UKPHR Specialist Registration by Portfolio Assessment (SRbPA)

The UKPHR Specialist Registration by Portfolio Assessment (SRbPA) is an alternative route to specialist registration for experienced public health professionals who haven’t followed a formal training programme, allowing them to demonstrate their competence through a retrospective portfolio assessment. More information can be found on the UKPHR SRbPA webpage.

Enhanced regional support programme

The Enhanced Regional Support Programme is specifically designed to assist eligible London-based public health professionals through the UKPHR SRbPA. It offers personalised development plans, tailored workshops, peer mentoring, and access to experienced moderators and placement opportunities to help candidates successfully complete the registration process. Interested? Email Lara.

SRbPA Placement Pilot

The SRbPA Placement Pilot is a new initiative designed to help London’s experienced public health professionals in the process of completing UKPHR SRbPA by offering structured placements in host organisations. Running from April 2025 to March 2026, the pilot supports candidates in bridging key competency gaps through real-world project experience, without requiring contractual change.

SRbPA Network

ADPH UK hosts an online monthly network for those considering pre-application and those progressing through the SRbPA portfolio. Email the registration form to portfoliogroup@adph.org.uk to join.

SRbPA KHub

The SRbPA Knowledge Hub is an online space for those completing the portfolio to share ideas, tools and resources. Join today.

Call for SRbPA Mentors

Are you passionate about supporting the next generation of public health leaders in London? Do you want to make a real difference while expanding your network and gaining valuable facilitation experience? The London School of Public Health seeks mentors for those undertaking the Specialist Registration by Portfolio Assessment Support Programme.

This innovative programme goes beyond simply offering support for UKPHR registration. It’s about:

• Empowering diverse talent: You’ll guide and support a range of experienced public health professionals from various backgrounds, fostering a more inclusive leadership landscape.
• Boosting career progression: By sharing your knowledge and experience, you’ll help colleagues navigate their career aspirations and achieve their full potential.

What will you do as an Outcome Facilitator?

• Guide participants through personalised 1:1 review and feedback sessions: Share your insights and provide constructive feedback to help them refine their SRbPA portfolios and career goals (1 hour per participant)
• Facilitate engaging peer network meetings: Create a supportive space for colleagues to share experiences, learn from each other, and build valuable connections (2 hours per session, 2 sessions per year).

Who are we looking for?

• Experienced public health consultant: You possess a strong understanding of the public health landscape and a passion for supporting others’ development.
• Good understanding of the Portfolio Route and what is required.

Ready to make a difference? Please contact contact Lara Hogan.

For more information about the SRbPA programme, please visit the website.

The UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) Practitioner Scheme supports public health professionals to gain formal registration by building a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates their competence against national standards. The London Practitioner Registration Scheme, funded by NHS England, offers structured support—including workshops, peer sessions, and 121 guidance—over approximately 12 months to help eligible public and third-sector practitioners across London complete this process. Registration enhances credibility, supports career progression, and affirms your expertise through objective assessment. While applications for the 2025 cohort are now closed, the next round will open in early 2026. Learn more on the UKPHR website or their KHub page.

The Public Health Practitioner Level 6 (L6 PHP) Apprenticeship is a 36-month integrated degree programme, approved by the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education.  The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) London, is supporting the delivery of the Apprenticeship programme; working closely with a wide range of local employers. This is an opportunity for candidates interested in promoting, improving and protecting health to gain a BSc Public Health (Hons) degree and pursue public health practitioner registration with UKPHR.

The practice-focussed nature of the course will empower students to work independently and collaboratively and thrive as part of a team of public health professionals. The programme also instils the importance of maintaining academic and professional ethical standards, expected by employers, academic institutions, and the public health profession.

More information on the apprenticeship can be found here.

Further links and resources

1. Implementation Guidance for Employers, Training Providers and Apprentices
2. Level 6 PHP apprenticeship toolkit

UKPHR are seeking experienced public health professionals to train as accredited assessors who will evaluate practitioner portfolios and provide constructive feedback.

Assessors play a vital role in upholding the integrity of the registration process by reviewing portfolios against national standards. The role requires a commitment of approximately 5.5 to 7.5 days annually, including a free 2-day training course, portfolio assessments, and ongoing support meetings. Ideal candidates will have at least two years of senior-level public health experience, with an MSc in Public Health and prior mentoring or assessment experience being advantageous but not essential.

Becoming an assessor offers valuable opportunities for networking, professional growth, and contributing to the development of the public health workforce. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Sam to register for the upcoming training in September 2025.

The UKPHR London practitioner registration scheme is in need of verifiers to support our practitioners to gain registration, once their portfolio is complete. Through independent scrutiny, verifiers perform the vital role of confirming the assessment process has resulted in a portfolio of evidence that meets the standards. Verifiers are responsible for the recommendation of portfolios to the UKPHR Registration Panel for professional registration.

Further backgound information is available here and to register your interest, please contact Sam Gentry-Marshall email: Samantha.gentry-marshall@hee.nhs.uk (Project Manager for Public Health Practitioner Development NHS England – London Region).

Public health specialists and consultants are strategists, senior managers or senior scientists in public health. You’ll need skills and knowledge in health protection, health improvement and healthcare public health but, in practice, you may specialise in one area.

Public health specialists come from a wide range of backgrounds, and may or may not hold a medical degree. You could be employed in different sectors, including local government, central government or its executive agencies, the NHS, universities, the defence services, the private sector or the voluntary and social enterprise sector.

To hold professional registration as a public health specialist, you’ll need to go through an approved training route or a portfolio route. To be a consultant in public health, you must also hold a professional registration at public health specialist level with either the General Medical Council (GMC), the General Dental Council (GDC) or the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) as appropriate.

See the UKPHR and Faculty of Public Health websites for more information on specialist registration.

The NIHR Local Authority Academic Fellowship Programme and Associated Opportunities programme of fellowship schemes and short placement awards supports individuals based within English local authority settings to develop as health and/or social care researchers whilst retaining their existing employment and salary. The following schemes are available:

• Local Authority Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (LA SPARC) Scheme
• LAAF Programme Pre-Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (PLAF) Scheme
• LAAF Programme Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (DLAF) Scheme
• LAAF Programme Advanced Local Authority Fellowship (ALAF) Scheme.

There are a number of development opportunities for DsPH including:

• Mentoring
• Peer groups
• Annual events

More information can be found on this on National ADPH UK Website.

The King’s Fund: Building Collaborative Leadership across Health and Care Organisations

This transformative programme combines the newest leadership research with the latest policy analysis to help you step up to the challenge with a clear sense of leadership. You will learn how to apply new leadership skills and unlearn some of the unhelpful biases and blockers to effective collaboration.

Apply here.