Communications Officer
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients.We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency.Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has opened in our Communications Team for a Band 5 communications officer. We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive creative individual who will produce high quality written and visual content to convey a variety of messages to many audiences, both internal and external to the organisation, in a clear and accessible way.
Working with our team, you will be supporting multiple projects and producing excellent work to tight deadlines, working with departments across Newcastle Hospitals, as well as managing external media enquiries and digital content, including our website, intranet and social media channels.
For an informal discussion please contact Head of Communications, Amanda Marksby, on 07849 079801.
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
12 months fixed term contract
Main duties of the job- Protecting and promoting the reputation of the Trust, and helping to maintain public confidence in the organisation.
- Planning and implementing communication and marketing projects in line with the Trust’s corporate communication strategy and strategic objectives
- Writing, editing and proof reading a range of material for internal and external publications .
- Supporting the promotion of the Trust and its services through proactive engagement of the relevant media channels, including writing media releases and briefing journalists
- Contributing to corporate communication, engagement and marketing initiatives to enable the Trust to deliver on its strategic objectives, supported by appropriate photography and videography
- Contributing to tactical communication plans to support programmes and services, working closely with internal audiences as well as external partners.
- Updating and creating content for the Trust’s website, intranet and social media channels
- Preparation of information leaflets/posters and other publications
- Managing and maintaining databases e.g. media contacts, Primary Care contacts, venue details, Vuelio media database, and the like .
Working for our organisation
Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
- Freeman Hospital
- Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
- Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
- Newcastle Dental Hospital
- Newcastle Fertility Centre
- Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
- Northern Genetics Service
- Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Responsibilities Plan and implement communication projects to support the Trust’s strategic objectives
Writing and editing publication of content for media articles including online outputs and social media
Daily monitoring and management of the Trust website and intranet along with social media sites
Ensuring corporate material on all Trust related websites is up to date
Monitoring press coverage involving the Trust
Responding to internal and external enquires and requests as required
Contribute to the Trust’s digital strategy and online resources and projects
Contribute to the development and delivery of social media strategies and platforms as appropriate
Taking photographs to enhance articles as necessary
Compiling a monthly report of social media activity, including Google Analytics
Establish and maintain effective communication with other departments and key external colleagues e.g. NHS Improvement, neighbouring Trusts.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Knowledge of communications, public relations, journalism and/or marketing communications techniques, approaches, and procedures: acquired through training to relevant degree level or equivalent.
Experience
Essential criteria- Previous experience in media/communications at a corporate level
- Previous media management experience
- Previous experience of maintenance of website publishing and content along with social media activities
- Previous experience of media management
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria- Excellent IT skills and effective use of MS Office and other software packages
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Able to prioritise own workload appropriately and organise duties to be carried out.
- Able to work without direct supervision
- Understanding of the NHS environment
Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form
All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment.Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.