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

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.

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).

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.

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).

Contrast transactional and transformational leadership (Bass/Burns).

Transactional leadership uses exchanges, rewards and corrective action to achieve compliance with existing goals. Transformational leadership inspires and motivates followers beyond self-interest through vision, idealised influence, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration.

What are the styles in the situational leadership model (Hersey-Blanchard)?

Telling (directing), Selling (coaching), Participating (supporting), and Delegating. The appropriate style depends on followers' competence and commitment (development/readiness level).

What are the leadership styles in Goleman's six 'emotional intelligence' leadership styles?

Coercive (commanding), Authoritative (visionary), Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Coaching. Goleman advises flexing style to context; authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching tend to improve climate most.

What are the eight steps of Kotter's model of change management?

1) Create urgency, 2) Build a guiding coalition, 3) Form a strategic vision, 4) Communicate the vision, 5) Empower/remove barriers, 6) Generate short-term wins, 7) Sustain acceleration / consolidate gains, 8) Anchor/institutionalise change in the culture.

What are the three stages of Lewin's change model?

Unfreeze (create motivation and readiness for change), Change/Move (implement the new ways of working), and Refreeze (stabilise and embed the change as the new norm).

In Lewin's force field analysis, what two sets of forces are weighed?

Driving forces (pushing toward change) and restraining forces (resisting change). Change is achieved by strengthening driving forces and/or weakening restraining forces.

What does the PRINCE2 project management method stand for and what are its core themes?

PRINCE2 = PRojects IN Controlled Environments. It is a structured, stage-based method with defined principles, themes (business case, organisation, quality, plans, risk, change, progress) and processes for controlling projects.

What is the difference between a project and a programme?

A project delivers a specific output within defined time, cost and scope. A programme is a coordinated set of related projects and activities managed together to deliver strategic outcomes and benefits that could not be achieved by managing them individually.

What does a Gantt chart show in project management?

A horizontal bar chart displaying project tasks against a timeline, showing start/finish dates, duration, sequencing, dependencies and progress of activities.

What is the critical path in project planning?

The longest sequence of dependent activities that determines the minimum time to complete the project. Any delay to a critical-path task delays the whole project; these tasks have zero float/slack.

What four internal/external factors does a SWOT analysis examine?

Strengths and Weaknesses (internal factors) and Opportunities and Threats (external factors). Used to assess an organisation's strategic position.

What factors are analysed in a PESTLE analysis?

Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors in the external macro-environment that may affect an organisation or policy.

What is a SMART objective?

An objective that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, used to make goals clear and assessable.

What is the difference between capital and revenue expenditure in NHS budgeting?

Capital expenditure is spending on long-term assets such as buildings and equipment. Revenue (resource) expenditure covers day-to-day running costs such as staff salaries, drugs and consumables; the two budgets are generally not interchangeable.

Define a 'fixed cost' versus a 'variable cost' in budgeting.

A fixed cost does not change with the level of activity over the relevant range (e.g. building rent). A variable cost changes in proportion to activity/output (e.g. consumables per patient).

What is 'cost-effectiveness analysis' and how is the ICER calculated?

An economic evaluation comparing the cost and health effect of interventions. The Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio is $ICER = \frac{C_{1} - C_{0}}{E_{1} - E_{0}}$, the extra cost per additional unit of effect (e.g. per QALY gained).

What is a QALY and how is it calculated?

A Quality-Adjusted Life Year combines length and quality of life. $\text{QALY} = \sum (\text{time in health state}) \times (\text{utility weight})$, where a utility of 1 = full health and 0 = death.

What are the stages of Tuckman's model of group development?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and (added later) Adjourning/Mourning.

What is 'groupthink' and how can it be reduced?

A mode of thinking where the desire for group harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives, leading to poor decisions. It is reduced by encouraging dissent, appointing a 'devil's advocate', seeking outside views, and leaders withholding their opinion early.

What are Belbin's nine team roles grouped by category?

Action-oriented: Shaper, Implementer, Completer-Finisher. People-oriented: Coordinator, Teamworker, Resource Investigator. Thinking/cerebral: Plant, Monitor-Evaluator, Specialist.

Distinguish 'positional' (distributive) from 'principled' (integrative) negotiation.

Distributive (positional) negotiation is a competitive 'win-lose' split of a fixed pie around stated positions. Principled/integrative negotiation (Fisher & Ury) focuses on interests not positions, seeks mutual-gain options, and uses objective criteria to reach 'win-win' outcomes.

What is a BATNA in negotiation?

The Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement: your best course of action if no deal is reached. It sets your walk-away point and underpins negotiating power; you should not accept a worse outcome than your BATNA.

What are Cialdini's six principles of influence/persuasion?

Reciprocity, Commitment and consistency, Social proof, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity (a 7th, Unity, was added later).

In risk communication, what is the difference between 'hazard' and 'outrage' (Sandman)?

Sandman's formula is Risk = Hazard + Outrage. Hazard is the technical/expert measure of harm; outrage is the public's emotional/affective response (driven by factors such as voluntariness, control, fairness, dread). Effective communication addresses both.

What are the core principles of effective crisis communication?

Be first, be right, be credible; express empathy; promote action; show respect. Communicate early, openly and honestly, acknowledge uncertainty, use trusted messengers, and provide clear, consistent, actionable advice.

What are key principles for handling the media and public engagement in public health?

Plan and agree key messages in advance, identify a trained spokesperson, be proactive and timely, keep messages clear, accurate and jargon-free, anticipate difficult questions, never speculate or go 'off the record' carelessly, and tailor channels to the target audience.