Job summary
We're developing a brand new, consistent, and accessible wayfinding strategy that will better help patients, staff, and visitors find their way around our hospital sites and locations.
Wayfinding encompasses signage, ward, clinic, and location naming conventions, as well as clear and consistent messaging across websites, letters, and signage.
Our current approach to wayfinding is inconsistent and often confusing, leading to complaints from patients, criticism from external partners, and waste.
The wayfinding lead will play a key role in the project management and delivery of our wayfinding project and implementation.
Main duties of the job
You'll ensure the project runs to agreed timescales, reporting progress to relevant forums and committees, and you'll create and maintain project documentation and an asset management system to track the work.
You'll develop relationships with key stakeholders, working closely with patient and staff groups, enabling services, external experts, and suppliers, to ensure our wayfinding approach is sustainable over the long term, meets our statutory responsibilities, and is accessible to all.
About us
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.
Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.
We run major acute services at:
- Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
- Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
- Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Management
- Develop and implement an effective and consistent wayfinding strategy and signage system for the Trust, in partnership with LNWH Charity, estates and facilities, site operations, digital services, patient experience, communications, and through management of the contract with our external wayfinding agency.
- Develop and implement our ward renaming project, in partnership with estates and facilities, site operations, digital services, patient experience, communications, and external agencies and partners.
- Develop business cases and project plan for a multi-phase, multi-year, full roll-out of the wayfinding strategy.
- Direct management of the wayfinding programme activities including the development of project plans, reporting progress to ensure effective and timely delivery of the project outcomes.
- Set up and run project governance and project management, ensuring all relevant permissions and approvals are achieved.
- Develop and agree a robust project plan for delivery of the strategy, phase 1 implementation, and ward renaming work, to time and to budget, in liaison with our agency and internal partners, ensuring it responds to the needs of our key audiences.
- Coordinate and monitor the Trust's delivery against plan, providing support and advice as required and mitigating and escalating risks and issues as required.
- Provide expert guidance, support to develop and manage relationships with key project stakeholders as well as influencers and decision makers, ensuring necessary updates and briefings.
- Budgetary responsibility for the wayfinding project and supporting the director of communications in agreeing the detail of shared funding approaches.
- Keep the website, intranet, and external services (such as nhs.uk) up to date with correct locations, contact details, and key staff.
- Ensure all solutions comply with all relevant statutory requirements, standards, and laws, including the Equality Act, government wayfinding standards, NHS accessible information standard, accessibility law, and NHS identity.
- Deputise for the Director of Communications as required through the wayfinding project.
Key working relationships
- Manage our relationship with external agencies and oversee their delivery against plans.
- Work with:
- the senior communications officer to ensure content and assets comply with public sector signage guidance, NHS identity, LNWH identity, accessibility regulations, and NHS accessible information standard.
- the creative and design officer to monitor the use of posters and notices across our sites to ensure they timely, high-quality, and useful.
- the wider communications team to bring understanding and awareness of the needs of clinical and operational colleagues to inform the development of the Trusts communications and marketing offer.
- the estates and facilities team and operational colleagues to ensure new and ongoing building projects are compliant with the wayfinding and signage system.
- digital and operational teams to keep patient communications up to date with the correct location and wayfinding instructions.
- the patient experience team to ensure patients, carers, and visitors have input into our plans and projects.
Information management
- Manage and maintain an asset management system to track locations and associated design, print, and production signage.
- Regularly audit existing wayfinding materials, including signs and patient communication.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Management
- Develop and implement an effective and consistent wayfinding strategy and signage system for the Trust, in partnership with LNWH Charity, estates and facilities, site operations, digital services, patient experience, communications, and through management of the contract with our external wayfinding agency.
- Develop and implement our ward renaming project, in partnership with estates and facilities, site operations, digital services, patient experience, communications, and external agencies and partners.
- Develop business cases and project plan for a multi-phase, multi-year, full roll-out of the wayfinding strategy.
- Direct management of the wayfinding programme activities including the development of project plans, reporting progress to ensure effective and timely delivery of the project outcomes.
- Set up and run project governance and project management, ensuring all relevant permissions and approvals are achieved.
- Develop and agree a robust project plan for delivery of the strategy, phase 1 implementation, and ward renaming work, to time and to budget, in liaison with our agency and internal partners, ensuring it responds to the needs of our key audiences.
