Healthwatch jobs
Are you passionate about patient and public engagement, effecting system change, and improving services? Are you confident to lead engagement and research, and tell the story of the findings to decision-makers? Are you a great project manager, who is excited by the opportunity to lead the delivery of a user-led Healthwatch? If so, we’d love to work with you in order to improve the experiences of people using health and social care services in Barnet.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with lived experience of disability (which could include a long term condition or mental health issue) to lead a small team in the delivery of Barnet’s statutory Healthwatch function.
As Manager, you will have a fundamental role in leading staff and volunteers, and ensuring users, patients and external stakeholders are involved in shaping the future of healthcare services in the Borough. Local people are at the heart of everything we do, and you will lead and guide the team to ensure that patients and users are heard, their experiences shared, and their voices amplified, creating change and improving services for all.
In return for your commitment to the cause, you will become part of a friendly and supportive team, working within a focused but flexible culture, where diversity is valued and you can bring your whole self to work. You’ll be based in our Colindale office, and able to attend meetings across Barnet, but with extensive opportunities for home working.
About Healthwatch
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 required each local authority area to set up a Healthwatch organisation. Healthwatch gives give people a powerful voice both locally and nationally. At a local level, Healthwatch Barnet works to help people get the best from their health and social care services, whether it's improving them today, or helping to shape them for tomorrow. Healthwatch Barnet is about local voices being able to influence the delivery and design of their services, not just for the people who use them, but anyone who might need to use them in future.
Healthwatch Barnet transferred to Inclusion Barnet on 1st April 2020. It is commissioned by the London Borough of Barnet to provide the following 6 key functions:
- Gather views and understand the experiences of patients and the public.
- Make people’s views known.
- Promote and support the involvement of people in the commissioning and provision of local care services and how they are scrutinised.
- Recommend investigation or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
- Provide advice and information (signposting) about access to services and support for making informed choices
- Making the views and experiences of local people known to Healthwatch England (and to other local Healthwatch organisations) and providing a steer to help it carry out its role as national champion.
About Inclusion Barnet
Inclusion Barnet is a thriving peer-led charity based in North West London. We are a friendly, supportive and inclusive team. We believe in the power of experience and this is demonstrated by all our services being led, developed and delivered by people with lived experience of disability, including mental health issues and long-term conditions. We believe that learning to use our lived experience for social change is a skill. We have become experts in harnessing the lived experience of our staff, members, volunteers and people who use our services to design and deliver higher quality, more person-centred services. We believe that this benefits both disabled people and society more widely.
Please submit a brief covering letter with your CV outlining how your skills match the job description and person specification. This post is only open to people with lived experience of disability. A DBS check will be required. In your covering letter, please ensure that you explain you would draw on insights from your own lived experience of disability to deliver the role.
Using our lived experience of disability to create more inclusive services and communities

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We're looking for an enthusiastic Research and Engagement Officer to plan and deliver engagement and research for our core and project work. This role involves listening and reaching out into communities to understand the experiences and concerns of local people using health and social care services and presenting this feedback to those planning and running services.
An ideal candidate is someone who walks into a room full of strangers and comes out with contacts, stories and having built a trusting connection. This role will include going out to geographical and communities of interest with an aim of making sure that we hear from all of the diverse communities of Wakefield District.
We recognise that research can be a term that puts people off, but we want to make research accessible and manageable for everyone. So, put simply, our research projects are always focussed on hearing from a specific community and we use different methods to reach them effectively and to capture their comments in ways that resonate and have impact.
Purpose
To plan and deliver engagement and research for Healthwatch Wakefield’s core and project work. To understand the experiences and concerns of people using health and social care services in Wakefield District and represent this feedback to service providers and commissioners. The role involves some analysis of data and intelligence to influence change and improve services.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
This is a dynamic role with lots of opportunity to make it your own. We have a small team of Research and Engagement Officers, and each works slightly differently to achieve the shared goal of reaching out and exploring ways to capture and interpret the experiences of people who use local services. The main functions are:
- Engagement
- Research and Project Management
- Data and Intelligence Analysis
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Experience of engagement, particularly with seldom heard groups and communities.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong teamwork skills.
- Capable of working independently and managing a varied workload.
