Do you have expertise from your own experience of mental health and of using this expertise to offer peer support in a formal role to others?
We are recruiting a new peer support specialist role to work at the Department of Psychiatry in Eastbourne. These roles involve working with patients during their inpatient stay and as they plan to leave the ward and across the transition to other care.
Please note: these roles are at Band 4 as they require previous experience of working as a peer support worker in a clinical team or similar setting.
We are building a new hospital in Bexhill to replace our inpatient services at the Department of Psychiatry. This means that, if you are successful in your application, you will be asked to transfer to the new facilities when they open in 2025.
Main duties of the job
Peer Support Specialists will work alongside patients at all stages of their inpatient stay. We have developed a model to support the transition after discharge to ensure continuity and build confidence.
You will be delivering peer-led groups and activities, while offering more structured peer support with patients on admission, during their stay, and where possible, for a set time after discharge, linking them with peer support in other services, VCSE, and statutory.
As part of the clinical team, peer support specialists can facilitate collaborative care planning and care reviews, enabling these processes to be more accessible and inclusive. Peer support on the wards will enable patients to be heard and more involved in the service provision and improvement.
About us
There is a strong professional network for peer support staff across the Trust with a bespoke peer training package, peer supervision, and mentorship offered alongside regular clinical supervision and line management within teams. Our peer support staff also have networks for peer-to-peer learning and support.
In return for your skills and enthusiasm, we can offer you interesting and rewarding work that makes a difference, as well as providing excellent learning opportunities.
Job responsibilities
Peer Support workers engage with mental health service users to show empathy, share experience, inspire hope, and promote recovery with the aim of assisting individuals to gain and maintain independence in the community.
Peer support is delivered through promoting empowerment and choice and giving the opportunity for the exploration of meaning and purpose.
Peer support is part of our multi-disciplinary offer and supervision is regularly provided to support the work.
In this role as a Peer Support Specialist, you will be working at a more independent level, and may have the opportunity to guide and mentor less experienced peer support workers. As we grow a community of practice in inpatient services, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the learning and direction of our development programme of peer support.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS
* Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
* A recognised Peer Support qualification
* Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE
* Significant experience of providing peer support to people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity in health/social care settings
* Experience of working with groups and running activities
* Experience of supervising or mentoring others
* Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties
* Managing personal mental health and recovery
* Comprehensive knowledge of Peer Support, Recovery, and Wellbeing in mental health and ability to apply this throughout your work
* Experience of seeking support in role and using peer leadership to guide practice
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.
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