Article

Information & Support Co-ordinator

NRAS is the only national UK charity exclusively representing all those affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in the UK.

Job title:	Information & Support Co-ordinator
Rate of Pay:	£26,000 p/a. After 12 months contract and salary will be reviewed.
Hours:	Full-time (35 hours/week)
Location:	Remote working with attendance as required at head office. Ground Floor, 4 Switchback Office Park, Gardner Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7RJ
Reporting to:	Information & Support Services Manager

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), is the only patient-led organisation in the UK specialising in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Due to its targeted focus on RA and JIA, NRAS provides truly expert and wide-ranging services to support, educate and campaign for people living with these complex autoimmune conditions, their families and the health professionals who treat them.

The Co-ordinator will be part of a team responsible for delivery of support services and signposting to callers to the Helpline, email enquiries, online community enquiries, booked referral calls for patients, and ad hoc information events. They will also be involved in the production and updating of information resources and website.

Main purpose of job

Handling and responding to incoming helpline calls and emails daily. Provide high-quality, up to date information in an empathetic manner tailored to the individual.
Offer signposting to NRAS services and other external providers.
Capture all data accurately following GDPR guidelines using CRM systems.
Arranging and making calls to people referred by external Health Care Professionals (HCPs) to our Right Start service, our flagship telephone based service.
Monitoring and responding to, as appropriate, online community posts and enquiries i.e. via HealthUnlocked and other social media.
Collaborating with NRAS colleagues to support the review and updating of information resources.
Keeping up to date in understanding the current situation across the UK for the management and treatment of RA and JIA and helping to keep the entire NRAS team updated on these developments.
Continuing to support the development of both the JIA and NRAS websites, maintaining content, which is interactive, interesting and up to date.
Have an understanding of benefits available to people with RA and JIA and how to apply for them.
Support the team manager and departmental director with tasks as the need arises.

Person Specification

Criteria	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications	• GCSEs or equivalent.
Experience	• Call handling experience communicating via various communication channels i.e. telephone, email, social media. • Experience of using customer relationship management (CRM) databases. (Salesforce) • Previous work within the third sector/charity, not for profit or public sector, or private healthcare	• Work in health or social care or youth/children services related environment. • Experience of working well under pressure and managing an emotionally demanding workload • Experience in the use of video conferencing platforms such as zoom.
Knowledge and Skills	• Basic knowledge of data protection and safeguarding procedures • Understanding of the health environment • Awareness of inflammatory arthritis • MS Office packages knowledge and capability • Excellent people skills and the ability to collaborate with volunteers, staff, service users and professional at all levels. • Impeccable spoken and written English skills.	• Understanding of RA and JIA • Knowledge of the workings of the NHS • Ability to present to groups of people. • Contributing to monthly management reporting for SMT. • Basic GDPR
Personal Circumstances & Attributes	• A caring, empathetic disposition • Reliable and pro-active • Able to work independently and as part of a team. • An eye for detail and takes pride in their work.	• Ability to work outside of normal work hours, should the service require this.

This role is primarily worked during normal business hours (Monday to Friday) however, there may be a requirement in the future to work outside of these hours as the service needs grow. Advance notice will always be provided.

At NRAS, we are committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone feels valued and able to contribute. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those whose experiences and perspectives are currently underrepresented within our workforce.

We recruit based on skills, potential and values, and are committed to ensuring that all applicants are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

We welcome applications regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to apply

Please contact Sam Grant-Riach on samg@nras.org.uk with your CV and include a cover letter which outlines skills and experience relevant to this role. In the subject line please include “Information & Support Coordinator”.

NRAS is committed to protecting your personal data. Please see our Privacy Policy on our website NRAS for more information on the data we process and your rights.
www.nras.org.uk

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a dynamic and supportive team, we would love to hear from you.

Benefits

Full time working hours – 35 hours per week
Remote working role (with visits to head office)
Employee Assistance Program
Death in Service Benefit
6.4 weeks annual leave including statutory bank holidays for full-time staff
Access to Mental Health First Aiders

Closing date: 20^th November

NRAS in 2024

0 Helpline enquiries
0 Publications sent out
0 People reached