Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
We have an exciting opportunity for a part-time Band 3 Peer Support Worker (Expert by experience) - 0.6 wte (22.5 hours per week), 18-month fixed term/secondment within the Herefordshire Early Intervention Services.
The services address the needs of people aged 14-65 who have recently experienced a first episode of psychosis, or aged 14-35, who may be at risk of developing psychosis.
The role requires you to have had a personal experience of psychosis and be at least one year post-discharge from an Early Intervention In Psychosis Service. The post holder must be able to provide formalized peer support and practical assistance to patients within the service to understand their experience and promote an individual and unique recovery process. Within a relationship of support and peer information sharing, the post holder will promote choice, self-determination, and opportunities for the fulfillment of personally valued roles and connections to local communities.
For further information or an informal discussion, please contact: Sarah Lewis 01432 220100
Interviews are due to take place on 16 January 2025.
If you wish to be considered for a secondment, please gain permission from your Substantive Manager before applying.
Main duties of the job
1. Establishing supportive and respectful relationships with service users.
2. Providing peer support whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
3. Sharing ideas about ways of achieving recovery goals, drawing on personal experiences and a range of coping, self-help, and self-management techniques.
4. Sign-posting to various resources, opportunities, and activities within the Trust and in local communities (Voluntary sector).
5. Supporting service users to attend appointments/meetings/activities of their choice and offering support in practical tasks.
6. Providing and promoting health education; supporting and encouraging the patient to meet their own health and wellbeing needs.
7. Providing support to the carers of patients/service users on their caseload.
8. Assisting in groups to promote social inclusion, health and wellbeing, and independence/recovery.
9. Completing documentation accurately and contributing to reports of patients' activity and progress in a timely manner.
10. Participating in discussions about patient care including MDTs and supervision.
11. Maintaining and developing skills through training and supervision.
12. Liaising effectively and working collaboratively with colleagues, other health professionals, teams, and voluntary agencies.
13. Completing (if not already completed) the Trust's Peer Support Worker training programme.
About us
At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.
We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. It's why we were named Large Apprenticeship Employer of the Year at the 2022 Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.
What we offer
* 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service.
* Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours.
* Flexible and agile working opportunities.
* Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support.
* Wide range of staff networks such as LGBT+ and ENRICH (Equality Network for Race Inclusion and Cultural Heritage).
* Health service discounts and online benefits including excellent cycle to work and car salary sacrifice schemes.
* Health and wellbeing opportunities.
Job responsibilities
The PSW will act as a recovery champion and an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organizations. There is also an expectation that PSWs will be involved in the ongoing development of peer roles in the Trust including the Peer Support Training Programme and evaluation.
For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.
Person Specification
Additional Criteria
* Emotional maturity / range of life experience.
* Flexibility and reliability.
* Energy / drive, enthusiasm, and tenacity.
* Patient, non-judgmental, respectful, and compassionate.
* Must be able to travel to a range of locations.
* Ability to support service users to attend appropriate appointments, etc.
Knowledge
* Understanding and practical knowledge of recovery.
* Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users.
* Knowledge and commitment to service users' rights.
* Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination.
* Appreciation of the community resources within the geographical location of the post and key partners.
* Understanding of the service delivery goals of the care pathway.
Qualifications
* Good level of secondary education to GCSE level i.e., A-C in Maths and English or equivalent, or able to demonstrate equivalent levels of literacy and numeracy skills.
* Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of peer support.
* Completion of the Accredited Peer Support Worker Training (equivalent to 1 module at Level 4 training i.e., 20 credits).
* The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust.
* I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.
Skills & Abilities
* Good written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills e.g., ability to communicate their personal experience of Recovery.
* Basic IT skills in Outlook and Word and a willingness to learn the Trust's IT systems.
* Able to relate to a wide range of people.
* Ability to problem solve, think creatively and work in an enabling way.
* Understands, and able to maintain, professional boundaries.
* Able to manage conflict and to help others to do so.
* Ability to maintain a healthy home/work life balance.
* High level of self-awareness ability to critically appraise own performance - and be open to constructive feedback.
* Ability to assist people to develop recovery plans.
* Willingness to support people with a range of needs to meet their recovery goals.
* Ability to manage stress and to plan and prioritise workload.
* Ability to carry out practical tasks.
* Ability and willingness to work flexibly through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate including unsocial hours.
* Computer literate in software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook, etc.
Experience
* Lived experience of secondary mental health services and able to reflect on their personal experience of Recovery that has followed this.
* Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others.
* Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role.
* Experience of the health and social care service either paid or as a volunteer.
* Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others.
* Experience of working across different organisational boundaries.
* Experience of working in a team or a group environment.
* Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
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