Job summary
- Main area
- Communications
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 381-CO-6419272
- Employer
- Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- SWB NHS Trust
- Town
- West Bromwich
- Salary
- £28,407 - £34,581 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/07/2024 23:59
Employer heading
![Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust logo](https://static.trac.jobs/employer-logos/389.png)
External Communications Officer
NHS AfC: Band 5
Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust is a friendly, integrated healthcare provider focused on improving the life chances and health outcomes of our diverse population.
We have three strategic objectives:
People: To cultivate and sustain happy, productive and engaged staff;
Patients: To be good or outstanding at everything we do;
Population: To work seamlessly with partners to improve lives;
We run services from Sandwell, City and Rowley Regis Hospitals, Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre, Birmingham Treatment Centre, the Lyng and Leasowes Intermediate Care Centre. Our GP practices and community teams provide care in schools, healthcare centres and at home.
Our next milestone is opening the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), a once in a career opportunity to shape care transformation within and beyond the hospital walls.
Developing and caring for our People is fundamental. We were one of the first Trusts to provide the Real Living Wage, as well as a Live and Work scheme to support people at risk of homelessness into paid work and training. We offer a range of staff benefits, health & wellbeing support and will help you to bring your ambition to life through our bespoke training and development programmes. As “People” is one of our three strategic objectives, we make a continued commitment to prioritise support for all our colleagues.
Healthcare services have a significant impact on the environment. We are committed to embedding sustainable practices. We expect all colleagues to support the delivery of our Green Strategic Plan and to drive positive changes in their department.
Job overview
Creativity is key when it comes to delivering crucial NHS messaging to our staff and community around the Sandwell and West Birmingham area.
That’s why we’re after an external communications officer who has a real flair for writing and creating eye-catching campaign content so they are able to deliver key messaging to our diverse and vibrant community.
The Communications Department is a busy, fast-paced working environment so you will experience a steep learning curve.
But that also means you’ll be developing and building on your skills constantly as we deal with media enquiries, produce videos and animations, update the Trust’s website and social media channels - and create new methods of delivering communication.
The Trust has a recently updated website and various social media platforms – and all the material you see is developed inhouse.
The successful candidate will be using animation software and video editing apps to create content and share into our channels.
You’ll also be expected to take enquiries from the media, drafting statements and generating newsworthy stories which can be picked up by the media.
This means you’ll be good at talking to people, whether that’s over the phone or face-to-face, have experience of filming and editing video and be a quick learner.
Being able to develop contacts across the Trust and within our communities is another must – after they are our people and population who we want to reach with our key messaging.
Main duties of the job
To support ongoing communication with staff, public, patient and stakeholder groups and undertake other communications, engagement, and marketing activities.
· Provide extensive support to Head of External Communications and External Communications Manager in delivering the external elements of the communications strategy.
· Help develop and implement a marketing strategy to promote Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust as the hospitals of choice for patients and showcase new and innovative services.
· Organise and run public and stakeholder events to promote the Trust, its services, plans and strategies, including fun days, public meetings, conferences and roadshows and seize appropriate promotional opportunities, ensuring the Trust is adequately represented at public and stakeholder events
Working for our organisation
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWBT) is an integrated care organisation with a budget of approximately £600 million and over 7,000 staff. Diversity and social care is at the core of what we do as the Trust provides Community and Acute Services to over half a million people in an urban centre that demands massive regeneration and has substantial premature mortality.
Our new acute hospital, the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), opens in 2024 and will provide care to our local population from first class, purpose-built premises. As a result, the base of this role may change to MMUH from 2024 (or beyond). If this is applicable to your role, you will be informed during the recruitment process and continuing your application with this understanding. The development of the new hospital will play an important role in the regeneration of the wider area and in improving the lives of local people and reducing health inequalities.
We have three newly emerging strategic objectives:
- Our People – to cultivate and sustain happy, productive and engaged staff
- Our Patients – to be good or outstanding in everything we do
- Our Population – to work seamlessly with our partners to improve live
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information, please see the attached job description and person specification for the role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree level or equivalent experience
- Evidence of further professional development
Desirable criteria
- Professional qualifications in media, public relations or marketing.
- NHS experience
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in public relations or business administration
- Journalistic writing or publications experience
Desirable criteria
- Public relations experience
- Experience of filming and editing
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Highly organised
- Ability to work under pressure
Desirable criteria
- Flexible in approach
- Proactive and able to use initiative
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Anuji Evans
- Job title
- External Communications Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07870904625
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