Job summary
We are looking for an experienced communications professional to lead the communications and engagement for the implementation of the electronic patient record (EPR) in North Cumbria.
The Trust is on the brink of transforming how we use digital technology after recently receiving approval for a £40m programme. The EPR will be a game changer in improving patient care including patient safety, patient experience and patient waiting times.
Working closely with the EPR programme team, the Communications Lead will develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive communications and engagement plan for the programme and associated projects, ensuring they link with organisational strategies and objectives.
This post will be hosted within the Trust's busy communications team but will work closely with the digital programmes department. It requires an enthusiastic, experienced and highly motivated individual who responds positively to new challenges. The postholder will benefit from access to a growing pool of clinicians engaging with digital projects and a track record of successful implementation of systems such as medical prescribing.
You'll support our digital programmes department and the wider digital healthcare team by developing and coordinating high quality communications plans.
This a fantastic opportunity to be able to work on a complex but rewarding project that will ultimately transform the future of health care in north cumbria.
Main duties of the job
Communications
- Acting as lead communications specialist, scope, research, plan and refine a communications strategy for the EPR programme and associated projects.
- Organise and manage communications campaigns and events,
- Respond to media enquiries about the programme and difficult organisational situations
- Receive, interpret and communicate highly complex, sensitive information in ways that are easily accessible, carefully targeted and appropriate to the audience. This will include staff at all levels of the Trust, clinicians, patients and the public
- Engage our staff about the potential of our evolving EPR programme and ensure we provide timely information to different audiences through a range of Trust and partner communications channels.
- Work closely with Trust senior managers, the programme team and members of the project implementation teams to ensure stakeholders are effectively engaged and communicated with
- Responsible for sourcing and commissioning work / resources to support communication for the programme, ensuring budgets and timescales are met
- Provide reports to the EPR Programme Manager(s) in relation to the progress and ongoing monitoring of communication processes
- Act as ambassador for the Trust's EPR programme at all times and develop and maintain effective networks and relationships with internal and external contacts
About us
At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding hospital and health services to half a million people. Established on 1st October 2019, the Trust is creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout north Cumbria and beyond. We're responsible for delivering over 70 services across 15 main locations and we employ more than 6,500 members of staff.
Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time'.
- Being a clinically led organisation
- Quality and safety at the heart
- A positive patient experience every time
- A great place to work
- Managing our money well
As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.
Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. There is an expectation for all staff to support this by familiarising yourself with the Trust's sustainability initiatives such as waste and recycling, going paperless, videoconferencing, sustainable transport and others.
We encourage you to think about what you can do as an individual and within your team to contribute in to embedding carbon reduction into the everyday running of our organisation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached Job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.
Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies
- Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.
- If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.
Important Information
Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.
For candidates applying using a Hotmail account or have strict firewall settings please ensure the following:
- Junk Mail is checked regularly
Disclosure and Barring Service:
On 28 November 2020, the new Disclosure and Barring Service filtering rules will come into effect.
The changes mean that:
- youth cautions, reprimands and final warnings will no longer be subject to automatic disclosure
- the multiple conviction rule has been removed, meaning that if an individual has more than one conviction, regardless of offence type or time passed, each conviction will be considered against the remaining rules individually, rather than being automatically disclosed.
If you are unsure about whether you need to disclose certain criminal record information, free confidential advice may be sought from one of the charity bodies listed below. These bodies can advise you on what you are legally required to declare and may also be able to advise you on how you can disclose criminal record information to a prospective employer and your legal rights when doing so.
Nacro Tel: 0300 123 1999, or email: helpline@nacro.org.uk
Unlock Tel: 01634 247350, email advice@unlock.org.uk or complete the online form on the Unlock website
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children therefore if the post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended) the successful candidate(s) will be subject to a criminal records check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:
Standard Check: £18 + Administration cost of £3.85 = £21.85. Deducted at £6.85 from 1st month salary and £5 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
Enhanced Check: £38 + administration cost of £3.90 = £41.90. Deducted at £11.90 from 1st month salary and £10 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
As part of the one of the largest employers in the UK NCIC future employees will have also access to the following benefits.
A lease car may be available for this position; further details will be provided upon appointment if applicable.
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Flexible working Scheme
Excellent opportunities for development
Competitive NHS Pension scheme
Access to NHS discounts with retailers and leisure companies
EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
These schemes are subject to availability
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached Job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.
Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies
- Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.
- If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.
Important Information
Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.
For candidates applying using a Hotmail account or have strict firewall settings please ensure the following:
- Junk Mail is checked regularly
Disclosure and Barring Service:
On 28 November 2020, the new Disclosure and Barring Service filtering rules will come into effect.
The changes mean that:
- youth cautions, reprimands and final warnings will no longer be subject to automatic disclosure
- the multiple conviction rule has been removed, meaning that if an individual has more than one conviction, regardless of offence type or time passed, each conviction will be considered against the remaining rules individually, rather than being automatically disclosed.
If you are unsure about whether you need to disclose certain criminal record information, free confidential advice may be sought from one of the charity bodies listed below. These bodies can advise you on what you are legally required to declare and may also be able to advise you on how you can disclose criminal record information to a prospective employer and your legal rights when doing so.
Nacro Tel: 0300 123 1999, or email: helpline@nacro.org.uk
Unlock Tel: 01634 247350, email advice@unlock.org.uk or complete the online form on the Unlock website
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children therefore if the post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended) the successful candidate(s) will be subject to a criminal records check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:
Standard Check: £18 + Administration cost of £3.85 = £21.85. Deducted at £6.85 from 1st month salary and £5 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
Enhanced Check: £38 + administration cost of £3.90 = £41.90. Deducted at £11.90 from 1st month salary and £10 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
As part of the one of the largest employers in the UK NCIC future employees will have also access to the following benefits.
