Job summary
Armed Forces Welfare Officer
Department Charitable Funds
Band 4 £27,485 - £30,162 Per annum pro rata
Hours: 22.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
This role sits within Milton Keynes University Hospital's Armed Forces workstream and plays a key part in supporting serving personnel, veterans, reservists and their families, including supported referrals to relevant organisations. The postholder will act as an advocate for the Armed Forces community, helping to ensure fair and equitable access to care in line with the Armed Forces Covenant and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance Veteran Aware programme. The role involves direct patient-facing support, coordination of Armed Forces volunteers, partnership working across the hospital and community, and contributing to data collection, reporting and service development to evidence outcomes and impact.
We are looking for someone with strong engagement and communication skills, experience of working with vulnerable individuals or communities, and the confidence to work across multidisciplinary teams. You will need good organisational and analytical skills, with the ability to collect, manage and report data accurately. An understanding of safeguarding, risk identification, and referral pathways is essential, along with the ability to work sensitively in a patient-facing environment.
Please note that we are not able to offer sponsorship for this role.
Interview date: 05 March 2026
Main duties of the job
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
'Administrative and Clerical staff feel supported with flexible working at MKUH, reporting 6.82 out of 10, and a 76% feel strongly about approaching their managers regarding flexible working.' ''NHS Survey, 2024''
Knowledge of, or a willingness to learn about, the Armed Forces community and related health and wellbeing needs is key, as is the ability to represent the service professionally with internal and external partners.
The aim of this role is to strengthen MKUH's commitment to supporting patients with an Armed Forces background by addressing their growing welfare needs and improving overall patient outcomes.
This role will build on MKUH's established reputation in veteran care, supporting the continued success of the Armed Forces Workstream and contributing towards compliance with the expanded Armed Forces Covenant Duty. By recruiting a part-time Armed Forces Welfare Officer, the Trust will enhance its capacity to provide early interventions, manage complex cases, and ensure that veterans, reservists and their families receive timely, appropriate support and specialist referrals to military and non-military organisations as required. This position will directly contribute to MKUH's goals of improving patient safety, experience, and clinical effectiveness while sustaining momentum toward the April 2026 Covenant review.
About us
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.
Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards - and the recently approved Women and Children's Centre, set to open by 2030.
Visit our website to explore the latest news and opportunities at MKUH - News - Milton Keynes University Hospital -
For further information about Milton Keynes please visit - Visit Milton Keynes
Job description
Job responsibilities
Generating daily reports vis the PAS (Patient Administration System) to identify new patient who are serving, ex-forces, reservists or families (SERF) and confirm exact location of existing SERF patients.
Coordinating Armed Forces volunteer patient visits and oversee accurate recording for data capture and analysis
Providing bedside welfare support and assessing and triaging patient needs.
Identifying and correctly reporting risks and safeguarding issues.
Please refer to the Job Description for further details.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Generating daily reports vis the PAS (Patient Administration System) to identify new patient who are serving, ex-forces, reservists or families (SERF) and confirm exact location of existing SERF patients.
Coordinating Armed Forces volunteer patient visits and oversee accurate recording for data capture and analysis
Providing bedside welfare support and assessing and triaging patient needs.
Identifying and correctly reporting risks and safeguarding issues.
Please refer to the Job Description for further details.