- Experience of using various engagement methodologies, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and community meetings.
- Experience working with, networking, and developing partnerships with a range of people, including project stakeholders, diverse community groups, and other organisations.
- Experience using various research and engagement methodologies, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and community meetings.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint and Word.
- Commitment to the principles and values of Healthwatch.
- Demonstrates empathy, integrity, and a drive to influence positive change in health and social care.
- Willingness to travel within the Wakefield area.
- Ability to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience in data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative.
- Experience producing impact-focused reports and summary documents.
- Familiarity with local services and community needs.
- Knowledge of the voluntary and community sector, especially in Wakefield District.
- Good understanding of health and social care sectors, especially within the Wakefield area.
Your local health and social care champion
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are seeking a candidate with proven research experience, including the ability to interpret and analyse data and present solutions. You will have a keen interest in health and social care and the ability to write clear, concise policy reviews. You will also have a flair for programme and project management, and be skilled in organising tasks, logistics and administrative systems. The successful applicant will value equality, diversity and inclusion, and will be enthusiastic about promoting these principles in their work. They will have warmth, empathy and respect for others, alongside the ability to effectively engage seldom-heard communities in the local community (in either Barnet or Croydon).
The Research and Engagement Officer will report to, and support, the Healthwatch Manager (either in Barnet or Croydon). They will:
• Deliver research projects – including planning logistics, designing methodology and analysing quantitative and qualitative data.
• Report findings through presentations and written reports throughout the year.
• Lead on organising projects, ensuring that actions are followed up, prioritising effectively and providing relevant outputs.
• Deliver a regular programme of community-based outreach and events.
• Onboard, support and manage volunteers, working with our team of volunteers to deliver research and associated activities.
• Undertake policy reviews and provide advice on research and evaluation methodology to the Research Director, Healthwatch Manager and other members of the Public Voice team.
• Work with Public Voice teams to capture issues relating to the delivery of services or gaps in policies. Use this information to identify common themes which relate to service design and health and social care policy.
• Engage effectively with seldom-heard communities in the local community (either in Barnet or Croydon).
We translate the insights and needs of people into actions to improve public services, leading to reduced inequalities and improved outcomes.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
To lead and deliver Richmond CVS’s support services for voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across the borough. This includes providing high-quality advice, training, and development support, alongside managing key projects and coordinating external consultants.
The role is central to strengthening the VCSE sector, with a focus on organisational development, fundraising, and governance. It also involves working closely with statutory partners including Richmond Council and the South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB), ensuring that VCSE organisations are well-positioned to engage with and influence local systems.
The postholder will also lead the design and delivery of new initiatives, including externally funded programmes, and will have the opportunity to shape and evolve the role in response to emerging needs.
Key Responsibilities
Service Delivery & Development
Provide tailored advice and support to VCSE organisations on governance, fundraising, income generation, and strategic planning.
Lead the development and delivery of training programmes, workshops, and resources.
Support organisations to strengthen their legal structures, policies, and compliance.
Promote inclusive and accessible service delivery.
Leadership & Strategy
Provide strategic leadership for RCVS’s capacity building and project work.
Contribute to organisational strategy and planning.
Represent RCVS at external meetings, networks, and partnerships, including with statutory bodies.
Project & Programme Management
Manage capacity building projects, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to agreed outcomes.
Monitor and evaluate project impact, producing reports for funders and stakeholders.
Lead the development and delivery of consultancy projects, including scoping, contracting, and oversight.
Manage relationships with external consultants to ensure quality and consistency.
Line Management
Lead and support a small team, coordinating workplans and fostering collaboration.
Support staff development and performance
Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement
Build and maintain relationships with local partners including Richmond Council, South West London ICB, local and national funders, and other infrastructure bodies.
Facilitate networking and collaboration across the VCSE sector.
Act as a key point of contact for external engagement and partnership development.
Encourage digital innovation through partnerships and shared learning.
Operational & Financial Oversight
Contribute to budget planning and financial monitoring for capacity building and project work.
Lead on income generation for RCVS’s development work, including identifying funding opportunities, contributing to bids and contracts, and managing funded programmes.
Ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures, including safeguarding, data protection, and health & safety.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.