Healthwatch Outreach & Engagement 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.

This outreach role will enable the diverse communities including rural and seldom heard across Leicester and Leicestershire to engage with and actively influence and shape decisions for improving the provision of health and social care.

You will be supporting the Healthwatch Advisory Board to implement its strategic priorities through a targeted engagement programme including allocated geographical area/ targeted community. You will be required to develop a programme of engagement with local and hard to reach communities and groups, establishing and maintaining a strong local presence. You will be a key contact/ link between Healthwatch and all local community and voluntary sector
groups, ensuring effective community engagement and involvement.

With impressive communication skills, you will be able to act as a key contact/ link between Healthwatch and all local community and voluntary sector groups, ensuring effective community engagement and involvement. You will be able to ensure a Healthwatch presence, locally gathering insight to inform the work of Healthwatch as well as being able to support the collection of feedback from the communities and public about their experiences of health and social care via a range of methods. You will also be promoting volunteer activities and support the recruitment of Healthwatch members and volunteers across the geographical area.

We need you to be passionate about working with people to improve services, you will need an excellent understanding of working with diverse communities within various areas of the City and County.

A detailed job description, person specification and application requirements for this role can be found below.

• 1 x part-time role 21 hours per week
• Hybrid Working, Up to 30 days (Pro rata) Basic Holidays plus Bank Holidays
• Enhanced Family Friendly and Wellbeing Benefits, 6% Employer Pension Contribution

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

Closing date: Monday 15 July 5pm
Interviews: Week commencing 22 July 2024