Communications and Engagement Officer (K&C)

Healthwatch was set up in 2013 to champion the rights of health and social care users, and hold the health and social care system to account for how well it engages with the public. Healthwatch has a remit which covers all publicly funded health and social care services for adults and children. The Advocacy Project delivers Healthwatch Brent, Healthwatch Westminster and Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea – three of 152 local Healthwatch organisations. We’re building on the important work that’s been done to date, while bringing new insights from the voices of seldom heard and hard to hear groups.

In this role you will promote Healthwatch to local residents and stakeholders, and support people to get involved in our work. You’ll be a skilled communicator, comfortable networking and engaging with a diverse range of local residents. This role is primarily based in Westminster, and we’re looking for someone who can understand and relate to the diverse local population. Your role will involve finding innovative ways to present the information the team gathers to key audiences. This will range from face-to-face conversations with partners and funders through to producing imaginative materials. This includes producing accessible reports and presentations to make sure we can maximise the impact of people’s feedback.

You’ll be responsible for a variety of internal and external communications for the Healthwatch Westminster producing impactful communications across all platforms including our website, social media channels and newsletter. You’ll also produce informative and engaging content for our websites, keeping it fresh and relevant for our diverse audiences. As well as developing our online presence, you’ll own the Westminster engagement plan. This will involve identifying engagement opportunities, working with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure we have good coverage at events across the borough, and getting out into the local community to promote our service and hear from local residents.

Working as part of a small team, you’ll be involved in many aspects of the organisation. You’ll need to be flexible, with a ‘can do’ attitude to meet the evolving needs of the service. You will need to work in close collaboration with our other Healthwatch services in Kensington & Chelsea and Brent, and occasionally support communications and engagement in those areas when the need arises.

Key responsibilities

• Develop a vibrant engagement plan for Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea, ensuring that we reach a wide range of residents from different communities, with an emphasis on those most likely to experience poor health outcomes.
• Develop effective relationships with local voluntary organisations and community groups to promote the Healthwatch service and carry out engagement activities and signposting sessions.
• Practice culturally responsive engagement, demonstrating the ability to communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures with diverse protected characteristics, whilst maintaining openness and showing respect to people who have a different social or cultural background to your own.
• Keep abreast of good engagement practice and actively seek out innovative ways to capture and express people’s views/experiences, including engagement techniques appropriate to different audiences.
• Work in partnership with local community groups to support engagement in projects, including coproduction and joint communications.
• Take a lead role in making sure all Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea activities involve people from all sections of the community, including seldom-heard communities.
• Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure that volunteers are able to participate in engagement plans.

Communications

• Create engaging and up-to-date digital media content across all digital channels, including web content, Twitter and Facebook.
• Create regular newsletters and e-bulletins, circulating these to key stakeholders to support engagement.
• Design reports, presentations and stationery templates for the Healthwatch service, making sure all materials keep to the Healthwatch brand guidelines.
• Answer and respond appropriately to calls about the service, seeking guidance from the team where appropriate to give signposting support via phone and email.
• Keep up to date with best practice from Healthwatch England, by reading, attending courses and networking.
• Carry out any other tasks needed for the service to run smoothly, as directed by the Healthwatch Manager.

General responsibilities

• Participate in team meetings, training and organisational development.
• Contribute to monitoring reports.
• Keep to our policies, including health & safety, safeguarding and risk regulations.
• Work to our mission, vision, and values.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, in line with the changing local and national landscape and carry out other projects and tasks as needed.

Person specification

Essential

• Good understanding of the NHS / social care, in particular the importance of patient voice and engagement for improving and developing services.
• Experience of carrying out community engagement.
• Experience producing communication materials for a variety of channels and audiences.
• Experience of working with diverse communities, particularly in Kensington & Chelsea/ North West London.
• Good understanding of health inequality and the role Healthwatch can play in reducing this.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders ranging from local residents, colleagues, partners, trustees and commissioners.
• Excellent organisational skills, ability to take initiative and plan your own workload.
• Commitment to working within The Advocacy Project and Healthwatch code of conduct, equality and safeguarding policies.
• Willingness to attend further training and to adopt new procedures.
• Willingness to promote Healthwatch and The Advocacy Project in line with our mission, vision and values.

Desirable

• Evidence of ongoing personal development and training related to the role.
• Previous experience of working within a Healthwatch service.
• Experience of creating visual content such as digital graphics or video.

Benefits of working for us

We’re committed to providing an empowering, flexible and supportive working environment for all our staff. Our employee benefits include 30 days annual leave (including up to 3 days between Christmas and New Year), participation in a pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, access to a free confidential counselling service, and an interest-free travel/bike loan. All our staff are supported to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including a monthly lecture series where we invite sector experts to talk to our staff on topical issues. We are a Disability Confident Committed and Mindful Employer.