North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust - FoI Enclosure 01. Job Description

Transcription

1 1. JOB DETAILS Job Description Job title: Head of Communications and Reputation Management Accountable to: Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Governance Location: Trust-wide across both hospital sites. 2. JOB SUMMARY Working closely with the Director of Strategic Planning and Corporate Governance, the Trust Board and trust managers, provide and manage an effective and professional communication, media, public relations and reputation management service. Develop and implement an internal and external communications strategy, developing communication with staff, patients, the public and the media and advising the Trust on all communication issues including the development and management of Foundation Trust membership. 3. ROLE OF DEPARTMENT The role of the Management Department is to provide the strategic and operational leadership to the organisation, ensuring both local and national initiatives are met. The department is pivotal in designing and reshaping healthcare, both internally and within the wider health community. The role of the Communication and Reputation Management Department within the Strategic Planning and Corporate Governance Directorate is to ensure that there are effective channels of communication staff and public engagement in both delivery of services and service design, together with improvement both internally and across the wider health economy. The Communication and Reputation Management Department has a key role in managing and maintaining the reputation of the organisation. Its key responsibilities are the focal point of all internal and external communications and reputation management. 4. ORGANISATIONAL CHART Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Governance Head of Communications and Reputation Management PCPI Design & Implementation Lead Communications Assistant / Team Secretary 5. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Chief Executive. Chairman. Non Executive and Executive Directors. 1

2 Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Governance. Company Secretary. Head of Administration. Trust Managers. Professional heads of departments. Trust staff. Local Trusts and other Trusts around the country. Local and national media / press. Police. Prime Minister and Ministerial Offices. 6. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST Lead on the Trust s external and internal communications, reputation management campaigns and FT communication / membership activities, acting as the principal advisor on these and related issues to the Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Governance, the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Trust Board. Lead on the strategy and management of the Trust s internal and external communication functions so that the public, media, partners, staff and other stakeholders receive accurate and timely information about the Trust, its developments, its aims and successes. Use communications to build and maximise the reputation of the Trust to enable the people of North Cumbria to understand the work of the Trust and its role in health care. Develop and deliver media training for the Chief Executive, Executive Directors, Directors, Non-Executive Directors and the Chairman of the Trust Board. Assist in the development and annual review of the Trust s external and internal communication strategy to ensure an effective communication approach to support the Trust in its healthcare for the people of North Cumbria. Ensure the communications strategy is implemented for information which is routine up to the most demanding of situations where information is highly complex, sensitive or highly contentious. Keep the Trust s strategy and communication action plan under review to ensure congruence with a developing and changing organisation, including Foundation Trust status and University Teaching Hospital status. Develop and lead campaign strategies to engage the local media and the public as the Trust develops under Foundation Trust Status and is co-ordinated in a way that is consistent and maintains the reputation of the Trust. Lead on policy developments for external and internal communications including the development of the Trust s Advancing Quality agenda. Ensure that communication links and strong relationships are developed with all service directorates. Design systems to ensure each directorate has an equal opportunity to develop its internal and external profile, promote services, work and achievements, particularly under the Advancing Quality agenda. Develop and implement a robust audit based approach to communications, ensuring feedback and measures of success are evidenced and shared with the Governance Committee and Trust Board. Manage the delegated communications budget to ensure optimal use of making effective procurement decisions (including contract printing), to bid for additional resources for campaigns and seek creative and innovative opportunities for bringing additional resources to the corporate function, including developing staff excellence awards through sponsorship. Lead on the development of the Trust s external and internal websites ensuring they 2

