Health Advisor

Job summary

We have an exciting Band 4 Health Advisor opportunity available within the Health Inequalities team at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Do you have an interest in public health, health improvement, health education and health promotion?

Do you have a caring, positive and non-judgemental approach and strive to make patients feel listened to and valued?

Are you a confident communicator who can motivate and support people to make positive changes to their health?

Would you like to make a meaningful difference to the lives of patients receiving specialist heart and lung care?

If the answer is yes, we would like to hear from you.

The Health Advisor will provide personalised health information, advice and behaviour-change support to patients. You will work with patients, clinical teams and external services to help individuals make informed decisions and access appropriate support.

As this is a developing service, the exact requirements of the role may evolve. Flexibility, initiative and adaptability will therefore be important.

Main duties, tasks & skills required

As a Health Advisor, you will provide personalised health improvement support to inpatients across Royal Papworth Hospital, with a focus on smoking cessation, alcohol reduction and weight management. You will use behaviour-change techniques to help patients make informed choices, agree practical action plans and access appropriate services. Support may also include household members where this will help improve the patient's health and reduce ongoing risk.

This is an established substantive post within the Health Inequalities team. You will complete patient assessments, deliver health education and brief interventions, support referrals, provide follow-up and liaise with clinical teams, community services and other relevant partners across the Trust.

You will plan and manage your own workload, maintain accurate electronic patient records and contribute to data collection, audit and service evaluation. We are looking for someone with strong communication, organisational and digital skills, experience of supporting behaviour change or health improvement, and the ability to work independently while recognising when to seek advice.

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

Job description

On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please ensure you evidence in the Essential Criteria how you uphold the Trust Values Compassion Excellence Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

Education to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in Nutrition, Dietetics, Sport Science, Weight Management, or similar.

Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification

Desirable

Certificate/Professional qualification in a related area e.g. NVQ 3 or equivalent

Stop Smoking Practitioner qualification

IT software acquired through NVQ3 level or equivalent.

Advanced course in Exercise, Obesity, and Diabetes.

Experience

Essential

Knowledge of health improvement procedures

Experience of working as a practitioner, therapies or rehabilitation assistant or in a behaviour change context e.g. smoking service or equivalent.

Knowledge of basic medical terminology, cardiothoracic conditions.

Experience in weight management, nutrition, or physical activity promotion, or smoking cessation (e.g., working in a healthcare, community, or public health setting

Demonstrate organisational skills, Ability to prioritise workload and work independently, but recognise when to seek qualified advice.

Knowledge of basic nutrition principles and dietary guidelines relevant to weight management and long-term health.

Experience delivering health education sessions on topics such as smoking, nutrition, exercise, and weight management in one-on-one or group settings.

Understanding of behaviour change techniques to support patients in making sustainable lifestyle changes.

Desirable

Experience of delivering patient programmes or training virtually

Knowledge of exercise prescription principles for different populations, including those with comorbidities (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions).

Additional Criteria

Essential

As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that 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.

Ability to be flexible in working hours and environments to meet the needs of the service.

Strong commitment to Royal Papworth Hospital working ethos, quality standards and personal and professional development.

A professional yet approachable manner when working with clients.

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.

For help with your application, contact:

Berin Krenek

berin.krenek@nhs.net

01223638691