Work for a passionate and friendly team making a huge impact


Healthwatch Lancashire is here to improve health and social care for people in Lancashire.

If you share our vision, and you’re looking for a job that has a big impact, take a look below at our current vacancies.

We’d love to hear from you.

Our vacancies


Job title: Healthwatch Lancashire Co-ordinator

Department: Healthwatch Lancashire

Reporting to: Healthwatch Manager

Hours: 37.5hrs per week

Contract: Full time (Permanent)

Salary: £22,062.03 FTE

Location: Office based, Leyland, Lancashire

Benefits: 6% Pension Employer Contribution, Annual Holiday entitlement of 20 days (FTE) plus bank holidays and Christmas Closure – specific dates confirmed each year dependent on when the Christmas period falls and business needs, Values-Based organisation, Length of service increments(holidays, Flexibility

Who we are

People First is an independent customer-led charitable organisation that has worked in Cumbria for almost 32 years. We are passionate about our values of equality, respect, and inclusion. We provide a wide range of support and information services across Cumbria, Lancashire, and Teesside, all aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy, and fulfilled lives. Our Head office is based in Carlisle, supported by offices in Barrow and Lancashire.

The Department

Healthwatch is the independent statutory champion for people who use health and social care services. We are here to find out what matters to people and to help make sure their views shape the care they need.

Our statutory duties include;

  • Promoting involvement of people in the provision and scrutiny of local health and care services.
  • Enabling people to monitor the standard of provision of services and how these could be improved.
  • Obtaining the views of people regarding their needs and experiences of local care services.
  • Making recommendations about how services could be improved to commissioners and providers.
  • Providing advice and information about local health and care services to enable choices to be made.
  • Formulating views on the standard of provision and how these could be improved.
  • Making recommendations to Healthwatch England to conduct reviews or, if justified, direct to the CQC (Care Quality Commission).
  • Providing Healthwatch England with the intelligence and insight it needs to be effective.

The Person

An opportunity has arisen for a Co-ordinator to join our department. We are seeking a candidate who has an excellent understanding of the role of Healthwatch, as the independent organisation which ensures that the voice and experience of people can influence how health and care services are designed and improved.

Qualifications

Good all-round level of education and/or experience in a relevant field 

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

  • High degree of IT literacy – ability to use all facets of Microsoft Office
  • Good standard of written and spoken English
  • High level organisational skills and experience
  • Proactive can-do attitude
  • An eye for detail
  • Commitment to organisational excellence
  • Experience in researching, collating information
  • Discrete and able to maintain confidentiality
  • Capacity to work and communicate effectively with a diverse range of people and organisations, maintaining positive relationships
  • Ability to work as part of a team by motivating and supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge and expertise
  • Knowledge of the local health and social care economy in Lancashire

Main functions:

  • To act as the first point of contact for people who use health and social care services and their relatives, providing information and signposting support via the telephone and email enquiries.
  • To provide comprehensive and high-quality administrative support to the team.

This will include, but not be limited to:

  • Develop, maintain and update office administration systems
  • Provide diary and coordination support to Department Director
  • Provision of general administrative and clerical duties, including minute taking
  • Support with administration and minute taking for the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) project, Healthwatch Together and any other required meetings
  • Support with the collection of feedback from members of the public contacting Healthwatch Lancashire
  • Monitor our public feedback system for health and social care services
  • Ensuring administrative correspondence is dealt with in a timely manner;
  • Acting as a first point of contact for visitors and guests ensuring they are dealt with politely and efficiently
  • Liaising with external partners and agencies to support team activity
  • Act on own initiative and take appropriate action to support the team
  • To manage tasks and specific projects relevant to the delivery of the organisation’s objectives

 

Communication:

  • To act as the first point of contact for office administrative communications, dealing with all such communications professionally, ensuring a prompt, efficient and customer friendly service is provided
  • To deal with highly confidential / contentious information in a discrete and appropriate manner
  • Handle information in a number of formats and varying degrees of complexity
  • Gather, collate, and process administrative information in an efficient and effective manner, and where necessary, store it using robust systems and processes

Operational Management

  • Provide assistance and advice to other members of staff regarding the operation, management, and effectiveness of the organisation’s administrative systems
  • Manage specific projects as requested by the Healthwatch Manager & Senior Engagement Officers
  • Resolve problems / requests. These may be internal requests or requests from external organisations
  • Optimise the use of IT Technology applications by using all aspects of Microsoft Office applications

Planning and Organisation

  • Be proactive and act on own initiative to ensure that the organisation has appropriate administrative support
  • Take responsibility for day-to-day planning and prioritising of own workload
  • Organise meetings, including workshops, conferences/events that may be off site, securing venues, equipment, and refreshments

Resources Management

  • Order and purchase of office supplies/equipment as required always ensuring that there are sufficient office supplies
  • Raise purchase orders and arrange for the payment of invoices if required

General Responsibilities

  • Produce operational policies and procedures relating to organisation’s administrative office function, ensuring all relevant staff are aware of these and monitor implementation
  • Update / revise policies which relate to the organisation’s administrative functions ensuring that all policies and procedures are up to date and adequately reflect the service requirements of the organisation
  • Any other duties of an administrative nature requiring initiative and independent judgement which from time to time may be required and are appropriate to the role

Other Duties

The duties outlined above are not intended to be exhaustive and may change as the needs of the organisation alter in line with current agendas. Due to the developing nature of our organisation, we require staff to remain highly flexible in their approach, and work to meet the changing needs of the projects.

To Apply

If you’re interested in the role and think you’d be a good fit, we’d like to hear from you.

To apply for this position, please email a copy of your CV including details of two references, to recruitment@wearepeoplefirst.co.uk , or alternatively, you can post for the attention of Barry to People First Conference Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, CA2 5XB

All applications should be clearly marked:

Confidential – Healthwatch Lancashire Co-ordinator

To arrive no later than 26th March 2024


Project reports

Latest news

Get in touch