Outreach Engagement Officer in Carlisle

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive individual to join Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw Children’s Hospice as our Outreach Engagement Officer.

About the Role

As Outreach Engagement Officer, you’ll play a vital role in engaging with health and social care professionals, third sector organisations, and local communities to raise awareness of hospice care and support. You’ll help dispel myths, reduce anxieties, and promote timely referrals by delivering community-based activities and educational sessions. Working closely with our Family & Bereavement Support Team, Marketing and Income Generation Teams, and external partners, you’ll coordinate outreach efforts that build trust, foster collaboration, and ensure our services are understood and accessible to all.

The purpose of the role is to engage with health and social care staff to improve understanding of hospice care to support timely appropriate referrals. To engage more meaningfully with local communities to increase their understanding of what hospice care & support can offer before they need hospice services, so the anxiety about being referred to the hospice is reduced and to improve confidence to talk about this type of care.

You will coordinate and deliver community-based activities that support engagement and interactions with the local community and health and care professionals. You will deliver key information about hospice care and support & myth-busting messages through a variety of methods, using evidence-based approaches to reach target communities. By working with and through communities you will identify and break down barriers that can impact on engagement with hospice services.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with health and care professionals, third sector organisations, and community groups.
• Deliver myth-busting and awareness sessions to improve understanding of hospice care.
• Identify and engage with hard-to-reach communities to ensure inclusivity.
• Coordinate and support community outreach events aligned with national campaigns.
• Attend networking forums and represent the hospice at key events.
• Collaborate with internal teams to support the development of EVH & Jigsaw outreach offers.
• Capture and report on community feedback, service gaps, and outreach impact.
• Signpost individuals to relevant services and resources.
• Be part of the bridge between communities and local hospice organisations, providing valuable intelligence on community perceptions and attitudes to hospice care.
• Deliver myth‑busting and other awareness sessions as required to support the Living Well Team.
• Improve awareness within communities of hospice care & living well support whilst myth‑busting common misconceptions.
• Develop and deliver supported & education sessions alongside volunteers and subject‑matter experts and partner organisations.
• Assist with organising and booking engagement and outreach sessions and ensure the information is shared with those that need to know.
• Communicate with all partners about EVH and Jigsaw services, including outreach work, through attendance at identified network meetings and events.
• Write reports to highlight outreach activity, community need, perceived gaps in service provision and service user feedback.
• Work flexibly and closely with the wider leadership team to support the services.
• Attend key networking and actively engage to promote key messages, hospice tours and talks (e.g. Action for Health, Mental Health Provider Forum).
• Identify potential partners to work together to localise national campaigns and make messages relevant to local communities.
• Signpost to relevant support and resources, including partners.
• Identify and engage the hard‑to‑reach communities.

Qualifications

• Educated to A‑level or equivalent, or relevant proven experience.
• Relevant management, leadership or clinical qualification.

Personal Qualities

• A positive, self‑motivated and enthusiastic attitude to work.
• Committed to the values and philosophy of Eden Valley Hospice.
• Willingness to work some evenings and weekends to fulfil the requirements of the post.
• Independently mobile with the ability to travel around North Cumbria and the North‑East area.
• Ability to act on own initiative as well as a team member.

Experience

• Experience in Health and Social Care.
• Experience of working in relationship management.
• Experience of working with, facilitating and managing groups.
• Experience and Knowledge of Palliative Care.
• Political awareness and proven negotiation skills.

Skills and Abilities

• Good organisational skills.
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Excellent negotiating and influencing skills.
• IT literate and strong analytical skills.
• Strong networking and relationship management skills.
• Ability to work calmly and methodically under pressure.
• Ability to multi‑task and use initiative.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.