Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
The Lived Experience Practitioner role is an important development in our Mental Health Liaison Service. We want to ensure that the voice and presence of people with lived experience are embedded in every part of our service design and delivery.
We're seeking an individual who can use what they have learned during their own mental health recovery to support and educate others. Receiving care in an acute hospital during a mental health crisis can be a uniquely challenging experience. To provide effective peer support, you will need to have lived experience of an acute mental health crisis, preferably involving support from a Mental Health Liaison Team or Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team.
You'll be someone with experience of supporting others in distress, who can remain calm in an emotionally charged situation. You'll have a good working knowledge of recovery tools and community recovery resources. You'll be able to share your personal recovery story in a professional manner, whilst understanding the need to maintain professional boundaries.
This role can be offered as a development opportunity, allowing you to join as a Band 3 Peer Support Worker moving to a Band 4 Lived Experience Practitioner after developing the relevant skills and experience. We are keen to receive applications from candidates who are beginning their career in lived experience and those who are experienced Peer Support Workers looking for their next step.
Main duties of the job
The role is based at Gloucester Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals.
In this role, you will be given space to grow within a supportive team, with access to training and development opportunities. Each day will be different, and your work will be varied and challenging. We hope you will take pride in seeing the difference you make to others experiencing distress.
As an integral and valued team member, you will work alongside service users during their admission and after discharge to ensure their voice and priorities are heard. This work will include offering emotional, psychological, and practical support to service users to help them regain control over their lives and recovery. Everything you do will be underpinned by the principles of trauma-informed care.
You will support the multi-disciplinary team in promoting a recovery-oriented environment and fostering a culture of hope. You will also contribute to the development and delivery of training and be an agent for change in challenging mental health stigma. You will provide support and supervision to peer support workers.
Job responsibilities
Full details of the role can be found within the Job Description and Person Specification attached.
Main duties of the role include:
1. Provide mental health related support for individuals in the emergency department, on the wards and after discharge.
2. Share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery and inspire hope that recovery is possible.
3. Promote evidence-based interventions to service users such as physical exercise, healthy eating, sleep hygiene, and stress management.
4. Be an expert on recovery resources. Signpost to community and online resources and access appropriate mainstream and specialist resources.
5. Support the service user to understand the role of statutory mental health services and how they can support their recovery alongside other community resources.
6. Be a key contact within the team regarding any peer support related queries from Trust colleagues or partner organisations.
7. Be aware of, teach others, and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations, and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.
8. Take responsibility for peer support related development projects within the team and engage with projects across the wider Trust.
9. Promote the role of peer support through co-delivery of presentations, workshops, and participation in Trust-wide peer related projects and audits.
10. Provide supervision and reflective practice for other peer support workers in the MHLT team and wider Trust as appropriate.
Person Specification
Experience
* Lived experience of acute mental health crisis
* Experience of providing compassionate support to people experiencing distress
* Experience of working in a supportive and enabling role
Knowledge and Skills
* Understanding of the concept of lived experience
* Ability to share personal story of mental health recovery in a professional manner
* A good understanding of the need to maintain clear professional boundaries
* Knowledge of recovery tools and community resources
* Understanding of the impact of mental health stigma and discrimination
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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