Arts for Health Project Assistant Shrewsbury, England
Job description
Arts for Health (within Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust), works collaboratively with a range of Trust clinical and administrative staff to identify and develop creative projects and events that are designed to enhance the service user’s experience of the services the Trust provides. Projects range from on-ward and off-ward regular interventions, designed to promote specific initiatives to long-term, multi-art form projects developed with service users and staff, which aim to improve environments or support the therapeutic process.
The Arts for Health Project Assistant will have a supporting role overseeing a number of creative arts projects led by creative practitioners, to ensure high-quality outcomes are achieved. This will involve working within the programme under the supervision of the Arts for Health Lead.
The key role of the Arts for Health Project Assistant is to ensure that creative arts projects are carried out smoothly within the ward/community settings and to support clinical staff to encourage inpatients/service users’ participation. The post holder will be supervising the delivery by the relevant creative practitioner (artist, musician, dancer, poet/writer etc) within a ward setting, off-ward or in the community.
The post holder will be working within Arts for Health policies and procedures and will need to be competent to work independently at most times.
The post holder will be expected to work from a base location at The Redwoods Centre, Shrewsbury, and to work across all 5 acute wards, with occasional work on the two forensic wards. There may also be the need to work in one or two settings in the community of Shrewsbury.
The post holder will not manage a budget, other Trust staff or a team; however they will be following instructions from the Arts for Health Lead; liaising with the Arts for Health team administrator on certain issues and will be regularly facilitating and overseeing a number of external artists and musicians plus other creative practitioners during Arts for Health creative ward activities; to ensure activities run smoothly and effectively in the settings.
The role will link with our internal clinical Allied Health Professional staff onsite when supporting any Arts for Health activity on the wards or other internal hospital setting.
The nature of the post and the area to be covered will mean that the post holder will be required to travel across the geographical area and meet the travel needs. From time to time it might be necessary to join in team meetings across the mental health facilities of the Trust, including St George’s in Stafford.
MPFT provides physical and mental health care, learning disability, and adult social care services across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. In addition, we provide services on a wider regional and national basis. We serve a population of 1.5 million and employ around 8,500 members of staff.
By joining MPFT you will become part of a diverse and inclusive team who are empowered and supported to deliver care in a way which is consistent with our values:
- putting people at the heart of what we do
- empowering people to improve care and wellbeing
- delivering better health, better care in partnership
We will support your career development and progression. Membership of the excellent NHS pension scheme, generous maternity, paternity, adoption leave, pay and the option for flexible working. You will receive up to 27 days annual leave (increasing to 33 days) and the opportunity to purchase additional annual leave.
We are also proud to have a choice of staff networks that help you meet like-minded people.
Main duties and responsibilities
Overseeing and supporting the delivery of arts activity projects and events in line with staff/service user requirements and the objectives identified in the Arts for Health annual policy document and under the supervision of the Arts for Health Lead. The aim of all Arts for Health delivery is to provide meaningful creative engagement with inpatients either on a ward setting or in another part of the hospital, with support from clinical/AHP staff.
Forging positive relationships with our creative practitioners, clinical/Trust staff, inpatients and volunteers; ensuring smooth running of the creative projects on ward settings; gathering feedback from participants (inpatients, service users, carers), documenting and reporting back to Arts for Health Lead so that any changes or developments can be identified and planned; using photographs, feedback and any relevant information to create Facebook/social media posts to support the profile of Arts for Health more widely.
The role will involve recording participation figures and feedback; some marketing/promotion and evaluation reports on Trust Arts for Health systems, which may need periods of concentration and this may be interrupted due to day to day needs of the job.
Use Trust photographic equipment to document the projects taking place on the wards/settings making sure that all Trust policies as regards confidentiality/consent are taken into consideration.
Communications and Relationships
Maintaining regular contact with the Arts for Health Programme Lead and reporting back on local project activities in weekly team meetings (via Teams or in person), to the Manager and the Digital Communications Worker – preparing any reports in the form of articles to be sent to Team Administrator/Digital Communications Worker to add to website or for internal and external press as required.
Engaging with inpatients, service users in the community, carers, and colleagues, members of the public, volunteers and sometimes students on work experience/placement whilst supporting the arts activity projects.
Familiarity with Windows 10 and using Microsoft Office is required for all communication and reporting. Use of Canva software for posters and publicity/social media purposes.
Representing Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust locally within the Arts and Health field when overseeing our community wellbeing art group.
