Community Partnerships & Inclusion Lead

At Cora Health, we believe the best services are designed alongside the people who use them. We're looking for a passionate and proactive Community Partnerships & Inclusion Lead to help build stronger relationships with local communities, amplify patient voice, and ensure inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. This is a unique opportunity to work across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, bringing together residents, community organisations, healthcare partners and colleagues to improve services, tackle health inequalities and create meaningful change.

Community Partnerships & Inclusion Lead Full or Part Time Salary £40,000 to £50,000 depending on experience Location: Central Bedfordshire, Bedford, Luton, Milton Keynes

Help shape services with communities, not just for them.

At Cora Health, we believe the best services are designed alongside the people who use them. We're looking for a passionate and proactive Community Partnerships & Inclusion Lead to help build stronger relationships with local communities, amplify patient voice, and ensure inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

This is a unique opportunity to work across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, bringing together residents, community organisations, healthcare partners and colleagues to improve services, tackle health inequalities and create meaningful change.

As our Community Partnerships & Inclusion Lead, you'll be responsible for developing trusted relationships with communities, voluntary organisations, faith groups and system partners, ensuring local insight and lived experience inform service design and improvement.

You'll lead engagement and co-production activities, support neighbourhood-based working, and help us better understand the needs of local populations through engagement, insight gathering and population health approaches.

This role combines strategic thinking with hands-on community engagement. One day you may be presenting at a partnership forum, and the next you could be attending a local community event, gathering feedback from residents, or helping shape a service improvement initiative.

What you'll be doing

Building strong relationships with community, voluntary, faith and advocacy organisations.

Working alongside NHS partners, local authorities and neighbourhood teams to support joined-up engagement approaches.

Leading meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI) and co-production activities.

Reaching underserved and seldom-heard communities through targeted outreach.

Gathering and analysing community insight to identify barriers, opportunities and priorities.

Helping reduce health inequalities by ensuring services reflect the needs of local populations.

Supporting community campaigns and initiatives, including programmes such as Flippin' Pain.

Developing engagement plans and providing regular reports on activity, outcomes and impact.

Contributing to population health assessment work by bringing together community insight and data to inform decision-making.

What we're looking for

You'll be an excellent relationship builder, adept at making connections and earning the trust of people from all backgrounds and communities, and passionate about inclusion, engagement and improving health inequalities.

Experience of building partnerships across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, or a similar complex health, care or community system, would be advantageous

Essential experience and skills

Experience working with community groups, VCSE organisations, faith organisations or public sector partners.

Experience delivering engagement, outreach or involvement activities that have led to positive change.

Experience using feedback and insight to inform service improvement.

Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills, with experience influencing across multiple organisations or sectors

Excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt your approach for different audiences.

Ability to organise and deliver projects independently while managing multiple priorities.

Experience producing clear reports, updates and briefings.

Understanding of community engagement, co-production and health inequalities.

Desirable

Experience working within the NHS, healthcare or integrated care systems.

Experience engaging with underserved or seldom-heard communities.

Knowledge of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes health and care system and its VCSE landscape.

Experience interpreting community insight, population health information or engagement data.

Why join Cora Health?

At Cora Health, you'll be part of an organisation committed to improving lives through partnership, innovation and compassionate care. You'll have the opportunity to influence how services are developed, strengthen connections with local communities, and make a genuine difference to people's health and wellbeing.

Regular travel across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes is required.

Some evening and weekend engagement activity may be required with notice.

This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

Ready to make a difference?

If you're passionate about community engagement, inclusion, co-production and reducing health inequalities, we'd love to hear from you.

Join us and help ensure local people have a real voice in shaping the services they use.

Up to 30 days' holiday (plus public holidays) and an extra day for your Birthday

Save pennies through accessing excellent discounts via our 'Boost' Benefits, access to health service discounts and a Blue Light Card

Access our employee assistance program, including virtual GP appointments, Mental Health First Aid and Wellbeing Support

Sustainable Electric Car Scheme and Cycle to Work

Cora is a leading provider of community healthcare services in the UK. We deliver MSK (musculoskeletal) services, diagnostic imaging, day-case surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, podiatry, persistent pain management, mental health, orthopaedic and rheumatology services. We want everyone to have the opportunity to thrive. We help people help themselves, to get back to their best or to simply find a new way forward.

Qualifications

Experience