Job summary 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 is 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 principals of trauma informed care. You will support the multi-disciplinary team in promoting a recovery orientated 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. About us We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust. Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that: 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question. 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region. 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%. This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys. Date posted 31 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 4 Salary £26,530 to £29,114 a year per annum Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working Reference number 327-25-266 Job locations First Floor, Beacon House Great Western Road Gloucester GL1 3NN Job description Job responsibilities Full details of the role can be found within the Job Description and Person Specification attached. Main duties of the role include: Provide mental health related support for individuals in the emergency department, on the wards and after discharge. Share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery and inspire hope that recovery is possible Promote evidence-based interventions to service users such as physical exercise, healthy eating, sleep hygiene and stress management. Be an expert on recovery resources. Signpost to community and online resources and access appropriate mainstream and specialist resources. Support the service user to understand the role of statutory mental health services and how they can support their recovery alongside other community resources. Be a key contact within the team regarding any peer support related queries from Trust colleagues or partner organisations. Be aware of, teach others, and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate. Take responsibility for peer support related development projects within the team and engage with projects across the wider Trust. Promote the role of peer support through co-delivery of presentations, workshops, and participation in Trust-wide peer related projects and audits. Provide supervision and reflective practice for other peer support workers in the MHLT team and wider Trust as appropriate. Job description Job responsibilities Full details of the role can be found within the Job Description and Person Specification attached. Main duties of the role include: Provide mental health related support for individuals in the emergency department, on the wards and after discharge. Share your own and other examples of lived experience of recovery and inspire hope that recovery is possible Promote evidence-based interventions to service users such as physical exercise, healthy eating, sleep hygiene and stress management. Be an expert on recovery resources. Signpost to community and online resources and access appropriate mainstream and specialist resources. Support the service user to understand the role of statutory mental health services and how they can support their recovery alongside other community resources. Be a key contact within the team regarding any peer support related queries from Trust colleagues or partner organisations. Be aware of, teach others, and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate. Take responsibility for peer support related development projects within the team and engage with projects across the wider Trust. Promote the role of peer support through co-delivery of presentations, workshops, and participation in Trust-wide peer related projects and audits. Provide supervision and reflective practice for other peer support workers in the MHLT team and wider Trust as appropriate. Person Specification Experience Essential 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 Essential Understanding of the concept of live 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 Person Specification Experience Essential 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 Essential Understanding of the concept of live 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Additional information 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Employer details Employer name Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Address First Floor, Beacon House Great Western Road Gloucester GL1 3NN Employer's website https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)