3 are effective communication tools for use by the public and staff. Monitor and maintain Trust information for national websites including NHS Choices and Patient Opinion. Manage the production of external communication documents including the Trust s Annual Report, Business Plan, hospital magazine and any other publications as and when required, at all times developing and maintaining a corporate image for the Trust that enhances its reputation. Support public consultation processes such as service re-design and Foundation Trust status. Line-manage the Implementation Lead for Patient, Carer and Public involvement, assigning all work, carrying out appraisal, personal development plans and training as necessary to ensure effective and timely communication with the Trust s patient representatives. Alongside the Implementation Lead for Patient, Carer and Public Involvement, ensure that communications are based around patient needs and that the Trust Board can base communication activities around the drivers that lead to improved communication with the public at large. Develop effective branding for all public documents, patient and service information to develop a marketing tool for the Trust that will enhance its reputation. Develop patient information with the intention of achieving a Crystal Clear Mark for the Trust. Support the Trust s partnership working with its Patient Panels and as a member of the Patient, Carer and Public Involvement Committee. Develop and implement an effective Media Policy in liaison with board members. Manage the communications office and handle all complex and sensitive media enquiries seeking the appropriate approval from the Chief Executive and/or Executive Directors. Line-manage the Communication Assistant / Team Secretary assigning communication work, undertaking appraisal, personal development plans and training as necessary. Identify the public relations and media training needs of key staff and ensure these needs are met. Provide advice to on-call Managers and Directors on media issues out of hours and provide an out of hours PR / media service as required. Lead on the production of pro-active press releases that portray the Trust in a positive light and that enhance the reputation of the Trust. Organise interviews / photo calls / press conferences, where appropriate, and ensure staff are fully briefed prior to any media interviews. Maintain a database of media contacts and monitor all press coverage. Maintain a database of photographs / graphics for Trust use. Identify any potential risks to the Trust in respect of likely media coverage and work closely with the Complaints & Litigation Department. Attend court cases, litigation cases and inquests, as and when required, to react to any potentially damaging media coverage. Lead on all aspects of communication crisis management, including major incidents and serious untoward incidents, liaising where appropriate, with partner agencies, the SHA and DOH. Ensure effective communication with Trust staff using a variety of innovative methods that will generate effective feedback, including a monthly Staff Brief, in conjunction with the Chief Executive, in a way that will engender effective two-way communication; staff newsletters on service developments, campaigns and projects, including the delivery of Advancing Quality. Ensure staff members have access to opportunities to present their work locally, regionally and nationally through awards and health service publications. Plan and organise communication and communication events that will support 3

4 Improving Working Lives Champion projects. Plan and organise the Trust s Celebrating Excellence Awards. Manage the Postmaster system for communications across the Trust. Manage the Trust s Communication Committee, and achieve its objectives. Support the Trust s partnership working as a member of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee. Ensure strong communication links are maintained with the DoH, SHA and other key and national regional bodies, the universities and the local authorities of North Cumbria. Work with Communication Leads from partner organisations, including PCTs, Ambulance Service, Mental Health Trust, City and County Council, Social Services, SHA and DoH on joint campaigns, to ensure messages are clear and consistent. Manage and handle Ministerial requests for information from the SHA and DOH. Work in liaison with the Head of Administration to manage any Royal or Ministerial visits. Work across both sites as required. Participate in appraisal and performance review to ensure optimum working. 7. WORK SETTING AND REVIEW As lead for communications within the Trust, work unsupervised to objectives as set by the Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Governance, who will review performance and undertake appraisal. 8. INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES The post holder is expected to: adhere to Trust policies and procedures and relevant legislation including the requirements of any professional bodies attend mandatory training as identified by the Trust 9. CONFIDENTIALITY All Trust staff and contractors working for the Trust have both a common law duty and a statutory duty of confidentiality to protect patient (and indeed any personally identifiable) information and only use it for the purposes for which it was intended. The disclosure and use of confidential patient information needs to be both lawful and ethical. 10. INFORMATION GOVERNANCE Trust staff must keep up-to-date with the requirements of Information Governance and must follow Trust policies and procedures to ensure that Trust information is dealt with legally, securely, efficiently and effectively. Staff must appropriately manage the records they create or hold during the course of their employment with the Trust, making the records available for sharing in a controlled manner, subject to statutory requirements and agreed security and confidentiality policies, procedures and guidelines (e.g. Freedom of Information Act 2000, Caldicott guidelines). If you are required to make entries into health records, you must ensure these entries are legible and attributable, and that record keeping is contemporaneous. 11. HEALTH AND SAFETY 4