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential
- Educated or equivalent experience to Level 4 (foundation degree level)
- Knowledge of the Armed Forces Covenant
Desirable
- Knowledge of current NHS Agenda
- Some clinical knowledge
- Knowledge of Adult Social Care, safeguarding and statutory support (Local Authority provision)
- Knowledge of the Defence Relationship Management Employer Recognition Scheme
- Knowledge of the Armed Forces Covenant healthcare legislation
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of developing, applying and working with policy, guidelines and managing resources
- Analytical and judgmental skills, when working day to day with patients and members of the public, as well as in interpreting communications and policies
- Developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels with staff as well as patients
- Organisational skills and forward planning
- Event planning and management experience
- Experience of and demonstrable achievement in operating within health/social care services or experience in a role of similar level of seniority
- Analyzing conversations with patients and colleagues and providing advice
- Experience in creating and developing new processes and policies
- Experience of working across a variety of different services with a sound understanding of the different (sometimes conflicting) service needs and objectives
- Ability to work on own initiative and collaboratively with other staff and teams
- Ability to cope with tight deadlines and competing priorities
- Flexible and pragmatic approach to problems and working practices
- Ability to confidently make proposals and challenge decisions constructively and appropriately
- Ability to deal with middle management and board members, displaying confidence and gaining trust
Desirable
- Ability to conduct audits and surveys
- Experience or interest in the Armed forces e.g., having worked with this community previously, awareness of specific needs through working directly or indirectly with Armed Forces personnel, veterans, reservists and their families
Skills
Essential
- Analyze and interpret trends in veteran and armed forces admissions and satisfaction, carry out and process surveys and resultant information
- Collate and interpret facts, statistics and trends to report to manager of service and funders
- Interpret procedures, advising and supporting on policy development
- IT and keyboard skills
Personal and people development
Essential
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Experience of managing and developing others
- Evidence of supporting staff networks and other groups
- Able to influence, lead and develop and motivate staff and volunteers to maximize potential
- Ability to deliver training to others
Communication
Essential
- Excellent communication skills both oral, written and presentational
- Excellent interpersonal skills with strong negotiation and persuasion abilities
- Ability to challenge and influence a range of internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to create and develop reports and create project documentation
- Provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information; help eliminate barriers to understanding
- Ability to communicate sensitive or contentious information to armed forces patients
Specific requirements
Essential
- Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
- Ability to work flexibly and if necessary, outside normal hours
- Typical working days would include most Mondays and Fridays with one other day
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential
- Educated or equivalent experience to Level 4 (foundation degree level)
- Knowledge of the Armed Forces Covenant
Desirable
- Knowledge of current NHS Agenda
- Some clinical knowledge
- Knowledge of Adult Social Care, safeguarding and statutory support (Local Authority provision)
- Knowledge of the Defence Relationship Management Employer Recognition Scheme
- Knowledge of the Armed Forces Covenant healthcare legislation
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of developing, applying and working with policy, guidelines and managing resources
- Analytical and judgmental skills, when working day to day with patients and members of the public, as well as in interpreting communications and policies
- Developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels with staff as well as patients
- Organisational skills and forward planning
- Event planning and management experience
- Experience of and demonstrable achievement in operating within health/social care services or experience in a role of similar level of seniority
- Analyzing conversations with patients and colleagues and providing advice
- Experience in creating and developing new processes and policies
- Experience of working across a variety of different services with a sound understanding of the different (sometimes conflicting) service needs and objectives
- Ability to work on own initiative and collaboratively with other staff and teams
- Ability to cope with tight deadlines and competing priorities
- Flexible and pragmatic approach to problems and working practices
- Ability to confidently make proposals and challenge decisions constructively and appropriately
- Ability to deal with middle management and board members, displaying confidence and gaining trust
Desirable
- Ability to conduct audits and surveys
- Experience or interest in the Armed forces e.g., having worked with this community previously, awareness of specific needs through working directly or indirectly with Armed Forces personnel, veterans, reservists and their families
Skills
Essential
- Analyze and interpret trends in veteran and armed forces admissions and satisfaction, carry out and process surveys and resultant information
- Collate and interpret facts, statistics and trends to report to manager of service and funders
- Interpret procedures, advising and supporting on policy development
- IT and keyboard skills
Personal and people development
Essential
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Experience of managing and developing others
- Evidence of supporting staff networks and other groups
- Able to influence, lead and develop and motivate staff and volunteers to maximize potential
- Ability to deliver training to others
Communication
Essential
- Excellent communication skills both oral, written and presentational
- Excellent interpersonal skills with strong negotiation and persuasion abilities
- Ability to challenge and influence a range of internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to create and develop reports and create project documentation
- Provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information; help eliminate barriers to understanding
- Ability to communicate sensitive or contentious information to armed forces patients
Specific requirements
Essential
- Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
- Ability to work flexibly and if necessary, outside normal hours
- Typical working days would include most Mondays and Fridays with one other day
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.
