Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Peer Support Worker

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Job summary

Hello, my name is Jim Welch. I am the Lead Nurse for Mental Health Liaison Services at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and I am looking for a Peer Support Worker (Expert By Experience) to join our 24/7 team based in Gloucester and Cheltenham hospital.

The Peer Support worker role is a new and important development within the Liaison Service locally and we are keen to ensure that the voice and presence of people with lived experience is embedded into every part of service design and delivery.

Peer support workers are experts by experience of mental illness, supporting patients in their journey into hospital, through admission and eventual discharge into their community support network.

I will work with you to ensure that we support your personal and developmental needs, this includes a bespoke induction to ensure that you are fully prepared and supported in delivering this role.

Our aim is to work closely with our Acute Hospital colleagues to deliver a pro-active, patient focused service that delivers the right care at the right time and your work will ensure that the value of personal experience is fully recognised.

If you have excellent interpersonal skills, the desire to deliver high quality care and you are ready to use your experience to support others then please get in touch to talk through the role.

Main duties of the job

The role of the peer support worker is:

To support the multi-disciplinary team in promoting recovery orientated environment by identifying recovery focussed activities and fostering a culture of hope.
Deliver an approach that is underpinned by the principals of trauma informed care.
To work alongside a number of service users on a one to one basis, which may include supporting the person through their admission and discharge, ensuring the voice of the person is heard and facilitating discharge home for a period of up to 72 hours.
Contribute to the development of training to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
To be an active member of the Community of Practice for people with complex emotional needs in partnership with peers within the Complex Emotional Needs Service.

About us

We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.

The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:

89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative

Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.

Date posted

28 June 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£25,147 to £27,596 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-24-587

Job locations

Beacon House

Great Western Road

Gloucester

GL1 3NN

Job description

Job responsibilities

To communicate with a variety of people on a range of matters and keep accurate and complete records consistent with the Trusts policies and procedures.

To act as a specialist resource within the service, by offering a unique perspective to service users. To act as an expert on recovery resources.

To share ideas about ways of achieving recovery goals.

To promote opportunities for people with lived experience to raise awareness and promote understanding.

Maintain quality in own work and encourage others to do so, while working as an effective and responsible team member.

To work in partnership with Liaison Service colleagues to identify and intervene with patients identified as having a priority need.

To support identified patients to reintegrate into their support network for a period of 48 hours following discharge

Peer support work will take proactive steps to ensure accessibility.

Explore the role of Peer Mentor Volunteers, which may involve holding focus groups with interested persons to explore key principles for peer support.

Respond to enquiries about Peer Support in a timely manner.

Attend Peer Support Group meetings.

Support individuals and their families from a holistic perspective.

To actively contribute to the development and practice of a coherent, supportive, and effective learning environment; attending regular team meetings.

To attend and actively participate in support and supervision meetings and other meetings as agreed.

To input and store data and information, as well as collect, collate and report routine data and information.

Make changes in own practice and offer suggestions for improving services and to contribute to the ongoing development of the Mental Health Liaison Service.

To maintain good communication with colleagues within Gloucestershire Health and Care Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, peer mentors, partner organisations and external agencies.

Work closely with Trust social inclusion team, help lead on quarterly expert by lived experience forums.

Act in ways that support equality and value diversity. Treat everyone with whom you come into contact with dignity and respect. Recognise and report behaviour that undermines equality and diversity.

To adhere to the trust clinical guidelines, code of ethics, policies, procedures and stated aims / core purpose.

To undertake other duties appropriate to the post as required by the Team Manager.