Peer Support Worker

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust; Droitwich Spa; On-site; GBP 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare service provider in Droitwich Spa is seeking up to 2 individuals with lived experience of mental ill health to support patients with complex needs in their recovery journey. This part-time role (15 hours per week) offers training and supervision while empowering clients through peer support. Ideal candidates must have good communication skills and an understanding of mental health recovery principles.

Benefits

27 days leave plus bank holidays

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working options

Health and wellbeing opportunities

Qualifications

• Ability/willingness to achieve NVQ level 2 qualifications.
• Commitment to undertake specific Peer Support training.
• Understanding of Recovery in Mental Health principles.

Responsibilities

• Engage with mental health service users to inspire hope.
• Support service users in accessing community activities.
• Communicate regularly with the team for integrated care.

Skills

Good communication

Interpersonal skills

Positive attitude

Basic IT skills

Education

Good standard of education

Job description

Overview

Go back Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

The closing date is 09 October 2025

The Complex Needs Service (CNS) supports patients with Complex Emotional and Relational Needs using the Structured Clinical Management framework. This role is working as part of a well-resourced team where your contributions will play a significant part in a person’s transformative recovery. We are looking for up to 2 experts by experience who have lived experience of mental ill health to work within the service.

This is a part-time post for 15 hours per week over 3 or 4 days and will be on a fixed-term contract of 18 months. The post is based at Covercroft but successful applicants will be required to travel to community bases throughout the county of Worcestershire.

We are looking for individuals who can bring their invaluable insight into mental health to assist in the continued development of the service and support the patients during their recovery both within a group and individual basis.

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to take an active part in a group teaching session with the team before interviews (on the same day) take place to help inform your decision to apply for the role.

This is a fixed-term post due to timelimited nature of the funding which will end in 18 months. We reserve the right to end this contract sooner with appropriate notice.

Please note the Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to work for this role; to apply you must have current right to work in the UK status.

Main duties of the job

The postholder acts as an ambassador of recovery through positively sharing and drawing upon aspects of your own lived experience, to inspire others, challenge stigma and discrimination whilst promoting hope and recovery.

We are looking for a motivated individual, with good communication and interpersonal skills who can work flexibly under supervision, to meet the demands of this exciting and very varied position.

Regular clinical and peer support supervision and training will be provided and is a mandatory part of the role.

You will work as part of the Complex Needs service Multidisciplinary team and work with our patient group in 1-1 sessions and group settings.

You will support patients using your experience to gain and maintain independence with an improved sense of wellbeing and hope.

About us

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.

We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.

What we offer;

• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
• Wide range of supportive staff networks
• Health and wellbeing opportunities

If you would like to know more, please visit our website.

We encourage you to read the attached applicant guidance notes.

Sharing your data - As a data controller we may sometimes need to process your data to pursue our legitimate business interests, for example to request a survey from you (optional), to support the Trust’s understanding of where you gained interest in working for the Trust.

Job responsibilities

Work alongside members of the Team to engage with mental health service users to show empathy, share experience, inspire hope and promote recovery with the aim of assisting service users to gain and maintain independence.

Support service users in accessing activities run by the service and a range of community groups, and maximise service users opportunities for socially valued roles and positive identity that will help promote recovery e.g. assisting with travel training, assisting team with leading group sessions alongside autonomous facilitation of peer support groups.

Develop rapport based upon a shared understanding of the experience of mental ill health but within appropriate and transparent boundaries and assist the clients in developing further relationships away from professional ones.

Communicate regularly with the team, ensuring involvement integrates with overall care plan.

Attend and actively participate in training sessions, teams/care review meetings and supervision as appropriate.

For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Person Specification

Skills & Abilities

• A positive attitude and able to act on feedback
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Able to provide practical support to clients
• Basic IT skills in Outlook and Word and a willingness to learn

Qualifications

• Ability/willingness to obtain appropriate knowledge to achieve NVQ level 2 qualifications
• Agreement to undertake specific Peer Support training
• A commitment to undertake continuing personal development
• Good standard of education
• The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust
• I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.

Knowledge

• Understanding of the principles and practice of Recovery in Mental Health
• Understanding of the range of difficulties experienced by those recovering from mental ill health

Additional Criteria

• Able to meet the travel requirements of the role
• You understand that we will not provide sponsorship to work for this role.

Experience

• Lived experience of secondary mental health services and able to reflect on their personal experience of Recovery that has followed this
• Wide range of life experiences to bring an enabling and positive view of opportunities for others.
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role.
• Experience of liaising with other agencies
• Experience of recording information
• Experience working with people from a wide range of backgrounds (e.g., age and educational level)
• Experience of delivering care/support in a formal setting (employment or volunteering)

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.

Employer name

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

£24,465 a year pro rata (£12.51 per hour)