Job vacancy – Healthwatch...

At Inclusion Barnet we believe in the power of experience. This is demonstrated by all our projects and services being led, developed, and delivered by people with lived experience of disability, including mental health issues and long-term conditions. We believe that learning to use our lived experience to drive social change is a skill we can deploy to create better services and more inclusive communities.

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and confident person to join us as a Volunteer Coordinator to support the delivery of Barnet’s statutory Healthwatch function. Healthwatch gives people a voice to influence the delivery and design of health and social care services locally and nationally. Locally, Healthwatch Barnet helps people get the best from these services, whether improving them today or helping to shape them for tomorrow.

Our Volunteer Coordinator will ensure Healthwatch Barnet operates as an effective public advocate and performs the six key functions required by the contract:

To gather views and understand the experiences of patients and the public. To make people’s views known,  To promote and support the involvement of people in the commissioning and provision of local care services and how they are scrutinised,  To recommend investigation or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) To provide advice and information (signposting) about access to services and support for making informed choices.  To make the views and experiences of local people known to Healthwatch England (and to other local Healthwatch organisations) and to provide a steer to help it carry out its role as national champion.

Role-specific responsibilities

• To  actively contribute to ensuring Healthwatch Barnet meets its obligations under the contract with the London Borough of Barnet and remains well placed to deliver all the statutory functions and services.
• To build and maintain effective working relationships with all funders and stakeholders, including, Healthwatch England and the CQC,  local residents, London Borough of Barnet, Barnet CCG and NHS trusts, and the voluntary sector.
• To help identify priorities and develop appropriate project and delivery plans to achieve the greatest possible level of positive impact on local services.
• To recruit, engage, deploy and inspire a diverse volunteer workforce in the wake of the pandemic (which had a profound effect on the voluntary and independent sector) and retain them through providing purposeful roles, building confidence and (where appropriate) providing employability skills.
• To ensure that community engagement stays at the heart of the local Healthwatch service; undertaking regular outreach work to engage and consult with members of the public, patients and people who use services to gather information and feedback.
• To capture, code and accurately record views and experiences in the CRM system to enable effective impact reporting and the preparation of updates suitable for a variety of stakeholders and audiences.
• To work closely with the Healthwatch Barnet Manager in the project management and execution of research and engagement projects (often within tight timeframes and with modest resourcing) by utilising a motivated volunteer workforce, getting involved to support and coordinate the volunteers to carry out research, assisting with final write up and presentation as needed.
• To organise and hold events that enable Healthwatch to talk to users of services in a variety of health and care settings e.g. Hospitals, GP Surgeries, Residential Care Homes, Day Centres as well as at public venues  (i.e. High Streets) in addition to contributing to the organisation and running of the annual celebration event.
• To raise the profile of Inclusion Barnet as the only Deaf and Disabled People’s organisation to be operating a statutory Healthwatch function by working with the Peer Communications Officer to ensure that the Partnership’s activities are being effectively promoted through the appropriate channels, internal and externally, including social media, producing case studies, internal news and awards submission copy.

General responsibilities

• To undertake continuous professional development and training as required and contribute to the development of policy and good practice within the wider organisation.
• To ensure that appropriate systems, processes, values and behaviours are developed and implemented to promote equity, non-discrimination and respect for diversity.
• To work within Inclusion Barnet’s mission and values and comply with Inclusion Barnet policies and procedures, including taking responsibility  for own health and safety and that of colleagues in accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act and complying with the Data Protection Act and GDPR to ensure information is handled safely and securely.
• To willingly undertake any other activities as requested by the organisation to show flexibility to perform tasks commensurate with the level of the role.