Communications Officer

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a proactive Communications Officer to coordinate the creation and review of patient information leaflets, working with clinical teams to ensure clear, accurate information. You will craft stories for internal communications and support staff engagement events.

You will join a collaborative team, with flexible in-office arrangements, and contribute to a wide range of communications activities across digital and print channels while upholding

Qualifications

• Foundation degree or professional qualification in communications, marketing, journalism, photography, graphic design or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working in a communications or marketing team or related sector.
• Experience of writing for websites and printed publications.
• Proven written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to translate complex information into plain language.
• Awareness of the trust and the work it does.
• Ability to manage tight deadlines and competing priorities.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Experience with Adobe tools (Photoshop, InDesign, PremierePro) or willingness to learn.
• Experience using Canva or willingness to learn.
• Experience using a CMS and updating websites/intranets.
• Experience of media enquiries and social media handling.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the process for creation and review of patient information leaflets with subject matter experts.
• Represent the communications team trust-wide and provide communications advice.
• Gather content and produce for the internal weekly staff e-newsletter and publish news stories for intranet/website.
• Create content for internal and external communications channels.
• Support with staff engagement events and other communications activities.
• Provide administrative support to the communications team.

Skills

Copywriting

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Managing multiple priorities

Storytelling

Education

Foundation degree or professional qualification in communications/marketing/journalism/photography/graphic design

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

Adobe Photoshop

InDesign

PremierePro

Canva

SharePoint

CMS

Job description

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Communications Officer

The closing date is 05 November 2026

We are looking for an enthusiastic and creative individual with strong copywriting skills and meticulous attention to detail to join our communications team.

Your main responsibility will be to co-ordinate the process for creation and review of our patient information leaflets. You will work with clinical teams to edit and publish leaflets and consent forms to ensure that accurate and understandable medical information is communicated clearly to help patients be fully informed and reassured on the procedures and treatments they need to have.

You'll also get involved in the full range of communication channels and responsibilities:

• Writing and designing content for all-staff briefings and intranet
• Writing stories for our weekly internal all-staff email
• Interviewing patients and staff for feature stories
• Assisting with staff and public engagement events

Your work will directly and positively impact excellent patient care and help staff to feel valued, empowered and proud to work here.

You will be line managed by our communications co-ordinator and supported by the whole team, who meet each week to plan messages, campaigns and troubleshoot issues together. The team has a flexible working arrangement, typically two or three days per week in the office.

Interviews will be held on the 12th and 13th November 2026.

The role profile is subject to job evaluation consistency panel.

Main duties of the job

To co-ordinate the process of creation and review of patient information leaflets, working with subject matter experts to produce patient information flyers, booklets and consent forms which have been approved by the relevant stakeholders, and managing the supply of digital and printed materials to those who require it.

To represent the communications team trust-wide and provide communications advice and ensure brand guidelines are followed.

Gather content, write up and produce content for our weekly staff e-newsletter as well as write and upload news stories and patient/staff case studies for the intranet and website.

To contribute to the generation, design and production of content for internal and external communications channels.

To support event coordination, primarily for staff engagement activities such as our annual staff awards and long service awards, but also for our annual members meeting and other events that fall under the communication team's remit.

To support the daily running of the communications team with a variety of administrative duties.

About us

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.

Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.

The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.

For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour

Qualifications

• *Foundation degree or professional qualification in communications, marketing, journalism, photography, graphic design or equivalent experience

Experience

• *Experience of working in a communications or marketing team or related sector
• *Experience of writing for websites and printed publications
• *Proven written and oral communication skills
• *Ability to receive, interpret, analyse, and translate complex, sensitive information into plain language.
• *Awareness of the trust and the work it does
• *Work well under pressure, with an ability to effectively and calmly manage different and competing priorities to tight deadlines, responding to interruptions and unpredictable, urgent requests
• *A good knowledge of Microsoft Office software including Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• *Previous experience of using Adobe software including Photoshop, InDesign and PremierePro or willingness to learn
• *Previous experience of using Canva or willingness to learn
• *Experience of using SharePoint or willingness to learn
• *Basic photography skills or willingness to learn
• *Experience of using a content management system (CMS) to update websites and intranets
• *Experience of working with journalists and responding to media enquiries
• *Experience of running social media accounts for a professional organisation

Additional Criteria

• Please provide evidence of your commitment to uphold the Trust's values: Compassion, Excellence, Collaboration
• As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Meticulous attention to detail and proofing skills
• Passion for marketing and communications
• Passion for improving patient experience
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Ability to prioritise workload
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times
• Willingness to learn
• Flexible approach to work hours
• Committed to developing professional skills
• *Occasional need for lifting and moving goods and materials and equipment to events.

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 name

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Full-time,Flexible working,Home or remote working