Citizen Ambassador
| Job title | Citizen Ambassador (x2) |
| Location | Home based with travel across Surrey |
| Working Hours | 15 hours per month (to be worked flexibly). Contract until February 2023 with the possibility of extension. |
| Salary | £21.21 per hour plus expenses |
Healthwatch Surrey CIC is an independent community interest company that gives the people of Surrey a voice to improve, shape and get the best from health and social care services. We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer which reflects the community we serve.
Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership commissions Healthwatch Surrey to deliver the Citizen Ambassador (CA) Programme, as part of its commitment to ensuring Surrey residents’ experiences and views are heard widely. The CA programme has been running since 2017 and has won awards for its work with citizens.
The role:
What is this role about? Citizen Ambassadors are everyday people who act as ‘peer researchers’. They are given training to work with the NHS, Surrey County Council and Voluntary Sector Organisations to deliver small-scale projects and engagements, to hear the experiences of people in the community.
I’m not a researcher – can I still apply?
Yes! You do not need to have research skills when you apply for this job. A core part of the role is to be someone who wants to help their community access better health and care services. We will support you to do this by giving you the training you need.
What are engagements?
An engagement can be many things. Sometimes you might go to a community centre to speak to people about their experiences, other times you might be having a Zoom conversation with people who have used the NHS or Social Care and then you will feed back what you have heard to the people who plan and deliver services
What is research?
Often when people think of research, they think about medical research. This is different. The Citizen Ambassadors do small-scale social research. This is a way of understanding people and societies and helps identify regularly occurring patterns in social life. You might do this by interviewing people or by running a group conversation, called a ‘focus group’. The topics you research will be linked to healthcare. You will be supported by a friendly research team at Surrey Heartlands Health & Care Partnership to do this.
Why should I apply?
By listening to people’s experiences (especially those who do not often get their voice heard) the Citizen Ambassador can bring fresh and independent viewpoints, which increase understanding within health and social care organisations. This helps us to develop services that give people the best possible access to care.
What topics will I cover?
There are currently 6 CAs across a variety of different workstreams including Mental Health, Digital, Women & Childrens. We are now recruiting for people to be involved in the following workstreams:
- Cancer
- Prevention – This role focuses on (but is not limited to)
- Diabetes
- Cardio vascular disease
- Health & Wellbeing
- Weight management
- Emotional wellbeing
Who will I work with?
Through their projects each of the Citizen Ambassadors will focus on ‘priority populations’:
- Carers and young carers
- Children in care and care leavers
- Children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities
- Adults with learning disabilities and/or autism
- People with long term health conditions, disabilities or sensory impairment
- Older people 80+ & those in care homes
- Black and Minority Ethnic groups
- Gypsy Roma Traveller community
- Young people out of work
- People experiencing domestic abuse
- People with serious mental illness
- People with drug and alcohol problems
- People experiencing homelessness
What’s in it for me?
- 15 hours per month
- Flexible working conditions – suit students, people who have caring responsibilities, recently unemployed, looking to ‘upskill’, already in part-time work etc.
- Development opportunities for you:
- We are committed to helping you ‘upskill’ in areas that are important to you
- For example, in the past we have offered training to do a Certificate in Market Research. Many of our previous CAs have gone on to full time work within the NHS or other health and social care organisation.
Job Summary
Within a designated Surrey Heartlands Health & Care Partnership programme (SHHCP):
- Work with Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership to increase knowledge and understanding of key health and social care issues in Surrey
- Produce small-scale projects, with the support of Healthwatch Surrey and Surrey Heartland’s Research Team
- Be supported to challenge the workstream and represent the views of people you have worked with
- Bring your own insight and understanding to help improve health and social care programmes in Surrey
- Deliver 8 ‘engagement events’ per year, with support of Healthwatch Surrey. These might be face to face or virtual. Be an active listener and help represent the views of people who are often excluded (including patients, carers and their families).
- Help recommend things that would improve services for those who access them
General Duties:
- To follow and abide by Healthwatch Surrey CIC’s policies and procedures at all times including Health and Safety, and Data Protection
- To act as an ambassador for Healthwatch Surrey/Surrey Heartlands HCP at all times (a cobranded lanyard will be provided, reflecting the CAs’ role as representative of both organisations)
The job description reflects the requirements of the post at the time of writing. These requirements are subject to change, in line with priorities of Surrey Heartlands HCP and individual programme requirements. Therefore, the job description may need to be reviewed in consultation with the post holder.
A tailored induction, training programme, IT equipment and five hours of administrative support a month will be provided to each Citizen Ambassador.
For more information about Healthwatch Surrey as well as the detailed job description and person specification for this role please visit: www.healthwatchsurrey.co.uk If you require this information in an alternative format, please call: 0303 303 0023 SMS: 07592 787533.
We are committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity as an employer and welcome applications from all sectors of our community.
Please send your CV and cover letter to recruitment@healthwatchsurrey.co.uk
PLEASE NOTE: ONLY applications that have a CV and cover letter will be accepted.
Deadline for applications: 30th May 09.00hrs
Please note: depending on the volume of applications we receive for this post we may close the deadline early and may not be able to respond individually to all applications. Successful candidates will be notified of interview dates by 26th May and interviews will take place w/c 13th June