Membership of the Faculty of Public Health (MFPH) Public Health Policy, Management and Leadership Syllabus

Public Health Policy, Management and Leadership syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Public Health Policy, Management and Leadership in Membership of the Faculty of Public Health (MFPH), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Policy Development and Politics

   5 topics

   • The policy cycle and agenda setting
   • Models of policy making
     • Rational and incremental models
     • Kingdon's multiple streams
   • Stakeholder analysis and advocacy
   • Evidence into policy and knowledge translation
   • Health impact assessment
2. 2

   Organisation of Public Health in the UK

   4 topics

   • Structure of the NHS and public health system
   • Roles of national bodies
     • UK Health Security Agency
     • Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
     • Local authority public health teams
   • Devolution and the four UK nations
   • Global health governance and the WHO
3. 3

   Leadership and Management

   5 topics

   • Leadership theories and styles
     • Transformational and transactional leadership
     • NHS Leadership framework
   • Change management
     • Kotter's eight steps
     • Lewin's model
   • Project and programme management
   • Strategic analysis tools (SWOT, PESTLE)
   • Financial management and budgeting
4. 4

   Working with People and Organisations

   4 topics

   • Team working and group dynamics
   • Negotiation, influence and partnership working
   • Risk and crisis communication
   • Media handling and public engagement

Public Health Policy, Management and Leadership flashcards for Membership of the Faculty of Public Health (MFPH)

24 of 50 cards from the Public Health Policy, Management and Leadership deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the main stages of the classic policy cycle?

   1) Problem identification / agenda setting, 2) Policy formulation, 3) Decision-making / adoption, 4) Implementation, 5) Evaluation (and feedback). Stages are iterative rather than strictly linear.

2. In Kingdon's Multiple Streams model, what are the three streams and what happens when they meet?

   The problem stream, policy stream, and politics stream. When they align, a 'policy window' opens and a 'policy entrepreneur' can push an item onto the agenda for action.

3. What is 'agenda setting' in the policy process?

   The process by which problems and proposed solutions gain or lose public and political attention, determining which issues governments actively consider for action.

4. Contrast the rational (synoptic) model of policy making with incrementalism.

   The rational model assumes comprehensive analysis of all options to select the optimal one. Incrementalism (Lindblom's 'muddling through') argues decisions are made through small, marginal adjustments to the status quo due to limited time, information and consensus.

5. What is the 'mixed scanning' model of policy making (Etzioni)?

   A hybrid combining rational and incremental approaches: a broad ('high-altitude') scan of the whole field for fundamental decisions, plus detailed ('low-altitude') examination of selected areas for incremental decisions.

6. In the Walt and Gilson health policy triangle, what are the four interacting elements?

   Context, Content, Process, and Actors. The triangle stresses that policy is shaped not just by content but by who is involved (actors), how it is made (process), and the setting (context).

7. What is the purpose of a stakeholder analysis?

   To systematically identify the individuals and groups affected by or able to affect a policy, assess their interest, power/influence and position, and use this to plan engagement and advocacy.

8. In a power-interest grid for stakeholder analysis, how should the four quadrants be managed?

   High power/high interest = manage closely (key players); high power/low interest = keep satisfied; low power/high interest = keep informed; low power/low interest = monitor (minimal effort).

9. Define 'advocacy' in the context of public health policy.

   The deliberate process of influencing decision-makers and public opinion to gain support for a policy goal, using evidence, coalition-building, lobbying and media to shift the agenda.

10. What is 'knowledge translation' (KT)?

    The synthesis, exchange, dissemination and ethically sound application of knowledge to improve health and strengthen the health system; closing the gap between evidence (research) and practice/policy.

11. What are common barriers to getting research evidence into policy?

    Timing mismatch between research and policy cycles, political values/ideology overriding evidence, poor communication/accessibility of findings, lack of relevance or local applicability, competing interests, and weak researcher-policymaker relationships.

12. What is a Health Impact Assessment (HIA)?

    A combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, programme or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects.

13. What are the standard stages of a Health Impact Assessment?

    1) Screening (is HIA needed?), 2) Scoping (plan and set boundaries), 3) Appraisal/Assessment (identify and assess impacts), 4) Reporting and recommendations, 5) Monitoring and evaluation.

14. Name the four main building blocks (parts) of the NHS in England's commissioning/structure post-2022.

    Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) comprising Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs), NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts (providers), Primary Care Networks/general practice, and NHS England (national oversight). The Health and Care Act 2022 replaced CCGs with ICBs.

15. What body replaced Public Health England in England, and what are its two main successor functions?

    Public Health England was replaced (2021) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for health protection/infectious disease, and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) within DHSC for health improvement.

16. What is the role of NICE in the English health system?

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produces evidence-based guidance, quality standards and health technology appraisals (including cost-effectiveness), advising what treatments and interventions the NHS should fund.

17. What is the statutory role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC)?

    The independent regulator of health and adult social care in England; it registers, inspects, rates and monitors providers to ensure services meet fundamental standards of quality and safety.

18. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, where did responsibility for local public health move?

    Responsibility for many public health functions transferred from the NHS to local authorities (upper-tier and unitary councils), each with a statutory Director of Public Health, supported by ring-fenced public health grant funding.

19. Which public health functions are devolved versus reserved across the four UK nations?

    Health (including public health, NHS organisation and health policy) is largely devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. UK-wide reserved areas include some product regulation, broad fiscal/tax levers, and certain national security/biosecurity matters.

20. Name the national public health bodies for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    Scotland: Public Health Scotland. Wales: Public Health Wales. Northern Ireland: the Public Health Agency (PHA).

21. What is the constitutional basis and key principle of the World Health Organization's definition of health?

    WHO defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity', from the 1946 WHO Constitution; WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the UN system.

22. What are the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and what do they require of states?

    A legally binding instrument of WHO requiring states to develop core capacities to detect, assess, report and respond to public health events, and to notify WHO of events that may constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

23. What is 'global health governance'?

    The collection of rules, norms, institutions and processes (WHO, World Bank, GAVI, Global Fund, treaties such as the FCTC) that shape collective action on cross-border and global health issues.

24. Distinguish trait, behavioural and contingency (situational) theories of leadership.

    Trait theories: leaders have inherent characteristics. Behavioural theories: leadership is defined by what leaders do (e.g. task- vs relationship-oriented). Contingency/situational theories: effective leadership depends on matching style to the situation (e.g. Fiedler, Hersey-Blanchard).

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