Financial wellbeing adviser (Patient Support)

Royal Free Charity

NW3 2PP (On-site)

£35,000 per year ( pro rata £14,000 for part time)

Part-time

Permanent

Charity Support ∙ Social Welfare

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Job description

Financial wellbeing adviser

The Royal Free Charity is looking for an ambitious, motivated and talented financial wellbeing adviser to join their patient support team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to use your skills to make a real, visible difference to patients, staff and medical research across North London.

Role details

Salary: £35,000 per annum, pro rata £14,000 per annum for part time
Hours of work: 15 hours a week (2 days), not including breaks
Base: on site, mainly based at the Royal Free Charity office (Pears Office)

The role

The financial wellbeing adviser will report to the financial wellbeing manager.

The financial wellbeing adviser supports delivery of the charity’s welfare rights and benefits service, ensuring patients receive timely, accurate and compassionate support to maximise income and access their statutory entitlements. Working closely with NHS multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs), the role ensures vulnerable patients are supported in navigating complex entitlement systems during periods of ill health or crisis or during transitions back into the community.

The current focus of the financial wellbeing service is reducing financial barriers to safe and timely hospital discharge. The service may expand into other welfare rights projects in the future

The team

Patient support brings together volunteering, complementary therapy, and wider charity patient-facing support into one integrated, site-based team at each of the four main hospital sites. Each hospital has a dedicated “charity space” with a core team that works together to provide a consistent, responsive, and easy‑to‑navigate offer for patients and families. Patient support site managers work closely with NHS site teams to ensure support reflects the clinical needs and demographics of each hospital. Volunteering and therapy roles are embedded locally rather than operating as separate teams, enabling continuity, flexibility, and equitable provision. A small central financial wellbeing team provides targeted, discharge‑focused advice for financially vulnerable patients. Patient support delivered via the charity is designed to be clear, collaborative and patient‑centred, with charity staff working as one team to deliver high‑quality support tailored to each site.

Key objectives and responsibilities of the post are:

Patient advice and support

· Provide accurate, clear, and empathetic advice and guidance on:

o benefits – including entitlement checks, applications, and challenges

o housing issues – including homelessness, housing options, and disrepair

o employment rights – including sick pay and reasonable adjustments

o other related welfare rights matters.

· Explore patients’ circumstances, identify their needs, and assess their ability to understand and act on advice and guidance.

· Identify and prioritise urgent referrals where the patient’s only remaining barrier to discharge is financial hardship.

· Ensure patients understand their rights, responsibilities and the impact of hospital admissions on existing benefits.

Collaboration with clinical and discharge teams and external organisations

· Work closely with NHS staff (particularly the discharge and ward teams) to support patients experiencing financial hardship and other welfare rights issues.

· Liaise with social workers, safeguarding teams, and external organisations to ensure patients receive holistic support.

· Signpost or refer to patients to other services that may be beneficial, such as condition-specific charities, social services, regulated debt and immigration advice, PALS, mental health support, and offerings in the local community that would improve their health and wellbeing.

Record keeping and data protection

· Create and maintain clear and accurate case records on the case management system.

· Ensure all outcomes and referrals are logged accurately on the case management system.

· Ensure compliance with GDPR and charity data protection processes.

Safeguarding

· Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns in a timely manner, according to charity and NHS safeguarding procedures.

Organisation

The Royal Free Charity stands at the threshold of its most important period of development.

Our vision is for everyone served by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL) to have access to world-leading healthcare, delivered by a thriving workforce and driven by medical research with global impact.

We support over 17,000 NHS staff and two million patients across Barnet, Chase Farm, North Mid and Royal Free hospitals, as well as more than 30 NHS services.

Through the programmes, services and equipment we fund, we make a direct and lasting difference to patient care.

The recruitment process

To apply for this post, send your:

· CV (please include your last employer and dates of employment)

· Cover letter addressing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description and person specification,

Please note, that applications submitted without a cover letter may not be considered for this role.

Closing date for application: 2 November 2026, 9 am

Interview date: 10 November 2026 (in person)

Please kindly note that we may close the job advert before the closing date if we receive a large volume of applications.

Eligibility & adjustments

You must be eligible to work in the UK
We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

As an equal opportunities employer, the Royal Free Charity is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates and encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply.

We live our values of dedication, innovation, partnership, energy and respect in everything we do.

Benefits:

Core benefits

25 days annual leave plus UK bank holidays and a three-day office closure between Christmas and New Year
Annual leave increases to 30 days after five years’ service
Generous pension scheme – we match your 4% contribution and up to 9%
Enhanced sick pay, maternity and paternity packages
A flexible working policy

Financial wellbeing