Are you a proactive and adaptable individual with outstanding communication and relationship-building skills? You’ll be friendly, approachable and comfortable working with a wide range of people, including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers, and colleagues from across the charity.
The Patient Experience Manager will play a key role in helping patients and their families use and enjoy the garden. You will represent Horatio’s Garden in Sheffield, ensuring our ethos and values are reflected in everything you do. Developing and nurturing relationships with numerous stakeholders is key to the success of this role.
Working alongside the Head Gardener, you will help ensure the garden runs smoothly as a thriving, welcoming space. You will also ensure patients and their families receive appropriate support throughout their time in the spinal unit.
You will manage a team of volunteers and will work closely with the Head Gardener who maintains the garden’s horticultural standards, the Garden Coordinator who supports the running of the garden, and the National Patient Experience Manager who ensures the high standard of our activities nationally. You will be managed by the Patient Experience Director.
You will develop and maintain relationships with clinical and non-clinical NHS staff, corporate sponsors, funders, and colleagues in the Fundraising and Communications teams, and the other garden teams nationally.
The gardens have been beautifully designed and maintained, and the role of the garden needs to reflect an appropriate environment for patients and their families at all stages of their stay. From the initial welcome, right throughout their time in the unit and after they have left. Your role will ensure all internal spaces within the garden also reflect a beautifully curated, nurtured and comfortable environment.
You will be responsible for developing and delivering activities, supported by the National Patient Experience Manager and in collaboration with the wider Spinal Injuries team in Sheffield. The activities need to be patient led, varied and suitable for all needs. They will mainly be held at the weekend or in the afternoons as these are critical times in the garden when most patients are available and often have friends and family to visit. The Patient Experience programme should include seasonal celebrations, social and art and craft activities. External facilitators also deliver workshops and live music performances.
Job Description
View the full job description here.
Job Title: Patient Experience Manager
Location: Horatio’s Garden Sheffield and East, Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre, The Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, S5 7AU
Salary: £38,000 FTE
Contract: Permanent, 30 hours a week, including at least one weekend day
Date: October 2026
Main Duties and Responsibilities
People with spinal injuries
· Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay.
· Organise and maintain a consistent seasonal, patient experience programme reflecting the current patient group, their needs and their wishes. Liaising with all appropriate stakeholders and managing the volunteers to support accordingly.
· Monthly reporting of activities and patient engagement, recording garden usage and gathering data for our annual impact report. This should all inform best practice in the garden.
· Ensure the garden is managed to allow the correct balance is in place to benefit both patients and external parties (major donors, trusts, corporate groups and other visitors) as well as being managed to ensure it’s a safe, inclusive place for all patients and visitors.
NHS staff
· Develop and maintain productive and collaborative relationships with NHS clinical teams and voluntary services.
Volunteers
· Recruit and train new volunteers to support this role.
· Manage the team of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden with patient experience at its core. Working closely with the Garden Coordinator to ensure all processes are adhered to.
Fundraising and Communications
· Work with fundraising managers, Head Gardener and volunteers to develop opportunities to generate income in the garden through friends, corporate friends and third-party fundraising.
· Support corporate sponsor events and fundraising opportunities.
· Represent the garden and charity at key events.
· Promote the local social media accounts and provide regular updates for content.
· Interviews with press/media as required.
Administrative
· Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are monitored, completed and maintained.
· Manage the local Patient Experience budget.
· Assist with ensuring the garden room is kept clean and tidy at all times.
· Collate data showing usage in the garden. This data should also inform you of the movement and flow of patients and visitors to improve your practice.
· Gathering impact data on an annual basis and on discharge.
Safeguarding
· Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately.
· This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Assist the Patient Experience Director with any other tasks as required. It should be noted that the list above is intended to give an overall view of the position and should be taken as guidance only.
Person Specification
Knowledge and skills
Essential:
- Experience of leading and managing teams
- Experience of working with volunteers
- Stakeholder engagement and networking
- Delivering social events
- Budget management experience
- Good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
Desirable:
- Experience of volunteer recruitment and training
- Voluntary sector experience
- Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting
- Experience of SharePoint
- Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events
- Interest and understanding of wellbeing benefits of gardens
- Digital photography
- Experience of therapeutic activities
Qualities
Essential:
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to successfully develop new working relationships
- Excellent communication skills
- Proactive, can-do attitude
- Empathetic and kind
- Calm under pressure
- Ability to prioritise and adapt to the changing needs of each working day
- Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when require
Other requirements: Flexible and able to work to suit patient requirements
Application
Please write a one page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to nathalie.griffiths@horatiosgarden.org.uk.
Apply by midday on the 8th November 2026
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society.
NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the recruitment process.
First round of interviews will take place online on Wednesday the 18th November.