PUBH6004: Leadership and Effecting Change in Public Health Report

This report analyzes a scenario involving Helen, a general practitioner promoted to a senior public health officer position in Warnambool, Australia. The report examines her responsibilities, including promoting community health, sanitation, housing, and immunization programs, while addressing challenges such as community engagement and empowering residents in policy-making. It explores leadership skills, including communication, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management, and highlights the need for transformational leadership. The assessment tool reveals strengths in collaboration and performance improvement but weaknesses in networking and encouraging new ideas. The report proposes an action plan to address these weaknesses, emphasizing the importance of inspiring positive change, active community involvement, and overcoming potential opposition. The report also highlights the importance of addressing the lack of specialized services in rural areas and the need for town planners and architects to take initiatives for public health. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for Helen to demonstrate her leadership capabilities to stakeholders and community members.

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LEADERSHIP AND EFFECTING CHANGE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Contents
Scenario of the public health leader: Australian public health context......................................2
Self-assessment..........................................................................................................................3
Reflection...................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................6

Scenario of the public health leader: Australian public health context
Public health is said to be the science of improving and protecting the community health
through effective policies as well as education in the society. A public health system
therefore comprise of private, public and voluntary organisation with the objective of
delivering the required health service in place. In this way, public health officer is said to be
the person who have the responsibility to supervise the health issues. In the context of
“Australian public health Framework,” it is essential to develop the practical expression and
visible symbol of the share commitment in order to develop the effective people centred
system that is effective, equitable, and sustainable (Healthforce Australia, 2013). The case
provided states that after completing around five years on the position of general practitioner,
Helen has been promoted on the position of senior health officer. This position includes
several responsibilities such as primary care of the people by bringing necessary changes. In
order to define the role of public health officer (Buse, Lai, Cornish & Parke (2019) tends to
conduct the literature review where it defined the six important function of the public health
officer. The function includes regular improvement in public health officer, development of
policies, good resource governance, regular improvement in health sector, being the legal
authority, engagement with the partners as well as providing insight regarding health
department.
On the position of public health officer, she is required to ensure the health
community promotion, and emphasis on the population health as compare to primary care of
individual which was done by her before. Helen is going to work on several aspects such as
proper housing, as well as cleaning. Public is required to therefore teach regarding how to
bring improvement in sanitisation standards by observing and ensuring the cleanliness. These
are the basic awareness that is required in a people to stay healthy and fit. It is also the
responsibility of public health office to ensure that public get the effective housing facility.
Another responsibility of the public health officer is to take necessary
initiatives for improving the health of people. It is because rural community people still do
not have access to many facilities. Before starting on her new position, she has several
achievements as she has experience in some of the fields like immunization due to general
practitioner. The experience of Helen related to her previous position would help her in the

new post, as she must have the basic abilities to manage the work. As Helen is already a
leader, the major question come is improvement in leadership skills. On her new position, the
work burden will definitely increase which definitely require the new and innovative
leadership qualities. It is true Helen will be required to undertake several innovative
leadership qualities on the senior position. As per the scenario, it is significant to understand
the application of skill that she is undeveloped lady and people are not this much open for
young leaders in female gender. On her new position, it is required for Helen to understand
some of the leadership skills such as effective communication, time-to-time meeting and
conflict resolution strategies. Richter et al (2015) Public health communication is also long
way to bring improvement in healthcare in case of emergency. It is true that she do not have
any such previous experience of working with different stakeholders (Fredriksson & Pallas,
2020).
Different needs of the society is seen where Helen is working. Due to this, it is
required to empower them for taking environment control and take care of it by doing proper
cleanliness (Pantoja et al, 2017). It is also required to ensure their active involvement in the
policymaking. In such society where each person is involved in making policies and laws, it
is quite easy for them to follow, as they know the relevance of policies. When people are
given the enough opportunity to make their active participation in policies made for them,
they try to understand it better and at the same time follow them. (Mwisongo, Nabyonga-
Orem, Yao & Dovlo (2016) in its article also given the argument by stating that policies
made for healthcare sector policies have only been effective when effective involvement of
public is done. It is because of the application of positive power by fostering the development
of society. Community tends to know where they are facing problem and which policies are
going to help them out. The major problem faced by the community is the lack of specialised
services. This has therefore led to the several deaths. The death was frequent as specialist
take time to reach the destination. In case of emergency, it is not possible for a person to
survive and the lack of doctors in such area lead to death ultimately. In the situation of
serious concerns, people do not get the medical services on time and finally lead to death
(O’Sullivan, McGrail & Stoelwinder, 2017). It has identified the different reasons but the
major reason is to complement the growth by maintaining connection between people of
different regions. Distance of around 300 Kilometres is found to be long due to specialist
availability in such areas. Several people of the community have to loss their life due to
emergency. It is because people are not able to get the enough services in urgent conditions.

