Job Description

Healthwatch Southwark is recruiting for an Engagement & Signposting Officer, which is a core operational role.

We are looking to recruit people with the following values/characteristics:

• Proactive in using community/user feedback to influence/shape local health and social care services.

• Determined about getting local peoples voices being heard by stakeholders of influence and decision makers.

• Enthusiastic about getting local people involved in local decision making structures /bodies.

• Passionate about helping local people to access health and social care services.

Engagement & Signposting Officer

• Salary: £29,059 per annum
• Hours of work: 35 per week (including occasional evenings and weekends)
• Contract: Fixed term until 31 March 2022 (this applies to all current Healthwatch staff). We are currently renegotiating the Healthwatch Contract with the Local Authority for the next 4 years and we are confident that the contract for this role will be renewed until 31st March 2026.
• Closing Date: 15th October 2021 (23.59pm)

Responsible to: Healthwatch Southwark Manager

Location: 1 Addington Square, Camberwell, London, SE5 0HF.

Some travel will be required.

Please note: The postholder may be required to work from home depending on Covid-19 guidelines and regulations. Also, we are likely to relocate to a different office in Southwark from 1st April 2022.

Benefits: 30 days holiday (exclusive of public/bank holidays) per annum, Flexible working, Pension-Employer contribution: 5%, Cycle to Work Scheme, 2 Volunteering Days per annum.

Purpose of the Role

➢ To build awareness and trust of Healthwatch Southwark (HWS) among diverse residents of Southwark, developing a solid base for the gathering of feedback and intelligence about people’s experiences of health and social care.

➢ To work with volunteers and with local voluntary and community organisations in order to reach more people and to highlight inequalities.

➢ To lead on the provision of signposting and information on local health and care services to local people ➢ To coordinate and engage local people in projects and events to investigate a wide range of different areas of health and social care, drawing out their views and experiences, and to lead on events and Enter and View visits.

➢ To promote and support the involvement of patients and service users in the design, provision and scrutiny of local health and care services.

➢ As part of the HWS team, to act as critical friend to commissioners and providers of services to help bring about improvements. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please ensure you personalise your cover letter to this role. 

Use practical examples from your work to address how you meet the requirements outlined in the Person Specification, especially those marked as ‘essential’.

Candidates submitting 'generic' cover letters are highly unlikely to be accepted. 

Please remove your name and any indication of your gender, ethnicity or other personal information from both your CV and cover letter, that's not related to your work experience or skill set.We are committed to ensuring our recruitment procedure is completely free from risks of unconscious bias.