The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Communications Officer

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual with excellent communications and media and/ or marketing experience to join the Patient and Staff Experience team.

This team delivers multi-faceted improvement programmes across the Trust to drive the transformation of Patient and Staff Experience. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved with developing and implementing the Trust's Patient and Staff experience communication strategy, engage with patients, and foster positive relationships with staff across the Trust and with external partners.

  • Interview Date Wednesday 12 February 2025
  • 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week
  • You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

The main duties include supporting the planning, production, and delivery of corporate communications, marketing, and web content in line with the Patient and Staff Experience team objectives. This will require excellent IT skills, effective stakeholder engagement, and working closely with teams across the Trust and colleagues in HR. The successful candidate will assist with the timely implementation of communications plans and take a creative and person-centered approach to the role whilst utilising their understanding of the working within a complex organisation like the NHS.

About us

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

o Freeman Hospital

o Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)

o Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)

o Newcastle Dental Hospital

o Newcastle Fertility Centre

o Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria

o Northern Genetics Service

o Cramlington Manor Walks

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Details

Date posted

06 January 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

21 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

317-2024-51-026

Job locations

Royal Victoria Infirmary

317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary

NE1 4LP


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Assisting in promoting the reputation of the Trust as a high-quality healthcare provider
  • Working as part of the Patient and Staff experience team Contributing to, and assisting with, the delivery of a corporate communication strategy and associated communication, engagement and marketing initiatives to enable the Trust to deliver on its Patient and Staff experience strategic objectives. This will include leading aspects of the strategy as appropriate
  • Developing and implementing tactical communication plans to support a complex array of the Patient and Staff experience programmes and services, working closely with key internal audiences as well as external partners e.g. as part of the integration agenda; via Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs)
  • Liaising with the Communications team / marketing team to provide a high quality, professional and proactive service to the Trust that implements best practice and seeks innovative ways to support the trust in achieving its objectives
  • Supporting events management e.g. GP Education, promotional events
  • Working with the patient engagement/experience team to lead, develop and co-ordinate patient and public engagement activities and services across the Trust in order to influence the development and delivery of services
  • Ensuring the Trust abides by NHS and Trust corporate identity guidelines, industry standards / guidelines

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Assisting in promoting the reputation of the Trust as a high-quality healthcare provider
  • Working as part of the Patient and Staff experience team Contributing to, and assisting with, the delivery of a corporate communication strategy and associated communication, engagement and marketing initiatives to enable the Trust to deliver on its Patient and Staff experience strategic objectives. This will include leading aspects of the strategy as appropriate
  • Developing and implementing tactical communication plans to support a complex array of the Patient and Staff experience programmes and services, working closely with key internal audiences as well as external partners e.g. as part of the integration agenda; via Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs)
  • Liaising with the Communications team / marketing team to provide a high quality, professional and proactive service to the Trust that implements best practice and seeks innovative ways to support the trust in achieving its objectives
  • Supporting events management e.g. GP Education, promotional events
  • Working with the patient engagement/experience team to lead, develop and co-ordinate patient and public engagement activities and services across the Trust in order to influence the development and delivery of services
  • Ensuring the Trust abides by NHS and Trust corporate identity guidelines, industry standards / guidelines

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential

  • Degree level education and/or equivalent level of qualification or experience (e.g. Health; Media / Journalism / Web publishing)

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Relevant experience in a relevant speciality i.e. public relations, communications, marketing and/or journalism to post graduate level or demonstrable experience. This must include social / web-based media
  • Demonstrable experience in a large, complex organisation
  • Good working knowledge of relevant legislation, guidelines and regulation
  • Experience of inter-agency working involving multiple and diverse partners

Desirable

  • Good understanding of the NHS environment
  • Experience of working at a similar level in the NHS or other healthcare environment
  • Experience of providing communications support to a charity
  • Car driver would be advantageous
  • Web publishing and content management
  • Have a good understanding of current and emerging technologies that support delivery and management of key communications, this includes social media

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills - written and verbal
  • Media handling skills
  • Good interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • Ability to communicate complex information to a range of audiences at all levels within the organisation and externally
  • Ability to work under pressure, managing multiple projects to tight deadlines
  • Ability to work autonomously with creativity, drive and flexibility
  • Excellent IT literacy including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio) and other relevant IT systems
Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential

  • Degree level education and/or equivalent level of qualification or experience (e.g. Health; Media / Journalism / Web publishing)

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Relevant experience in a relevant speciality i.e. public relations, communications, marketing and/or journalism to post graduate level or demonstrable experience. This must include social / web-based media
  • Demonstrable experience in a large, complex organisation
  • Good working knowledge of relevant legislation, guidelines and regulation
  • Experience of inter-agency working involving multiple and diverse partners

Desirable

  • Good understanding of the NHS environment
  • Experience of working at a similar level in the NHS or other healthcare environment
  • Experience of providing communications support to a charity
  • Car driver would be advantageous
  • Web publishing and content management
  • Have a good understanding of current and emerging technologies that support delivery and management of key communications, this includes social media

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills - written and verbal
  • Media handling skills
  • Good interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • Ability to communicate complex information to a range of audiences at all levels within the organisation and externally
  • Ability to work under pressure, managing multiple projects to tight deadlines
  • Ability to work autonomously with creativity, drive and flexibility
  • Excellent IT literacy including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio) and other relevant IT systems

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Victoria Infirmary

317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary

NE1 4LP


Employer's website

https://careers.nuth.nhs.uk/why-us (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Victoria Infirmary

317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary

NE1 4LP


Employer's website

https://careers.nuth.nhs.uk/why-us (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Chief Experience Officer

Annie Laverty

annie.laverty1@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

06 January 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

21 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

317-2024-51-026

Job locations

Royal Victoria Infirmary

317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary

NE1 4LP


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)