This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and highly regarded Emergency Planning team within Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT). You will play a key role in strengthening the Trust’s emergency preparedness, resilience, and response capabilities, working collaboratively across services and with external partners.
The post holder will bring an understanding of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity and will support the Emergency Planning Lead in delivering the Trust’s Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) agenda. This includes ensuring SCFT meets its statutory and regulatory responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, NHS England EPRR Framework (2015), ISO 22301 Business Continuity Standard, the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and other national requirements.
Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.
Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK
Health and Care Worker visa: If you’ll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK
Support the maintenance of the Trust risk register by analysing and interpreting data to identify threats and vulnerabilities to critical services.
Maintain and develop emergency plans that help reduce, control, and mitigate the impact of incidents affecting the Trust.
Assist in delivering the Trust’s Business Continuity Management System, with a focus on supporting teams to review and improve their Business Impact Analyses (BIA) and Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and contributing to Trust-wide reviews.
Support the delivery of engaging training sessions aligned to the Trust’s Training Needs Analysis, working with a wide range of staff including on-call teams, executives, and incident response staff.
Contribute to the design and delivery of table-top, live-play, and communications exercises across the Trust and with partner organisations, helping to test and strengthen plans and procedures. You will also have opportunities to take part in multi-agency exercises across the NHS Sussex system and Sussex Resilience Forum (SRF).
Prepare clear and informative reports for internal and external stakeholders, including updates on emergency planning workstreams and compliance reporting for training, exercising, and business continuity.
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?
- Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
- Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
- Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
- Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
- Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
- Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
- Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
- Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
Our values — Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence —guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
1. Job overview
a) The post holder will have an understanding of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity and be able to support the Emergency Planning Lead in the delivery of the Trust’s Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response (EPRR) agenda, ensuring that Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) fulfils its legal obligations and responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, NHS England EPRR Framework 2015, Business Continuity Standard ISO 22301, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and other government planning requirements.
b) The post holder has responsibility Trust wide to ensure the development and delivery of the organisation’s emergency planning and resilience function and improve standards of emergency preparedness across the organisation.
c) The post holder will contribute to the management, coordination, development and delivery of service business continuity plans and incident response plans via the Trust Resilience Group and will be heavily involved in the delivery of the EPRR training and exercise programme for the Trust.
d) The post holder in partnership with the Emergency Planning Lead will represent the Trust within multi agency emergency planning committees.
2. Communication and working relationships
a) Work in liaison with relevant external partners including, but not restricted to, NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB), the Local Health Resilience Partnership and Sussex Resilience Forum (SRF) category 1 and 2 responders.
b) Actively promote and represent the Trust at relevant EPRR forums.
c) To liaise with NHS Sussex ICB and other local NHS emergency planners, to deliver a uniform and supportive response to incidents.
d) To communicate ‘alerts’ from various agencies to ensure staff and services are aware of impending issues e.g. adverse weather, local events and incidents, industrial action and security matters.
3. Main tasks
a) Support in maintaining the Trust risk register by analysing and interpreting data to understand the threats to and vulnerabilities of its critical services.
b) Maintain emergency plans to support reducing, controlling and mitigate the effects of incidents that may impact upon the trust.
c) Assist in the delivery of the Trusts Business Continuity Management System, with a particular focus on supporting teams to review their Business Impact Analysis’ (BIA) and Business Continuity Plans (BCP). Support the Emergency Planning Lead to review the Trust-wide BIA and BCP.
d) Assist in the delivery of training sessions in line with the Trusts Training Needs Analysis to variety of SCFT staff, including the On Call team, Trust Executives and incident support staff, in relation to Emergency and Business Continuity Planning.
e) Support the Emergency Planning Team in developing and delivering Table-top, Live-play and Communications Exercises to staff across the Trust, and multi- agency partners, to ensure the effectiveness of Trust plans and procedures. Attend multi-agency Exercises across the NHS Sussex system and SRF.
f) Prepare reports for internal and external use to provide updates on Emergency Planning work-streams. This includes compliance reports for Training and Exercising and Business Continuity.
g) Support the Emergency Planning Administrator to keep and maintain accurate and up to date records of Training, Emergency and Business Continuity Plans, incidents, and actions.
h) Respond to Trust related incidents offering specialist advice to support the response, complete timely situation reports and attend any external response meetings where necessary.
i) Support the planning arrangements for any known situations that may impact on the Trusts ability to continue normal services such as Industrial Action.
j) Formulate and adapt Emergency and Business Continuity plans following an incident or exercise and establish action plans where lessons have been identified.
k) The ability to manage concurrent projects with conflicting priorities.
l) To be the first point of contact for emergency planning and resilience queries in the absence of the Emergency Planning Lead
m) Assist with the dissemination of communications in relation to emergency planning and business continuity, including maintaining and updating the EPRR intranet page.
n) To carry out any other duties as agreed with the Emergency Planning Lead.
4. Main responsibilities
a) Provide efficient, comprehensive and professional support to the Emergency Planning Lead.
b) Undertake EPRR risk assessments in conjunction with the National and Community Risk Register and assessing the risks facing the Trust with regards to EPRR, developing and maintaining controls assurance for these risks and ensuring they are documented on the Trust Risk Register; and reporting regularly to the Resilience Group.
c) Provide specialist knowledge on matters relating to the emergency planning and business continuity within the Trust.
d) Support the Emergency Planning Lead in the development of new and revised plans related to EPRR
e) Support the development of Business Continuity Plans to minimise and where necessary address risks and hazards identified across the Trust and within the surrounding geographical area.
f) To support the Emergency Planning Lead in the development and preparation of training materials to contribute to organisational resilience by delivery of an ongoing training and exercise programme, ensuring that robust processes are in place which meet the needs of staff, and raising EPRR profile and awareness.
g) Reviewing the response to major incidents and disruptions to Trust services, assessing the adequacy of plans and making recommendations for improvement to the Emergency Planning Lead. Ensure all interested parties are updated, warned and informed in relation to resilience plans for the Trust
h) Participate appropriately as a member of the Resilience Group.
i) Ensure national guidance which will influence emergency and business continuity planning is incorporated into the emergency planning process.
j) Engaging with internal and, where appropriate, external stakeholders including, but not restricted to, NHS England, ICBs, UK Health Security Agency, other Health Providers, Emergency Services, Local Authorities; promoting partnerships and co-operative working.
k) Engaging with external suppliers, local, regional and national, through appropriate management structures to advise and assist with ensuring business continuity plans are in place.
l) In partnership with the Emergency Planning Lead represent the Trust at health and multi-agency meetings concerning emergency preparedness including exercise planning at local, regional and national levels.
m) Act as a first point of contact when the Emergency Planning Lead is unavailable.
