Family and Carer Ambassador

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Runwell; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Family and Carer Ambassador to support families of patients with mental health needs. This role requires strong communication and organizational skills to ensure that families and carers are informed and involved in care discussions. The post holder will work closely with a multidisciplinary team, addressing the needs of families and empowering them throughout the care process. The position offers various support services, including staff discounts and flexible working opportunities.

Benefits

27 days holiday plus bank holidays

Excellent pension contribution

Staff discounts and benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience working in an administrative or secretarial environment.
• Experience in healthcare settings.
• Lived experience as a carer for someone with a mental health condition.

Responsibilities

• Work with families and carers during the patient's admission and discharge.
• Provide information about the inpatient system and processes.
• Support communication between the clinical unit and families.
• Empower families to participate in care planning.
• Maintain accurate records and comply with confidentiality standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Compassion

Detail-oriented

Education

NVQ III or equivalent

Good general education with Maths and English to GCSE

Job description

Go back Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Family and Carer Ambassador

The closing date is 04 January 2026

As a Family and Carer Ambassador, you will provide practical and emotional support to families and carers of those with complex mental health needs. You will also offer advocacy to ensure that the families / carers and patients' needs and views are heard and acted on, whatever their communication needs are. You will identify and address cross organisational challenges. You will work closely with key agencies across the health, education, social care and voluntary sector; this will also include links with adult services where either there are requirements for transition planning to adult services or where the families / carers are receiving adult service support.

To be successful in this role, you must be proactive and compassionate, have a great eye for detail, excellent organisational skills and strong communication skills. You must be passionate and sensitive about effecting change, and empowering patients, families and carers. This is a new post; therefore, although having clear parameters and expectations, there will be opportunities to shape and influence the role and build and develop important relationships with stakeholders and partners.

Main duties of the job

This is a patient-facing role based within the Forensic units. The Family and Carer Ambassador will work directly with patients, their families, and carers, providing a visible and approachable presence on the ward. The role focuses on supporting meaningful engagement, promoting collaborative relationships, and ensuring that the voices of families and carers are heard and included in care discussions and recovery planning.

The post holder will be a core member of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), working closely alongside nurses, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, peer support workers, and other ward staff. They will contribute to daily discussions, care planning, and discharge processes, ensuring that the experiences, views, and needs of families and carers are represented and integrated into care delivery.

About us

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
• We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years' service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Work bank: You can use the opportunity to supplement your income and develop your skills by working bank shifts.
• Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Job responsibilities

1. Work with carers and families from admission to the unit to discharge.

2. Help carers / families understand the inpatient system and processes and be a source for high quality information that is easy to understand.

3. To work proactively with the allocated inpatient units. Supporting communication processes between the clinical unit and carers/families; enabling units to create a compassionate and responsive approach to families and carers.

4. Empower families / carers to access information and to be part of planning (with CYP consent).

5. Have knowledge and networks of the local area to support carers and families with information and signposting.

6. To be a point of liaison with the Unit on family and carer matters, specifically quality improvement initiatives to enable more robust and inclusive engagement / involvement.

7. Help families / carers raise concerns where necessary and take action to escalatemot if necessary.

8. Champion the role of families / carers as partners within units, supporting the families and carers to ensure their voice is heard and they are seen as equals in patients inpatient care pathway.

9. Maintain accurate records and comply with local procedures for record keeping, confidentiality and security.

10. To act as a champion for families, carers, patients and their interests and involve the public and patients in the policy development and decision-making.

11. To ensure all public and patient contact with the office is of the highest professional standard.

12. To embed patient and public involvement at all levels of decision making.

13. Provide carer support to carers, friends and families of those admitted to the ward.

14. Ensure all 72 hour carer phone calls are completed and followed up.

15. Ensure all carers receive a copy of the wards carers pack, including our carer letter.

16. Invite carers to ward reviews.

17. Collating themes from the carer cards in reception to support development to the strategy and our service.

18. Lead on the monthly carers group, ensuring carers are invited and followed up.

19. Maintain professional boundaries with both service leaders and carers at all times.

20. Document carer input on the Carenotes system and ensure information is circulated to team.

21. Refer carers to Carer services and support.

22. Build links with local carer charities, such as Carers Support West Sussex.

23. Attend the locality Triangle of Care meeting, held quarterly, to represent the carers voice and review our carer involvement through the use of the Triangle of Care self- assessment.

24. Create a relapse prevention and support plan with the carer.

25. Initiate and follow up referrals to carer support.

26. Monitor the progress of the carer strategy and link into the triangle of care lead.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

• NVQ III or equivalent level of experience
• Good general education with Maths and English to GCSE standard or equivalent.

Knowledge

• Lived experience as a carer of a person with mental health condition or illness

Skills/Experience

• Relevant previous experience of working in an administrative/secretarial environment.
• Previous experience of working in health care environment.

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

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust