving drug which reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is available at needle exchanges. I am currently working across the four nations to devise a national way forward in the widening of this programme.

Pastimes – I am a busy mum of 4 but when I do get my own time I will spend it hill-walking, practicing yoga or watching musical theatre.

Role of Health Improvement Team- The HIT aims to address the causes of health inequalities suffered by many in our local communities across NI. This is done by commissioning health and social well-being interventions, programmes and community-based initiatives across a range of health themes including mental-health, substance use, sexual health, smoking cessation, physical activity, nutrition. These programmes work preventatively to redress these inequalities, empower local communities and promote a healthier society.