Emergency Department Consumer Peer Support Worker

St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 88,000 - 96,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Fitness Passport

Counselling support

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

St Vincent’s Health Australia Limited is seeking a Consumer Peer Support Worker at the Fitzroy ED Waiting Room to provide companionship and support to patients awaiting care. A lived experience with mental health, homelessness and/or AOD issues is essential, along with strong interpersonal and writing skills.

The role requires trauma-informed approaches, collaboration with the ED multidisciplinary team, and a commitment to culturally sensitive care.

Qualifications

• A lived experience in mental illness, homelessness &/or AOD issues.
• An understanding of the diversity of the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our community, and the impact this has on consumers’ and families and carers’ experience of mental illness.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, including problem solving ability and conflict resolution skills, as well as sound oral and writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Engage with patients in the EDWR through informal, patient-led interactions including providing emotional support, active listening and empathy.
• Interact with patients in the EDWR that fit within the inclusion criteria.
• Work collaboratively within the inter-disciplinary teams whilst ensuring that the work aligns to the framework and models of practice of the consumer Lived Experience discipline.

Skills

Lived experience

Empathy

Interpersonal skills

Job description

Job Description: Fitzroy location – Work for one of Australia's leading hospitals. Challenging and rewarding work environment. Part‑time fixed‑term position for 5 months (0.4 EFT available).

About the Role

You will provide support to consumers presenting to the EDWR with a mental health and/or AOD issue, people experiencing homelessness, and consumers identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and assist them whilst they await care. Through utilisation of different lived experience frameworks such as trauma‑informed care, the goal of the PSW in the EDWR is to develop a trusting relationship with ED consumers by offering companionship, empathy and empowerment, so that feelings of isolation and rejection can be replaced with hope, a sense of feeling safe and a belief in personal control.

• Engage with patients in the EDWR through informal, patient‑led interactions including providing emotional support, active listening and empathy.
• Interact with patients in the EDWR that fit within the inclusion criteria.
• Work collaboratively within the inter‑disciplinary teams whilst ensuring that the work aligns to the framework and models of practice of the consumer Lived Experience discipline.

Classification for this position ranges between AK43 – AK46 ($88,233.60 – $96,408 per annum).

Your Contribution

A lived experience in mental illness, homelessness &/or AOD issues. An understanding of the diversity of the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our community, and the impact this has on consumers’ and families and carers’ experience of mental illness. Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, including problem solving ability and conflict resolution skills, as well as sound oral and writing skills. Current National criminal history check, or willing to obtain.

What we Offer

• A focus on wellbeing initiatives, with regular events and programs
• Confidential, solutions‑focused employee counselling
• Ability to join Fitness Passport – Your pass to an extensive choice of fitness facilities
• Salary Packaging – Increase your take home pay!
• In the heart of Fitzroy, CBD at our doorstep, close to some of Melbourne’s best cafes, public transport and lots of carparks

About our Emergency Department

The Emergency Department is introducing a new multidisciplinary team which brings together clinicians from mental health, drug and alcohol and the ED care coordination team ALERT to provide specialised care to patients presenting to the ED with high acuity mental health and AOD issues, and complex psychosocial needs. Working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team in the ED, the Consumer Peer Support Worker in the Emergency Department Waiting Room (EDWR) will help, support, and offer companionship to different consumers whilst they wait in the EDWR.

Working at St Vincent’s St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) is a leading teaching, research and tertiary health service. SVHM provides a diverse range of adult clinical services and is driven by values of Compassion, Justice, Integrity and Excellence.

SVHA has a duty of care under work health and safety legislation to eliminate and/or control the risk of transmission of vaccine‑preventable diseases in healthcare settings. You may therefore be required to undergo mandatory immunisations/vaccinations (including flu vaccinations). This position is subject to a Victorian government direction regarding vaccination against COVID‑19. Successful applicants must meet these vaccination requirements. Please contact us if you would like to know more.

Closing Date: 1 December 2026 11:59pm

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and abilities. Inclusion is essential to our mission and diversity reflects the community we serve.

Reconciliation Action Plan: At St Vincent's we acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, equitable and inclusive for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Employees. As part of our Commitment to Reconciliation and Closing the Gap in employment related outcomes, we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. For further information, visit https://www.svha.org.au/about-us/reconciliation or get in contact at [e-mail].

St Vincent’s Health Australia has been serving Australians with compassionate health and aged care since our first hospital was established in Sydney in 1857. Founded by the Sisters of Charity more than 180 years ago, St Vincent’s is a clinical, research and education leader delivering private hospital, public hospital and aged care services across NSW, VIC and QLD. From modest beginnings, St Vincent’s Health Australia is today the nation’s largest not‑for‑profit health and aged care provider, offering services in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, including public and private hospitals and aged care facilities. The St Vincent’s family comprises 22,000 outstanding nurses, researchers, cooks, doctors, executives, administrators, cleaners, volunteers and more.