Experience

Independent Lives

• United Kingdom
• Individual and Family Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Communications Officer

  • Mar 2015 - Dec 2017

  Worthing, West Sussex A Worthing based charity supporting disabled people with the Direct Payment process whilst developing new ideas and products to support their customers and the social care workforce. With Independent Lives I brought graphic design in-house producing numerous branded materials across digital and print including: • Quarterly magazine (including contributing copy) • A series of user friendly Care Certificate Handbooks for social care staff • Customer handbooks • Leaflets… Show more A Worthing based charity supporting disabled people with the Direct Payment process whilst developing new ideas and products to support their customers and the social care workforce. With Independent Lives I brought graphic design in-house producing numerous branded materials across digital and print including: • Quarterly magazine (including contributing copy) • A series of user friendly Care Certificate Handbooks for social care staff • Customer handbooks • Leaflets, flyers, posters and promotional items • Banners • Decals • Interactive digital forms and information packs • Branded stationery • GIFs. In addition to design I managed and contributed to a number of projects including: • Copywriting • Award submissions resulting in shortlists and wins • The development of the organisations internal social media policy and procedures in engagement with staff and managers. This included a deep analysis of our data and management training • Brand Awareness training • Surveys (paper mailouts and Survey Monkey) • Support for and attendance of internal and external events • Photography and videography • Supported volunteers and managed an assistant. Show less



Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

• Communications Project Manager - Children and Young People's Division

  • Nov 2012 - Apr 2013

  Sussex, Hampshire and Kent & Medway I provided communications support to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Directorate as they integrated a new county wide service in Kent and Medway. I also offered consultancy to children’s services in Sussex and Hampshire regarding PR, strategy and branding. Projects included: • Organisation of launch event • Development and maintenance of intranet based internal communications • Production and management of regular stakeholder updates • Engaging with young people to… Show more I provided communications support to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Directorate as they integrated a new county wide service in Kent and Medway. I also offered consultancy to children’s services in Sussex and Hampshire regarding PR, strategy and branding. Projects included: • Organisation of launch event • Development and maintenance of intranet based internal communications • Production and management of regular stakeholder updates • Engaging with young people to improve the quality of information available • Branding consultancy, working within strict guidelines but developing young person orientated design. Show less



Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

• Communications Officer - Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

  • 2010 - 2011

  East Sussex The first role in the Trust liaising between individual services and the corporate team. I was entrusted with this role by the department head to both expand my skills and trial the cost effectiveness of services having a dedicated comms lead, as opposed to their funding going into the corporate communications budget. I provided focused support to the Trust's new Primary Care Service in East Sussex, Health in Mind, with additional support to their Primary Care Directorate. Primary Care… Show more The first role in the Trust liaising between individual services and the corporate team. I was entrusted with this role by the department head to both expand my skills and trial the cost effectiveness of services having a dedicated comms lead, as opposed to their funding going into the corporate communications budget. I provided focused support to the Trust's new Primary Care Service in East Sussex, Health in Mind, with additional support to their Primary Care Directorate. Primary Care services are the mental health support you receive when you visit your GP and the new Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme was being rolled-out across the nation at the time. I engaged in pragmatic discussions with ground staff, service users and the management team to determine the communication routes they required, developed their strategy and produced the content they required. Resulting projects I managed from first concept to completion included: • Gathering complex information through creative discussions with medical staff, managers and service users to produce public facing content in plain English regarding the services we provided and symptoms treated. • Copy and artwork for a suite of patient information leaflets. • Copy for dedicated web pages on the Trust site. • Copy and design of information packs for GPs and staff to help them navigate the service available. • Copy for press releases. • Making service worksheets and resources available internally and externally via easy to manage databases and the web. • The production of a well-received GP Survey with a much higher than average response and plenty of constructive feedback enabling us to tailor the service and create a dialogue with this difficult to reach group at a time when they became our service commissioners. • The management of events including the service launch and several public wellbeing days. • Finding effective solutions in an ever-dwindling NHS budget.

• Communications Officer

  • 2009 - 2010

  Worthing I provided administrative support to the Corporate Marketing and Communications team including acting as Personal Assistant to the head of department. I was the main point of contact for internal and external communications often dealing with sensitive issue, projects and people. I provided support for campaigns and projects to assist all team members as well as tending to my main duties which included: • Compiling and distributing weekly bulletins to 5000 staff… Show more I provided administrative support to the Corporate Marketing and Communications team including acting as Personal Assistant to the head of department. I was the main point of contact for internal and external communications often dealing with sensitive issue, projects and people. I provided support for campaigns and projects to assist all team members as well as tending to my main duties which included: • Compiling and distributing weekly bulletins to 5000 staff members. • Scanning local media, maintaining the media databases and ensuring Trust leads were informed of relevant mental health news. • Diary management for all team members and the local site room bookings. • Controlling and responding to multiple email accounts including the Trusts internal and external comms, media enquiries, the Head of Communications and FOI requests. • First point of contact for Freedom of Information requests with the responsibility to gather the information from relevant leads and responding within the legal timeframe. • Administration for corporate events including PowerPoint presentations, room bookings and payments. • Establishing new photography stock for the Trust. • Ordering marketing materials and solving complex invoicing issues.