Communications Officer

We want to give you the best possible experience in the next stage of your career.

• We have been named the 2021 Acute NHS Trust of the Year, in the annual Health Service (HSJ) Journal Awards for our clear ambition and vision and a significant improvement journey over a number of years’.
• The Trust is 6th highest rated Trust in the South East and was still in the top 25% nationally for recommended places to work.
• We are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and when asked whether the care of patients is the organisation’s top priority our staff rank us the best in the country among comparable acute trusts.
• We pride ourselves on supporting you to thrive in your existing role and to develop your career with us. So with us you’ll get loads of benefits, great training and development opportunities, flexibility and a real community feel.

• Great training and education, including preceptorship and CPD (up to £1,000 individual CPD funding available for nurses, midwives and AHPs).
• Our location: you can access beautiful countryside, historic towns and villages and bustling city life all nearby. With good schools, nature reserves and cultural attractions on our doorstep, and both London and Brighton easily accessible too, there’s something for everyone nearby.
• At least 35 days leave (inclusive of bank holidays).
• NHS pension scheme.
• A huge range of Health Service Discounts at hundreds of big brands. from holidays to gadgets and restaurants to retail.
• On-site nursery.
• On-site Boots and WHSmith shops.
• An Amazon locker and an InPost locker on site.
• Restaurant facilities.
• Full educational library services.
• Excellent rail and bus links.
• The local bus operator offer all new staff one month’s free travel to East Surrey Hospital when they first join.
• Lockable storage for cycles.

• We are a major local employer, with a diverse workforce of c5,000 providing healthcare services to a growing population of around 535,000.
• We provide emergency and non-emergency services to the residents of East Surrey, North-East West Sussex, and South Croydon, including the major towns of Crawley, Horsham, Reigate and Redhill.
• We offer a full range of acute and complex services at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, where we are the nearest trauma unit to Gatwick Airport.
• We provide a range of outpatient, diagnostic and less complex planned services at The Earlswood Centre, Caterham Dene Hospital and Oxted Health Centre in Surrey, and at Crawley and Horsham Hospitals in West Sussex.

The Trust is committed to being an inclusive employer - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. As an employer we offer a range of benefits including, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement networks, facilities and services to support staff well being.

Job overview

The communications team operates in a very busy working environment, promoting and enhancing the reputation of the Trust to a wide range of audiences that includes 5,000 staff; a catchment population of over 535,000; local and national broadcast; print and social media; GPs; clinical commissioning groups (CCGs); local authorities, MPs and other NHS organisations.

The department plays a key role in managing the reputation of the organisation. It leads on campaigns; media relations; FOI; day-to-day communications and engagement with staff; corporate digital and social media platforms; communications with external stakeholders; corporate publications; events and SASH Charity.

Reporting to the senior communications manager, the post holder will be involved in all aspects of our work including media relations, digital communications, reputation management and internal communications. The communications officer will deputise for the senior communications manager in their absence.

Main duties of the job

The communications officer will:

• Assist the head of communications and senior communications manager with campaigns and consultations, working to an agreed communications strategy
• Develop innovative ways of engaging with staff and communicating the Trust’s key messages and key objective
• Act as a positive and professional ambassador for the communications department in providing a point of contact
• Lead on the writing, editing and production of creative and engaging content for communications channels
• Provide communications advice and support to Trust staff and SASH Charity
• Manage and align communications and engagement within national policy and public opinion
• Deal with issues around confidentiality and data protection, equalities and human rights
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders and audiences
• Maintain communication with staff who do not regularly access email and maintain the trust notice boards.

Working for our organisation

• The role is based at East Surrey Hospital with travel to Crawley Hospital and other sites as and when required. The post holder will be required to participate in meetings at both sites, as well as travelling to other sites on an ad hoc basis as necessary.
• This role also involves occasional evening work to facilitate events run by the communications team (up to ten events a year).
• This is a non-clinical post which requires occasional manual handling (for example moving boxes of publications).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties and key responsibilities

The communications officer will:

• Assist the head of communications and senior communications manager with campaigns and consultations, working to an agreed communications strategy
• Develop innovative ways of engaging with staff and communicating the Trust’s key messages and key objective
• Act as a positive and professional ambassador for the communications department in providing a point of contact
• Lead on the writing, editing and production of creative and engaging content for communications channels
• Provide communications advice and support to Trust staff and SASH Charity
• Manage and align communications and engagement within national policy and public opinion
• Deal with issues around confidentiality and data protection, equalities and human rights
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders and audiences
• Maintain communication with staff who do not regularly access email and maintain the trust notice boards.

Media relations

The communications officer will:

• Identify stories and develop them into news release and features items
• Participate in researching, drafting and distributing publications for internal audiences, external stakeholders and local, national and specialist media
• Develop media relationships, co-ordinate and deliver proactive news releases and seek new ways of increasing positive coverage
• Identify photography requirements, liaising with service leads and arranging for photography sessions
• Receive and co-ordinate media enquiries and actively monitor media coverage, blogs and social media postings and agree responses
• Establish, build and maintain good working relationships with key journalists in the local, national and specialist media
• Ensure that broadcast media adhere to the Trust’s media policy while working on site

Publications

The communications officer will:

• Handle, draft, and process complex and sensitive information, liaising with senior staff including making decisions about how information is presented
• Negotiate the competitive production of communications and liaise with selected agencies in the design and print of items and publications using established Trust brand guidelines
• Support the production of displays and publicity materials
• Write the Trust’s internal newsletter by interviewing staff, drafting articles, overseeing design and distribution
• Act as guardian of communication through noticeboards and posters
• Source and create good news material for local, national and specialist media to help raise the profile and reputation of SASH – through news releases, photo/filming opportunities and interviews
• Maintain and develop content for SASH’s website, Intranet and social media platforms
• Help to develop new opportunities with social and digital media, including the increased use of digital images and video

• Support the trust’s digital communications lead to maintain digital communications channels.

Event management

The communications officer will assist in the management of a range of corporate and charity events, including the Trust’s annual general meeting; TeamTalk; open days, official openings, VIP, royal and ministerial visits.

• Assist in ordering of goods and services and maintaining accurate financial records

• No direct clinical responsibility – however the post holder requires an understanding when clinicians need to be consulted or involved in communications projects.

• Will be required to act on behalf of the senior communications manager in their absence with support from the head of communications.

• Although this role involves working to meet various fixed project deadlines, a proportion of the post holder’s time will be devoted to ad hoc projects.
• Little of the work is routine and this calls for flexibility and sound judgement about often complex or sensitive issues.
• Requires good interpersonal skills. Important when interacting with the public and the media, consultants and other clinical and non-clinical staff.

Person specification

Criteria

• Evidence of a good standard of written English appropriate to the role
• A complete and accurate application
• Suitability for role evidenced in supporting statement
• Evidence of essential experience for role
• Meet the essential education/qualifications required for the role
• Hold the necessary mandatory professional/clinical registration
• Evidence of the Trust values and behaviours
• Evidence of any other essential criteria outlined in the person specification

We are proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce and actively encourage applications irrespective of age, disability, gender, race and ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process.

For part time roles you will receive a pro rata'd (proportional) salary payment based on the appropriate pay step/point and hours worked in accordance with AfC and all medical and dental terms and conditions.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust operate a 24 hour 365 day a year service and all nursing, clinical and operational roles will require staff to work 24/7 shifts (if required) unless you are specifically advised otherwise as part of the recruitment process.

Note: Some vacancies may receive a high volume of applications. In such cases, the vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Read our plan here.