The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is a group of NHS providers, including acute, mental health, community and ambulance trusts, who have volunteered to be exemplars of the best care for and support to the Armed Forces community. You will support the Team Leader and Regional Leads in the delivery of the VCHA narrative.

As a Communications and Engagement Lead, you will play a vital role in raising awareness and promoting the VCHA to healthcare organisations and stakeholders.

As an independent worker, your responsibilities will encompass strategic communications, media management, and content creation across various digital platforms.

Additionally, you will collaborate with internal teams, third-party organisations, and charities to effectively disseminate information and support the programme's growth.

Your expertise and innovative approaches will contribute to achieving the VCHA's milestones and objectives, while ensuring the maintenance of its brand identity and strong engagement within the NHS and the Armed Forces community.

As a key member of the team, you will be a confident writer, exploring narratives to bring the voice of the Armed Forces community to life for healthcare providers.

This role requires an analytical mind-set, creativity in communication materials, and occasional physical engagement at events and meetings, across all 7 NHS England Regions.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as a subject-matter expert in awareness raising communications methods, and to consult to a range of different organisations and stakeholders
• Ensure NHS and Veteran Aware brand guidelines are upheld throughout the independent and collaborative production of high quality content
• Offer guidance to the central team in collaborating to achieve a consistent approach to progress accreditation across all regions
• Offer support to expand the VCHA accreditation programme to all healthcare organisations, in line with KPIs to achieve full membership
• Support reporting mechanisms for progress against regional, national and organisational plans
• Support the priorities in the NHS England 'Armed Forces Strategy' and the Office of Veterans Affairs 'Veterans' Strategy Action Plan'
• Increase the Veteran Aware brand, alongside the aims of the VCHA programme, and wider GIRFT initiatives

About us

The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) Team, led by a highly motivated and a high performing veteran, is a combination of NHS professionals and Veterans. We are a small (10 people), close knit and a very dynamic team who are making a difference for our military community and all NHS patients. This vacancy would suit a people centred person who wishes to put something back, willing to go the extra mile and more importantly puts the patient first, always.

The team works directly for Professor Tim Briggs CBE, the National NHS England Clinical Lead for Improvements and Recovery in the NHS. As such this is a very high-profile programme and one that Central Government sees as key for making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Operational Duties

• Build and maintain relationships and information sharing with existing regional statutory services for Armed Forces personnel and their families.
• Be responsible for a high standard of work supporting the delivery of the programme on time, to quality standards, and in a cost-effective manner.
• Maintain the National plan with regular team meetings to monitor progress against the milestones.

Communication & Engagement

• Manage content on the VCHA website.
• Explore, develop, create manage media opportunities.
• Create and develop a communications strategy, including for social media.
• Independently and as part of team, create unique and creative content for cohort awareness periods such as Black History Month, and healthcare awareness periods such as Mens Health Awareness Week.
• Use of preferred design tool/s to a high standard.
• Work collaboratively with charities and organisations on shared projects.
• Develop and disseminate news articles, press releases and online information.
• Research and development of awareness products, such as posters, leaflets, photographs and videos.
• Disseminate resources and templates to the central team, and contribute to their development.
• Awareness of public media risk mitigation and brand protection.
• To deliver regional communications activity and campaigns as directed by the National Lead.
• To deliver regional communications activities.
• To build and maintain the VCHA brand identity and ensure it is utilised effectively and appropriately.
• Advocate the programme at on the ground and ensure active engagement and sponsorship within NHS as a whole.
• Collaborate with relevant third sector organisations nationally (military and non-military charities).

Financial and Physical Resources

• Support the VCHA team in collecting and submitting monthly expenses
• Supporting the National Lead in financial reporting.
• Lead in the procurement of VCHA branded products
• Act in a way that is compliant with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility
• Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of Specialised Projects and VCHA budgets

Staff Management

• If required, support new starters within the team. Including inductions, mandatory paperwork and equipment
• If required, support the recruitment process within the team. Including writing job descriptions, liaising with RNOH recruitment and TRAC Jobs
• Transfer expertise and knowledge as appropriate, regarding best practice and innovation throughout the VCHA programme
• To forge positive working relationships, in order to support an effective matrix approach to achieve the manifesto and Armed Forces Covenant and the NHS England Veterans Strategy
• Occasional exposure to emotional or distressing circumstances e.g. listening or reading patient stories

Information Management

• Support the National Lead in ongoing evaluations of the programme by submitting monthly and quarterly data reports
• Attend meetings, as appropriate, note key discussions and agreed actions.
• Writing and dissemination of minutes
• At times, act as secretariat of the VCHA
• Maintain document management within a cloud environment
• Support the VCHA team with IT matters liaising with the RNOH Helpdesk
• Support in the building of central team cloud working environment

Research and Development

• Highlight innovative approaches relevant to veterans and their families to the National Lead and central team
• Regularly undertake research and development activity which will support awareness raising activities for the VCHA and its members

Planning and Organisation

• Support, or if appropriate, lead in the creation of presentations for the National Lead to deliver at events
• Support the organising and delivery of national events in line with member priorities, including events, focus groups, expert roundtables, workshops and seminars
• Co-ordinate speaker attendance and preparation of all materials, agendas etc. for each event
• Contribute to VCHA priorities and milestones
• Effectively use a range of software, including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases alongside specialist graphic and creative software of their choosing
• If required, support organisation of stakeholder meetings, as appropriate, and note key discussions and agreed actions
• If required, support the National Lead to attend regular members meetings, and assistance in completing relevant actions
• Appropriately attend in person events such as Armed Forces Drop-in centres, open days, conferences, etc.
• Support in the production of project communication products suitable for each project audience. For example, project proposals and update documents, meeting reports, presentations, and other project related documents

Analytical & Judgement

• Judgements involving complex facts or situations, which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options. Including appropriate and sensitive campaigns and products, with support from EDI Lead
• An understanding of the changing needs of the Armed Forces community, ensuring the VCHA team is aware of immediate changes or information imperative for healthcare delivery
• Providing appropriate written comment to reports and strategy documentation as required
• Writing briefing notes for national dissemination from reports and research

Physical Skills

• The post requires physical skills including occasional driving/travel for meetings, visits, events, and some occasional national travel required
• Occasional need to carry and use pull up banners, and carry bags of lanyard badges
• Use of a laptop, keyboard, screen, mouse, camera and microphone

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or previous experience
• A broad understanding of the UK Armed Forces
• A broad understanding of the UK Armed Forces healthcare in the NHS
• A strong background in comms and media

Desirable

• A member of the Armed Forces Community
• Employment with the NHS
• Employment with the MOD Civil Service

Employer details

Employer name

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Address

RNOH STANMORE

Brockley Hill

STANMORE

HA7 4LP

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

392-RNOH-564