A lease car may be available for this position; further details will be provided upon appointment if applicable.
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Flexible working Scheme
Excellent opportunities for development
Competitive NHS Pension scheme
Access to NHS discounts with retailers and leisure companies
EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
These schemes are subject to availability
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oEducated to degree level or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge
- oHighly specialist knowledge, underpinned by practical experience of digital and visual communications practices.
- oPostgraduate PR, journalism or marketing professional qualification e.g. CIM, CIPR, or equivalent level of experience
Desirable
- oEvidence of continued professional development in communications and engagement
- oProfessional membership of a body relevant to engagement, communications or marketing
- oPRINCE2 Foundation
- oMS Office
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oKnowledge of marketing communication approaches and procedures
- oSupporting the development of digital communications e.g. web and social media
- oIT literacy and competency relevant to communications - reports, analysis and presentations, web and social media
- oEvidence of success in the area of delivering effective communications for a complex project delivering improvements
- oExperience of devising, planning, implementing and evaluating effective communications and engagement strategies
- oBroad experience across communications functions including internal and external communications, media relations (both proactive and reactive) and staff engagement
- oExperience of working with highly complex and/or contentious information; able to analyse, edit and present this information for various internal and external audiences and publications
- oExperience of using social media to communicate and engage effectively with internal and external audiences
- oDeveloping and leading teams
Desirable
- oKnowledge of engagement and communications best practice in the NHS
- oSocial marketing campaign development
- oKnowledge of NHS clinical systems
- oAbility to demonstrate a good understanding of NHS structures and current issues
- oExperience of supporting communications for a large scale system change
- oLeadership
- oSelecting, developing and leading teams in a matrix management environment
- oAssessing the skills and competence of individuals within a team and identifying their development needs
Skills and Aptitudes
Essential
- oExcellent communication skills, able to confidently present highly complex information and ideas in a straightforward, consistent, compelling, engaging style with appropriate language and tone for a range of audiences
- oWell-developed relationship building and networking skills and able to develop excellent working relationships across organisational boundaries
- oAbility to co-ordinate communications campaigns, including events
- oExcellent organisational skills and ability to work under pressure and manage a varied and often challenging workload
- oAble to review highly complex and sensitive information which requires analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options
- oAble to work in a fast paced environment handling challenging issues and remaining calm under pressure
- oTakes responsibility for own learning, development and behaviour - actively seeks to develop and demonstrate own competence
- oAbility to inspire confidence and trust, command respect and create a sense of community amongst those involved in this area of work
- oAbility to prepare and present reports to detailed specifications for Trust and others as requested
- oEncourages a culture of openness and honesty within the workplace
Desirable
- oAbility to challenge the convention
- oAbility to adapt and deal with situations and manage expectations during periods of change and be able to take account of the broader perspective and how it affects other areas.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oEducated to degree level or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge
- oHighly specialist knowledge, underpinned by practical experience of digital and visual communications practices.
- oPostgraduate PR, journalism or marketing professional qualification e.g. CIM, CIPR, or equivalent level of experience
Desirable
- oEvidence of continued professional development in communications and engagement
- oProfessional membership of a body relevant to engagement, communications or marketing
- oPRINCE2 Foundation
- oMS Office
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oKnowledge of marketing communication approaches and procedures
- oSupporting the development of digital communications e.g. web and social media
- oIT literacy and competency relevant to communications - reports, analysis and presentations, web and social media
- oEvidence of success in the area of delivering effective communications for a complex project delivering improvements
- oExperience of devising, planning, implementing and evaluating effective communications and engagement strategies
- oBroad experience across communications functions including internal and external communications, media relations (both proactive and reactive) and staff engagement
- oExperience of working with highly complex and/or contentious information; able to analyse, edit and present this information for various internal and external audiences and publications
- oExperience of using social media to communicate and engage effectively with internal and external audiences
- oDeveloping and leading teams
Desirable
- oKnowledge of engagement and communications best practice in the NHS
- oSocial marketing campaign development
- oKnowledge of NHS clinical systems
- oAbility to demonstrate a good understanding of NHS structures and current issues
- oExperience of supporting communications for a large scale system change
- oLeadership
- oSelecting, developing and leading teams in a matrix management environment
- oAssessing the skills and competence of individuals within a team and identifying their development needs
Skills and Aptitudes
Essential
- oExcellent communication skills, able to confidently present highly complex information and ideas in a straightforward, consistent, compelling, engaging style with appropriate language and tone for a range of audiences
- oWell-developed relationship building and networking skills and able to develop excellent working relationships across organisational boundaries
- oAbility to co-ordinate communications campaigns, including events
- oExcellent organisational skills and ability to work under pressure and manage a varied and often challenging workload
- oAble to review highly complex and sensitive information which requires analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options
- oAble to work in a fast paced environment handling challenging issues and remaining calm under pressure
- oTakes responsibility for own learning, development and behaviour - actively seeks to develop and demonstrate own competence
- oAbility to inspire confidence and trust, command respect and create a sense of community amongst those involved in this area of work
- oAbility to prepare and present reports to detailed specifications for Trust and others as requested
- oEncourages a culture of openness and honesty within the workplace
Desirable
- oAbility to challenge the convention
- oAbility to adapt and deal with situations and manage expectations during periods of change and be able to take account of the broader perspective and how it affects other areas.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
