Job summary
We are transforming community mental health services so the NHS and key partners work together to, for the first time, deliver wraparound care that is uniquely tailored to each person's needs, without having to navigate their way around different organisations.
Called Mental Health Together (MHT), it is one of the biggest and most exciting changes in a generation to the way people with severe and complex mental health needs are looked after in the community.
This role is pivotal to the success of MHT and will be instrumental in planning, delivering, and evaluating high-quality communications activity designed to raise awareness of the service and engage a broad range of stakeholders - from patients to staff, partners, media, MPs, and the public.
Reporting to the Deputy director of communications and engagement, and working closely with colleagues leading the transformation programme, the post holder will provide strategic communications advice and counsel to some of the most senior members of KMPT and its partners.
They will lead in setting the overall direction and then implementing future iterations of the MHT communications plan, delivering high-quality, creative content and activities tailored to relevant audiences' needs.
Interviews will be on the 22nd July
Here are some clips of our KMPT staff, speaking about their role and why they enjoy working for us.
Working at KMPT (youtube.com)
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for delivering on the following areas, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
- To lead the successful development and implementation of appropriate communications, engagement, and marketing activity to raise awareness of the new service, secure advocacy, and drive behaviour change among relevant stakeholders (internal and external) to use the new service. This includes staff, members of the public - including existing and new patients and their families, media, MPs, local government, and professionals with the Kent and Medway health and social care system;
- To create and deliver engaging, audience-appropriate, communications and marketing content and collateral- such as video, social media content, press releases, website and intranet updates and content, presentations, briefing documents, posters, leaflets, etc;
- To develop the products and services needed to ensure the successful delivery of MHT (in particular a dedicated website) and ensure its ability to provide seamless, high-quality care;
- To work closely with the KMPT, and partner, communications and engagement teams to maximize impact, align activity, achieve cut-through, and avoid audience overwhelm.
About us
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.
Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
Our strategy
Our mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people
Our vision is where we want to be in the futureTo provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To refresh the strategic communications approach being taken to secure engagement and behaviour change from key stakeholders, including our people, partners and patients.
- To oversee, plan, deliver and evaluate communications work, ensuring it is insight-driven and tailored to raise awareness or encourage engagement from the necessary audiences and stakeholders;
- To create a wide range of high-quality communications and marketing content and assets including messaging, Board papers, digital and social media content (such as simple video and images/graphics), presentations, briefings etc - and where necessary brief and commission experts on specific products (e.g. more complex design and video)
- To work autonomously and inspire confidence in areas of subject matter expertise, providing professional strategic communications advice and guidance where necessary, and drawing on KMPT communications resources where needed.
- To build trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels, and work closely with relevant partners, the project management team and KMPTs directorate senior leadership teams that are integral to successful programme delivery.
- To lead on the development, implementation and awareness of a new external-facing website for the MHT service a significant and visible output which patients and external partners, such as GPs, will use to refer and get self-help.
- To work collaboratively with the KMPT communications and engagement team to deliver timely, relevant and impactful internal communications to staff across KMPT who are directly and indirectly affected by the changes this new service will have on the way they deliver care.
- To maximise and protect the reputation of the programme and service and offer strategic counsel on any reputational issues that would impact this
- To manage and oversee brand consistency and compliance with the Mental Health Together service brand, KMPT and NHS brands
- To proactively engage with and support Lived Experience individuals to ensure patient and carer communications reflect their recommendations and are co-produced.
- To manage budget and finance activities, including procurement and management of external suppliers, following organisational policies and procedures.
- To build effective relationships with key external stakeholders including the media, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System (ICS), and local and national government
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience creating, delivering & evaluating strategic communications plans and campaigns, that select the most appropriate channel mix to engage the right audiences, ensure content is topical & interesting and gathering insight to inform future iterations of work
- Experience of working collaboratively across different teams or organisations and successfully influencing personnel at all levels
- Experience of creating engaging audience-led content - both print and digital - to raise awareness of issues, incentivise engagement or behaviour change from relevant audiences
- Experience using content management systems, social media channels and creating content like video and simple graphics or images
Desirable
- Experience of working in high performing communications teams within the public sector or the NHS
- Experience leading on procurement and content development/creation for digital channels (e.g. website, social media, intranet)
Skills
Essential
- Ability to translate complex information into engaging and effective content
- Ability to measure performance of communications work, including using qualitative and quantitative data to inform approaches.
- Ability to manage sensitive issues such as media queries
- Ability to arrange and facilitate events that engage staff, patients, community members, carers and other stakeholders
- Ability to work at pace and manage a varied, and at times challenging, workload
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent knowledge and understanding of communications best practice
- Understanding of different external and internal audiences and how to best to reach and engage them
Desirable
- Understanding of the NHS and the healthcare sector
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.
Employer details
Employer name
Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
Address
Magnitude House
Aylesford
ME20 6WT