Another issue is also seen related to town planners and architects, as they are majorly
responsible for taking the initiatives for public. For instance: during the time of emergency
when urgent action is required. In this way, it is be the responsibility of the public health
office to push or initiate the agendas.
Self-assessment tool
Demonstrating personal qualities A lot of time Some of the time Very little
Developing self awareness 
I reflect on how my own values and
principles influence my behaviour and
impact on others

I seek feedback from others on my
strengths and limitations and modify
my behaviour accordingly

Managing yourself
I remain calm and focused under
pressure

I plan my workload and deliver on my
commitments to consistently high
standards demonstrating flexibility to
service requirements

Continuing Personal Development 
I actively seek opportunities to learn
and develop

I apply my learning to practical work 
acting with integrity
I act in an open, honest and inclusive
manner - respecting other people’s
culture, beliefs and abilities I speak
out when I see that ethics or values are
being compromised

Total score 6 3

Working with others
A lot of time Some of the
time
Very little
Developing networks 
I identify opportunities where
working collaboratively with others
will bring added value to patient
care

I share information and resources
across networks

Building and maintaining
relationship
I communicate clearly and
effectively with others

I listen to and take into account the
needs and feelings of others

Encouraging contribution
I actively seek contributions and
views from other

I am comfortable managing
conflicts of interests or differences
of opinion

Working with teams
I put myself forward to lead teams,
whilst always ensuring I involve
the right people at the right time


I acknowledge and appreciate the
efforts of others within the team
and respect the team’s decision

Total score 5 4 1
Managing services
Planning
I use feedback from patients,
service users and colleagues when
developing plans

I assess the available options in
terms of benefits and risks

Managing resources
I deliver safe and effective
services within the allocated
resource

I take action when resources are
not being used efficiently and
effectively

Managing people
I support team members in
developing their roles and
responsibilities

I provide others with clear
purpose and direction

Managing Performance
I analyse information from a
range of sources about
performance

I take action to improve
performance

Total score 4 3 1

Improving services
Ensuring patient safety
take action when I notice
shortfalls in patient safety

I review practice to improve
patient safety and minimise risk

Critically evaluating
I use feedback from patients,
carers and service users to
contribute to improvements in
service delivery

I work with others to
constructively evaluate our
services

Encouraging innovation and
improvement
I put forward ideas to improve
the quality of services

I encourage debate about new
ideas with a wide range of
people

Facilitating transformation
I articulate the need for change
and its impact on people and
services

I focus myself and motivate
others to ensure change happens

Score 6 2
Results of the assessment tool
From the above tool, I come to know about my strengths and weaknesses. I always work
effectively by collaborating with others. However, I am not good at developing networks

with people. This is my major weakness that I need to develop in order to perform better on
the position of public health officer. At the same time, it is the most significant criteria to do
the job a public health officer where interaction with different people will be done. I am also
not too much good in managing conflict of differences in opinion of people. While working
across different people, it is true that different people will be having different opinions that
will be required to adjust. On the other hand, I am good at improving performance by taking
necessary actions for my weaknesses. I am also not good at encouraging people to bring their
new ideas. However, it will be most significant thing that will be required in order to ensure
the success of any project. It is because people also required to feel encouraged.
Due to some of my effective qualities, I will be able to better work with the stakeholders,
colleagues, as well as community. I also have the quality of not giving up on something when
things get tough or hard. This will help in boosting my courage. Another problem might
come from my own personal quality. I do not usually able to motivate people regarding the
changes that will happen. Therefore, it is obvious that there will definitely be opposition and
rejection from the particular magnitude (Allen et al 2014). In order to overcome the
weaknesses, I will prepare action plan by including certain activities that will ensure the
overcoming from those weaknesses.

Reflection
On the position of Helen’s, I would choose the transformational leadership by
inspiring positive changes in the team members. At the same time, I will also ask them to
involve in the process. I believe that the experience of Helen will definitely help her in
working with different community people. I will also supervise the public health office
initiatives. I found that Helen also has the responsibility to arrange funds gain for project. At
the same, I also directing the communication for several programmes such as health
promotion, access to services, disease prevention, environment related issues, accessible
exercise, as well as finding the sustainable sources of food. She will lead every person
including those who feel that she is not in position to hold this position. To the stakeholders,
they believed her as general practitioner but from now, she is required to show them that she
is capable to hold as well as work on that position (Burris et al, 2016). As Helen is already a
leader, the major question come is improvement in leadership skills. I personally believe that
a person has to learn several new and innovative skills in order to sustain on the new position.
In my perception, a leader firstly requires the ability to convince its members so that
productive outcome can be achieve.
I found that I have the capability within me as Helen as I am significantly able to take
the decisions significantly by taking care of the team members. The only gap I am able to
notice in my personality is not able to ensure the proper conversation with the team members.
Introvert is also my personality trait due to which I am not able to ensure the communication
with other people. This ability will be removed by making the communication plan through
action plan which will include communicating with the family members, patients and team
members. Under this, I will assure my participation in group activities in order to improve my
networks. In addition to this, participation in seminars will also be done by me.
I will effectively communicate with the policy makers as well as government in order
to make them understand the importance of initiatives taken by me for senior citizens. I will
also take the seminar where education regarding general mental health will be discussed with
the senior citizen as well as with those people who do not have knowledge regarding public
services. In order to ensure the specialist care for people, I will also appoint nurses,
environmental officers, administrators and IT support.

In the limelight of above discussion, it can be concluded that Helen already has the
leadership qualities and she continues to work on the leadership skills and regularly
improving them. She is also regularly involved with the disagreements and people. She is
also required to practice the good communication with every person, as it is the only tool that
will help in running the office properly (Frandsen & Johansen, 2020). There are challenges
that Helen will come across but she needs to overcome from them as she has the capability to
do this. She also experienced not too much and achieved much in the prior practice field. Due
to these achievements, she is able to gain the new opportunities. Finally, she is opportunistic
as this will help her in delivering the best which is required from her in spite of the challenges
she might come across.
From the self assessment tool, I found that bringing improvement in my performance
is my major strength. At the same time, I also have strength to bring changes when there is
weakness in the patient safety will be seen. However, I am weak in developing networks
which will improved by participating in group activities. In addition to this, I will also
participate in the seminars.

References
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