Participation & Co-Production Co-ordinator (Pending Job Evaluation)

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience

Job overview

The Band 4 Participation and Co-production Co-ordinator plays a vital role in championing inclusive involvement across the Trust. Working within the Patient Experience Team, the post holder will support and coordinate meaningful opportunities for people with lived experience to shape the planning, delivery, and improvement of services.

This role ensures participation activities are accessible, well-organised, and aligned with Trust values and policies. Acting as a welcoming first point of contact, the post holder will register individuals interested in involvement, maintain accurate records, and support recruitment to the involvement register. They will work collaboratively with staff to embed co-production principles, offering guidance and resources that promote equality, diversity, and shared decision-making.

The post holder will also deliver training to participants, including Values Based Recruitment and co-production workshops, and may provide day-to-day supervision for an Administrator. By supporting effective communication and coordination, they will help create safe, inclusive spaces where all voices are valued.

Based at County Hall, Norwich, the role involves attending team anchor days and working from Trust premises when not supporting workshops, events, or community meetings.

Main duties of the job

This role supports the delivery of inclusive and accessible co-production, involvement, and engagement activities across the Trust. You will work closely with service users, carers, and community groups to build respectful, recovery-focused relationships and create positive channels for two-way communication. A key part of the role is organising the practical elements of events and sessions—whether large-scale programmes or smaller workshops—including venues, technology, materials, and access support.

You will maintain accurate records of involvement activities, manage the registration process for people with lived experience, and coordinate attendance at meetings and workshops. Ensuring compliance with Trust policies on safeguarding, data protection, inclusion, and reimbursement is essential. The role also involves preparing documentation for governance purposes, supporting internal reporting, and drafting communications to promote involvement opportunities.

Acting as an ambassador for participation, you will attend events, deliver training to participants, and help staff understand their responsibilities around co-production. You will contribute to developing tools and resources, maintain team platforms and materials, and support feedback processes such as the Friends and Family Test. Continuous learning and sharing insights to improve participation practices are integral to this role.

Working for our organisation

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please read the job description / person specification carefully and ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience needed.

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent qualification/experience

Desirable criteria

• Relevant qualification in health and social care.

Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working in an administrative, project support or coordination role
• Experience of working with members of the public or people with lived experience in a supportive or enabling role

Desirable criteria

• Experience working within a healthcare, mental health, voluntary sector or public service setting.

Skills
Essential criteria

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills with ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines
• Proactive, self-motivated and able to work independently when required, and within a team on individual or shared tasks.

Desirable criteria

• Understanding of NHS values and the role of patient experience in improving services
• Understanding of inclusive communication principles (e.g. plain English, accessible formats, tone of voice)

Knowledge
Essential criteria

• Knowledge of equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the context of involvement and engagement
• Understanding of the principles of patient and public involvement, co-production or user voice

Desirable criteria

• Familiarity with NHS or public sector governance, safeguarding, and data protection expectations

YOUR APPLICATION

We can provide all our job application materials in alternative formats so that these are accessible to everyone. Should you require any documents within this job pack in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us at

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your " junk" inbox.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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 certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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