5 All Managers have a general accountability for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of the employees under their direction at work. Each employee is responsible to take reasonable care for his or her own acts or omissions and the effect that these may have upon the safety of themselves or any other person. Every employee must use safety equipment or clothing in a proper manner and for the purpose intended. Any employee who intentionally or recklessly misuses anything supplied in the interests of health and safety will be subject to disciplinary procedures. Every employee must work in accordance with any health and safety procedures, instructions or training that has been given. No employee may undertake any task for which they have not been authorised and for which they are not adequately trained. Every employee is required to bring to the attention of a responsible person any perceived shortcoming in our safety arrangements or any defects in work equipment. All employees are under a duty to familiarise themselves with the Risk Management and Fire, Health & Safety Policies. The Trust provides an annual update on Governance and Health & Safety issues to staff. 12. RISK MANAGEMENT Ensure that you implement systems and procedures at local level to fulfil the requirements of the Trust s Risk Management Strategy including local management and resolution of complaints and concerns, management of Untoward Incidents / Near Misses, and compliance with the Risk Profiling Programme. Your specific responsibility for Risk Management will be clarified to you by your Head of Department at your local induction. 13. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES The Trust has adopted an equal opportunities policy and all employees must be aware of their obligations to abide by the spirit and nature of the policy to avoid direct and indirect discrimination. You are required to attend Equality & Diversity Training, and where appropriate Equality Impact Assessment training, and cascade best practice to your team. 14. IMPROVING WORKING LIVES You will be expected to give a commitment to apply the principles of Improving Working Lives, and participate in any events and initiatives as and when appropriate. 15. INDUCTION All new permanent members of staff must attend corporate induction. Details are sent with the letter of appointment. Line Managers are responsible for checking attendance at corporate induction, and for ensuring that local induction commences on the first day of employment on the ward / department. 16. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS 5

6 You will be expected to familiarise yourself with the Trust s Governance Strategy which outlines the Management and Committee Structures and Procedures for the Governance of the Trust s activities. You will have a duty to familiarise yourself with the relevant Policies and Procedures, i.e. Health & Safety Policies. Risk Management Policies. Infection Control Policies. Data Protection and Confidentiality Policies. These must be complied with by staff at all times. 17. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT Post holder s signature Date Line Manager s signature Date 6

7 PERSON SPECIFICATION North Cumbria Health Economy POST TITLE: Head of Communications and Reputation Management Factor Essential Desirable Qualifications Professional degree / PGD in Relevant Master s degree communications, public relations or related or equivalent. field, or equivalent. ECDL or equivalent. Experience Knowledge Work in a complex organisation with a range of stakeholders. Managing communications, public relations, journalism or similar. Managing and prioritising workload. Line managing staff. Developing researched and deliverable communication strategies. Handling high profile media stories and responding to incidents. Working directly to Board, influencing and advising at the highest organisational levels. Tailoring communication messages to key audiences in all sections of the community, including the media, hostile and antagonistic audiences. Designing, organising and managing high profile events for staff and the public. Handling public health or fund-raising campaigns and public interest initiatives. Tendering processes and bidding for resources. Setting up press conferences and events. Crisis media handling. Using IT packages. Commissioning print and design work. How the media industry operates. The NHS. Microsoft Office, Publisher, Internet and systems. Excellent political awareness and knowledge of the political environment, locally and nationally. Understanding of health policy and key themes of current health policy development. Communications and public relations in the NHS or healthcare sector. Managing internal communication in a large complex organisation. Using communication tools to promote public services. Raising funds through sponsorship. Skills Aptitudes and First class written and verbal communication skills including writing for different complex audiences, media information writing and report writing. 7

8 Ability to understand and interpret complex issues for a variety of audiences. Ability to deliver to agreed deadlines. Keyboard skills to RSA 3 standard. Judgement and analytical skills. Decision-making skills. Highly developed interpersonal skills. Managing and influencing strongly opposing views. Excellent organisational skills. Ability to work independently or as part of a team. Capable of taking forward communications as part of the strategic agenda for the Trust. Skilled at providing clear and concise briefings to Executive and Board members. Personal Circumstances Other requirements Motivation. Flexibility. Able to work out of hours. Able to travel in and around locality. Driving licence. PERSON SPECIFICATION AGREEMENT Post holder Date Line Manager Date Experience can be considered as comparable to qualifications quoted but should be clearly detailed on the application in order to demonstrate equivalence. 8