Community ambassadors are part of an exciting new way of helping the Sussex Health and Care Partnership to understand what is important to local people and make sure local health and care services are what local people need.

There are three Community Ambassador roles:

  • Community Ambassadors (Engagement) work in the local community, trying to make contact with people to talk to them about health and care services in the area and to find out their views.
  • Community Ambassadors (Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion) also work in the local community, but they are particularly trying to reach out to communities that the health and care services have difficulty in hearing from – for example faith groups, homeless people, people with a disability, people from some cultural backgrounds.
  • Community Ambassadors (Strategic) do office-based work, giving advice and support to NHS programmes across Sussex, and helping to make decisions about health and care services.

Community ambassadors receive expenses and, in certain circumstances, recognition payments are offered.

We have just finished recruiting our first cohort of Community Ambassadors and recruitment is now on pause, but if you would like to find out more, please complete an application form below and we will be in touch.

For further information, please review the following items:

Contact us today and sign up to be involved in something great for your local community and for yourself:

WRITE TO: NHS Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group, Second Floor, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 4AH

WEBSITE: www.seshealthandcare.org.uk/get-involved/community-ambassadors

TELEPHONE: 0127 323 8700 or 0792 024 4988

EMAIL: isabel.costello1@nhs.net

Background information

Community ambassadors 1

As part of Sussex Health and Care Partnerships’ commitment to patient and public involvement, a project to introduce volunteer Community Ambassadors across Sussex was launched in September 2019. Funding was awarded to the Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups to lead the 12-month project.

The Community Ambassador Project will support the Sussex Health and Care Partnership to:

  • Increase the amount of feedback and intelligence we receive from our patients, carers and communities, which in turn ensures our services are responsive to need.
  • Embed the “lay” perspective in Sussex wide NHS programmes.
  • Increase our reach to communities we struggle to hear from.
  • Support our commissioners to ensure that the patient view is central to commissioning plans for specific pathways.

Community ambassadors will play a key role in helping the Sussex Health and Care Partnership understand what is important to local people and make sure NHS services are what people need.

The purpose of the role is to:

  • Understand the key health and social issues for the local area.
  • Hear from and talk with local people.
  • Work with clinicians and managers on specific projects and tasks.
  • Review documents to make sure they make sense.
  • Involve local people so they are heard.

Community Ambassador Task and Finish Group

A Task and Finish group oversees the design and development of the Community Ambassador Project, compromising of four Public Members, Healthwatch, a voluntary sector organisation, an Engagement Champion from Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG, a member of staff from Brighton and City Council, a member of staff from East Sussex County Council, a member of staff from West Sussex County Council and representatives from the Sussex CCGs’ Public Involvement Team.

The papers for the Task and Finish Group are available below:

For further information about the project, please contact Isabel Costello (Sussex CCGs’ Senior Public Involvement Officer, isabel.costello1@nhs.net, 07920244988).

Getting involved