Healthwatch – Media & Communications Officer

Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) helps people in local communities to change their lives for the better, through direct service delivery and by supporting the local voluntary and community sector. Our Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire team work to provide information, signposting and support to the public, members, potential health and social care service users and contacts and volunteer-involving groups to enable them to access Healthwatch services and capture their experiences to help build a picture of where services are doing well and where they can be improved.

The team work across Leicester and Leicestershire to engage with and actively influence and shape decisions for improving the provision of health and social care, increasing volunteer participation. Their aim is also to ensure increased representation, inclusion and participation of diverse geographical communities in the monitoring, evaluation and improvement of health and social care services to help shape Healthwatch services.

As the team’s communications lead, you will work proactively to raise the profile of Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire (HWLL) and their engagement by planning and developing outstanding print and digital communications to encourage the public to engage with Healthwatch, showcasing successes. You will ensure the delivery of effective, engaging and progressive planned quality communications programmes, materials, content, products and online/ web presence to raise the profile of Healthwatch and engagement with all its stakeholders.

Working collaboratively with the Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire Manager, Advisory Board, Staff team and Volunteers your remit will include developing and sustaining information, advice, and signposting services to ensure individuals are directed to appropriate health and social care services as well as shaping and delivering the teams outreach and engagement activities. You will need to demonstrate the importance of maintaining a consistent brand identity and supporting your colleagues to ensure quality communications across all products and initiatives.

Passionate about using communications to improve services, you will need a good understanding of working with diverse communities within various areas of the City and County. You will have excellent copywriting skills combined with content management and marketing campaign experience. Social media content and campaign experience combined with website management is required. Experience of media relations activity including building relationships with media outlets, writing press releases and responding to enquiries is essential.

A detailed job description, person specification and application requirements for this role can be found at https://valonline.org.uk/work-for-val/

This role offers an opportunity to work for a sector leading diverse and ambitious organisation, with a vision for growth.