Patient Experience Officer

Patient Experience Officer

The closing date is 26 February 2026.

We're recruiting a Patient Experience Officer to join our Engagement and Experience Team at Sheffield Health Partnership University (SHPU) NHS Foundation Trust. This is a pivotal role at the heart of our services, strengthening communication between clinical teams, patients, families and carers. You'll create safe, open and honest spaces for people to share their experiences, ensuring they feel heard, respected, valued and supported.

The role plays a key part in resolving low-level concerns at an early stage, turning feedback into meaningful learning and improvement for services and the Trust as a whole. You'll work closely with clinical and corporate colleagues to influence positive change and improve care delivery.

With a strong focus on inclusion, this role actively engages with people and communities who experience inequality, discrimination or barriers to accessing mental health services. If you're passionate about listening, advocating for others and using lived experience to shape better care, SHPU offers the opportunity to make a genuine and lasting impact.

Job responsibilities

• Maintain a proactive on site presence across inpatient and community services, delivering the role face to face and being present for the equivalent of four working days per week.
• Complete and maintain Respect Level 1 training as a minimum, provided by the Trust.
• Ensure teams embed and respond to feedback through care opinion, escalating to the head of experience where appropriate.
• Engage and liaison with advocacy services and the service user/community networks.
• Regularly touch base with in patient wards and community services to understand themes arising through advocacy and align with the feedback improvement plan and communication strategies.
• Provide non clinical advice to patients, relatives and carers; refer enquiries on where necessary.
• Communicate personal and sometimes contentious information with tact and empathy while maintaining a diplomatic approach.
• Provide advice and signposting when wider input is required, acting as a liaison to enable resolution of non clinical issues.
• When issues relate directly to clinical care, ensure clinical teams are updated and engaged in honest dialogue to attempt resolution.
• Support experts by experience activity and encourage wider opportunities for this role.

Service development responsibilities

• Maintain and develop the service user and carer networks.
• Act as a connector between networks and individuals with lived experience and staff within clinical areas to advance co production and lived experience agenda.
• Provide advice and support to clinical teams on engaging in a co productive way.
• Gather evidence and report back on changes to services resulting from learning from service user and carer experience.
• Support the evaluation and analysis of feedback from care opinion and mutual help groups to ensure actions are taken forward and inform quality improvement.

About us

We are passionate about providing the very best care to the people we support, and we're looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us. It's important that you feel supported in your role, that the people who you work with are as passionate as you are and that your health and wellbeing is taken care of. If you're interested in developing your career, you'll have access to a range of training and education opportunities, including apprenticeships, work experience and placements, as well as the chance to get involved in research. We are all very proud of the difference we make to people's lives each and every day and if that's something that you'd like to be part of we'd love to have you with us.

Person Specification Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent understanding of theory and practice of engagement and co production and the benefits of lived experience within the mental health workforce. Evidence of strong interpersonal skills and the ability to form relationships with service users, staff, friends, and families/carers. Knowledge of the philosophy and principles of co production and service user and carer led recovery initiatives. Awareness of the impact of stigma and discrimination and knowledge of trauma informed care. Excellent communication, interpersonal, verbal and written skills. Effective listening skills. Effective team player. Excellent organisational skills. Understanding of issues affecting people from different backgrounds and cultures. Good IT skills, including some knowledge of and skills in the use of Microsoft Office software programmes, e.g., Word, Outlook, PowerPoint. Experience of working in a mental health setting.
• Knowledge of the local area and local services including public services, community lead services and third sector/charitable services. Good relationships with community centres and community groups. Lived experience of a mental health illness or supporting someone who has accessed mental health services.

Other

• Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust.
• Ability to work unsupervised in a range of settings.
• Commitment to recovery philosophy and values.
• Willing to travel within a geographical area in a timely and effective manner.
• Genuine passion for working with people who experience mental health conditions specific to the service.
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team.
• Demonstrate a commitment to personal development.
• Demonstrate an enthusiasm for the post.
• Ability to work independently and be self motivated.
• Resilient and able to seek support when needed.

Training and Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level in Maths and English Language, or equivalent.
• Experience in working on and with co production.
• Knowledge and commitment to service users' rights, involvement and service user led initiatives.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others.
• A willingness to undertake any further training as required.
• Knowledge of current legislation which underpins Health and Social Care and a working knowledge of the Equalities Act 2010 and Human Rights Act.
• Knowledge and commitment to service users' rights, involvement and service user led initiatives.
• Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting the lived experience professions and Recovery Colleges at a regional, national and international level.
• Aware of the service user/survivor movement and the history of Intentional Peer Support.
• Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity.
• Experience of working in mental health services (statutory or voluntary sector).
• Experience of facilitating groups.
• Experience of delivering workshops.
• Experience of being with people who use mental health services and some experience of supporting them with their recovery.

Training and Qualifications (additional)

• Direct experience of using mental health or voluntary services and ability to use this experience positively.
• Experience of working in a community facing role.
• Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others.

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.

Employer name

Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust