Job overview
Do you have prior lived experience of ill-mental health?
We are recruiting for a Peer Support Worker within the Oxford Health Buckinghamshire Adult Mental Health Service.
Peer Support Workers are people who have their own lived experience of mental health challenges. They use empathy informed by their own experiences to support service users/families who are accessing mental health services.
The service you will be working in - the Chiltern Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment team - is a key part of the Urgent Care Pathway meeting the demands of the Ten-Year Plan to provide Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Services to the county of Buckinghamshire.
Clinicians employed into the team are part of an exciting and developing service aimed at supporting our most vulnerable patients and their families in the least restrictive setting possible, by providing a variety of highly intensive interventions at home.
Service Users access our service in a variety of ways, ranging from referrals from their GP to attendance at an emergency department. The aim of the Urgent Care Pathway is to bring together all those access points under one team and ensure a smooth journey through the pathway.
Main duties of the job
The Chiltern Crisis and Home Resolution team require a Peer Support Worker who can work both independently and as part of our team, bringing their own lived expertise of crisis to a fast-paced environment.
Peer Support Workers will support service users to understand their rights and what to expect from the team, interpret NHS language and jargon, and motivate people to access further support as they approach recovery.
The successful applicant could participate in a duty rota of early, late or long day shifts covering 7 days a week, or we can discuss alternative working hours between 9am-5pm Mon to Fri. Please let us know at your interview if there is a preference as we are committed to supporting staff to balance home and work life.
The role is predominantly based in Saffron House, High Wycombe and may require some travel within the county.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team".
Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent".
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing:
* Excellent opportunities for career progression
* Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
* 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
* NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
* Competitive pension scheme
* Lease car scheme
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Mental Health First Aiders
* Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
* Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We’re looking for people who are compassionate, can work well in a team, highly motivated, and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will be trained for the role and given the opportunity to complete the nationally recognized care certificate.
The Peer Support Worker will demonstrate best practice in relation to the application of recovery principles within their practice and model these principles while undertaking the duties of the role.
Depending on service need, PSWs may offer a variation of group and one-to-one work and will work within the multi-disciplinary team to support a service user's recovery journey.
Oxford Health offers Peer Support Training as part of the role to all new Peer Support Workers, and we additionally offer a nationally recognized accredited Level 3 Apprenticeship (fully funded by Oxford Health) for those eligible.
Lived experience:
* Drawing on lived experience of mental health to provide emotional and practical support to an allocated group of service users to promote their recovery.
* To support service users to engage effectively with care being offered and access appropriate services.
* To build relationships founded on mutuality to provide regular and practical support to service users.
* To positively promote independent living of service users through role-modelling individual recovery journeys.
* To maintain professional boundaries while drawing on both experience and knowledge of the service user perspective.
Is this right for me?
If you are thinking of applying, The Trust strongly recommends reading the attached document entitled 'Things to consider before you apply'. This document will help you understand more about your readiness for the role.
Please see attached Job Description regarding the eligibility criteria for this role.
Please note, applications for this role close on midnight Sunday 2 February 2025. Interview dates will take place on either Monday 24 February or Tuesday 25 February 2025.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
* The ability to offer specialist support using their personal experience of recovery.
Desirable criteria
* Experience of working within a supportive and enabling role.
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
* Able to use own initiative when appropriate.
* The ability to develop and maintain sound working relationships with all members of the multidisciplinary team.
Knowledge/Qualifications
Desirable criteria
* Knowledge of mental health conditions.
* All new starters have a thorough induction process, both local and Trust wide.
* Appointment to this post is subject to satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study.
* Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
* Oxford Health is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
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