South West London Healthwatch Executive Officer
Are you passionate about supporting improvements in the NHS and social care through public engagement?
We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and insightful Executive Officer with outstanding communication, patient engagement, and coordination skills. This is a maternity cover for a fixed term of six months from 5 January – 30 June 2026.
The six local Healthwatch organisations in South West London are looking for a skilled facilitator and coordinator to help elevate the voice of local people by pulling together insight work across boroughs; coordinating and delivering collaborative pieces and championing the findings at key groups, boards and committees at the South West London Integrated Care System (ICS); and capturing and reporting examples of our influence on commissioning and decision-making.
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that the engagement work of local Healthwatch, and the insights gathered from the views of the communities they serve, are used to influence decisions in South West London. The successful candidate will act as an intermediary, supporting collaboration between the SWL ICS and the six independent local Healthwatch.
If you have any questions regarding the role, please email Pete Flavell, CEO of Healthwatch Sutton, at pete@healthwatchsutton.org.uk or call 07726 543440.
Main duties of the job
The six local Healthwatch organisations in South West London (SWL) are looking for an Executive Officer to help ensure that the engagement work of local Healthwatch and views of the communities they serve are used to influence decisions in our region.
The successful candidate will act as the conduit between the ICS and local Healthwatch organisations to coordinate activities and collate findings across common areas. They will also help identify and deliver collaborative patient engagement projects across South West London. The role will involve working at a senior level, acting as a representative for the six local Healthwatch at groups, boards and committees within the ICS.
The post holder is accountable to all six local Healthwatch and will report back to SWL ICS in relation to contract delivery.
The successful candidate will be employed directly by a local Healthwatch (Healthwatch Sutton). The post holder\'s objectives and impact will be independent of any one of the six local Healthwatch in South West London, but will be accountable to and steered by them as part of a collaborative arrangement.
Home-working and flexible working hours are available; however, the successful candidate must be able to travel all over South West London regularly to cover all face-to-face activity and occasionally work evenings if required. A driver\'s license is not required.
Major responsibilities are outlined below. Additional duties may be assigned.
About us
Local Healthwatch were set up in 2013 to ensure that local people have a say in health and social care. You can find out more here: https://www.healthwatch.co.uk. The six local Healthwatch in SWL are Healthwatch Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth. These are all independent charities with their own lead officer.
The government has announced plans to abolish all local Healthwatch organisations. While we still do not have firm timelines, the government is legally bound to continue to fund Healthwatch until new legislation passes, which will not occur until late 2026 or 2027, after this maternity contract ends.
SWL ICS was established on 1 July 2022. It is a partnership of primary care, hospital, social care, mental health, and community health services. It plans and delivers joined up services to improve access and quality and to reduce health inequalities. You can find out more here: https://www.southwestlondonics.org.uk/about-us/.
Job responsibilities
The six local Healthwatch organisations in South West London SWL are looking for an Executive Officer to help ensure that the engagement work of local Healthwatch and views of the communities they serve are used to influence decisions in our region.
The successful candidate will act as the conduit between the ICB and local Healthwatch organisations to coordinate activities and collate findings across common areas. They will also help identify and deliver collaborative patient engagement projects across South West London. The role will involve working at a senior level, acting as a representative for the six local Healthwatch at groups, boards and committees within the ICS.
The post holder is accountable to all six local Healthwatch and will report back to SWL ICS in relation to contract delivery.
The successful candidate will be employed directly by a local Healthwatch (Healthwatch Sutton). The post holder\'s objectives and impact will be independent of any one of the six local Healthwatch in South West London, but will be accountable to and steered by them as part of a collaborative arrangement.
Home-working and flexible working hours are available; however, the successful candidate must be able to travel all over South West London regularly to cover all face-to-face activity and occasionally work evenings if required. A driver\'s license is not required.
Responsibilities
* Elevate and champion patient insight
* Champion the role of patients in ICS decision-making and share patient insights with the South West London ICS
* Use Healthwatch intelligence to improve patient experiences and work with relevant ICS commissioners as well as wider system partners such as voluntary sector organisations and public health representatives to implement Healthwatch recommendations
* Update the South West London ICS Insights Bank with relevant Healthwatch reports
* Advocate that ICS decision-makers engage the public at the earliest stage in health planning
* Help the six local Healthwatch to hold the ICS to account in meeting its duty to engage the public, through appropriate governance processes
* Stay updated about national policies that affect patients and best practices for engaging ICB; for example, by liaising with Healthwatch England
* Represent the six local Healthwatch on selected ICS Boards and committees
* Coordinate collaborative working of the six local Healthwatch
* Organise and facilitate a monthly meeting of the local Healthwatch leads and the ICS
* Pull together insight from across multiple Healthwatch organisations, where there are common areas, to strengthen potential impact and produce cross-borough insight reports
* Relay information from the ICS to the local Healthwatch leads to inform planning and delivery of engagement activities
* Capture and report examples of how the South West London Healthwatch collaborative has made a difference for patients
* Capture and share learnings for how to best engage different communities with the ICS and with external groups as requested
* Conduct a formal end of contract evaluation of how the Executive Officer role and the collaboration among local Healthwatch have influenced the ICB\'s ways of working
* Support the successful legacy and transition of local Healthwatch work into the ICB
Core attributes and competencies
* The post holder must be committed to working with and across the six local Healthwatch organisations, with an understanding of the challenges faced by small voluntary sector organisations.
* Be able to undertaking qualitative and mixed methods research (e.g., surveys, focus groups, and interviews) and the appropriate analysis methods to pull out key findings, and to guide ICS colleagues in selecting appropriate methods.
* Promote and encourage engagement opportunities within South West London.
* Be able to recognise key influencers and champion the involvement of local Healthwatch and community views, and have the skills to engage and involve them.
* Be passionate about continuously improving outcomes, tackling health inequalities with a focus on less engaged communities.
* Have a good understanding of the role and statutory duties of local Healthwatch.
* Have an appreciation of current and future broad social, political and economic trends influencing health and social care.
* Be able to understand and analyse complex issues and information from a service user perspective, drawing on the breadth of insight provided by local Healthwatch to inform South West London deliberations and decision-making.
* Have the confidence to question information and explanations supplied by others, who may be experts in their field.
* Be able to influence and persuade others, articulating a balanced local Healthwatch view by seeking consensus, when necessary, in order to enable constructive debate.
* Be a skilled negotiator and facilitator, able to mitigate potential conflicts.
* Have the ability to work autonomously, to proactively build and maintain an effective relationship with local Healthwatch and communicate effectively across local Healthwatch, listening as well as actively sharing information.
* Have the ability to translate complex concepts into readily understood, engaging language.
* Have project management experience with the ability to formulate and deliver against time, task, and budget.
* Be committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality and inclusivity.
Core personal experience
* The candidate should have:
* Demonstrable understanding of the arrangements for listening and responding to the voices of patients, service users, their families and other carers, advocates, and patient organisations
* A track record of successfully involving patients, service users, their families and other carers, advocates, and the public in practice, in the work of a public sector organisation
* Previous experience of promoting the voice of patients, service users, their families and other carers, advocates and the public, including in collective decision-making groups such as boards/committees
* A track record in securing or supporting improvements for patients and service users and/or the wider public
* Advanced facilitation and coordination experience, with proven ability to influence and build consensus horizontally and vertically
* A track record of horizon scanning engagement opportunities
* Strong communication skills, to distil information and communicate salient points, competent diplomatic approach to find common goals and develop collaboration.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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