- Coordinate and monitor the Trust's delivery against plan, providing support and advice as required and mitigating and escalating risks and issues as required.
- Provide expert guidance, support to develop and manage relationships with key project stakeholders as well as influencers and decision makers, ensuring necessary updates and briefings.
- Budgetary responsibility for the wayfinding project and supporting the director of communications in agreeing the detail of shared funding approaches.
- Keep the website, intranet, and external services (such as nhs.uk) up to date with correct locations, contact details, and key staff.
- Ensure all solutions comply with all relevant statutory requirements, standards, and laws, including the Equality Act, government wayfinding standards, NHS accessible information standard, accessibility law, and NHS identity.
- Deputise for the Director of Communications as required through the wayfinding project.
Key working relationships
- Manage our relationship with external agencies and oversee their delivery against plans.
- Work with:
- the senior communications officer to ensure content and assets comply with public sector signage guidance, NHS identity, LNWH identity, accessibility regulations, and NHS accessible information standard.
- the creative and design officer to monitor the use of posters and notices across our sites to ensure they timely, high-quality, and useful.
- the wider communications team to bring understanding and awareness of the needs of clinical and operational colleagues to inform the development of the Trusts communications and marketing offer.
- the estates and facilities team and operational colleagues to ensure new and ongoing building projects are compliant with the wayfinding and signage system.
- digital and operational teams to keep patient communications up to date with the correct location and wayfinding instructions.
- the patient experience team to ensure patients, carers, and visitors have input into our plans and projects.
Information management
- Manage and maintain an asset management system to track locations and associated design, print, and production signage.
- Regularly audit existing wayfinding materials, including signs and patient communication.
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
Desirable
- Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of leading organisational-wide strategic or transformational projects in the public or private sector
- Experience of managing strategic partners and suppliers over a multi-year project
- Experience of managing budgets for a large, multi-year project or service
- Experience of working collaboratively with enabling services and key stakeholders across a large, complex organisation
- Knowledge of research techniques to inform, plan, and evaluate projects
- Experience of writing associated policies, guidelines, and procedures to support embedding standards and requirements
- Knowledge of UK accessibility law, the Equality Act, NHS accessible information standard, and UK Government wayfinding guidance
Desirable
- Experience using an asset management system, content management system, or customer relationship management system
- Experience of applying statutory accessibility standards and laws to wayfinding, print, or digital communications
- Line management experience
Skills, abilities, and attributes
Essential
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Excellent project management skills
- Ability to tailor messages to different staff groups, stakeholders, and members of the public through a range of channels
- Ability to build relationships with and influence people at all levels, and to work with senior colleagues with confidence
- Proficient use of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)
- Proactive, takes own initiative and is able to work effectively as part of a team
Desirable
- Proficient use of an asset management system, content management system, or customer relationship management system.
- Proficient use of Microsoft Power Apps or alternative platform
- Experience of applying statutory accessibility standards and laws to wayfinding, print, or digital communications
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
Desirable
- Master's degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of leading organisational-wide strategic or transformational projects in the public or private sector
- Experience of managing strategic partners and suppliers over a multi-year project
- Experience of managing budgets for a large, multi-year project or service
- Experience of working collaboratively with enabling services and key stakeholders across a large, complex organisation
- Knowledge of research techniques to inform, plan, and evaluate projects
- Experience of writing associated policies, guidelines, and procedures to support embedding standards and requirements
- Knowledge of UK accessibility law, the Equality Act, NHS accessible information standard, and UK Government wayfinding guidance
Desirable
- Experience using an asset management system, content management system, or customer relationship management system
- Experience of applying statutory accessibility standards and laws to wayfinding, print, or digital communications
- Line management experience
Skills, abilities, and attributes
Essential
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Excellent project management skills
- Ability to tailor messages to different staff groups, stakeholders, and members of the public through a range of channels
- Ability to build relationships with and influence people at all levels, and to work with senior colleagues with confidence
- Proficient use of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)
- Proactive, takes own initiative and is able to work effectively as part of a team
Desirable
- Proficient use of an asset management system, content management system, or customer relationship management system.
- Proficient use of Microsoft Power Apps or alternative platform
- Experience of applying statutory accessibility standards and laws to wayfinding, print, or digital communications
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).
