Peer Support Worker - Shropshire Eating Disorders Service

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Shrewsbury seeks a Peer Support Worker for the Shropshire Eating Disorders Service. This full-time role involves supporting individuals with lived experience of eating disorders. You'll work with a multi-disciplinary team, offering one-to-one and group support, promoting recovery and independence for service users. Excellent personal experience in mental health is essential, alongside a commitment to community engagement. Flexible options for part-time or job share are available.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of accessing eating disorder services required.
• Experience supporting individuals navigating recovery.
• Ability to work independently and travel throughout Shropshire.

Responsibilities

• Provide support in home and community settings.
• Assist individuals during mealtimes, including eating together.
• Encourage independence in daily living tasks.

Skills

Experience in mental health

Peer support abilities

Communication skills

Goal setting

Community engagement

Education

Health Education England Peer Support Work training or equivalent

Job description

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Peer Support Worker – Shropshire Eating Disorders Service

The closing date is 20 January 2026

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. If it is identified that you require sponsorship to undertake this role your application may be withdrawn

We have an exciting opportunity for highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with lived experience of receiving care from eating disorder services to join our team as a peer support worker. As a peer support worker, you will be a valued member of the Shropshire Outpatient Eating Disorder service working alongside a highly skilled multi-disciplinary team. You will feel able to share relevant personal experiences and draw on insights and skills developed through your own recovery to come alongside people using services on a one-to-one and group basis to explore people's own goals and personalised recovery.

This role has an essential requirement for the individual applying to have explicit lived experience of accessing eating disorder services, we recognise that alongside this can come other challenges and adverse life experiences.

Contact for further details / informal visits:
Name Emily Elson
Job title Lead for LXP and PS - Adult Eating Disorders
Email address [e-mail]
Telephone number 07977348482
Additional information If you would like to get in touch to discuss this role further, please email [e-mail] to organise a time to discuss your query.

Main duties of the job

Job Purpose Peer support is recognised as a key component of modern mental health and wellbeing provision. A key feature of this post is to promote individual person-centred recovery by drawing on the peer support workers own personal lived experience of mental health challenges and of accessing mental health services. As a pivotal and highly valued member of the team, you will have a case load of identified patients delivering support on both an individual basis and by group interventions. Working in collaboration with the wider multi-disciplinary team. You will help to promote self-determination and assist the service user to set and achieve their own unique recovery goals, recognizing that each individual's recovery is a distinctive and deeply personal process. Assisting to support and encourage healthy lifestyles, build confidence, offering support, advice to help form connections within their local community resources, co-produce their care plan with members of the wider multi-disciplinary team and contribute to the overall team management of complex clinical and risk presentations. You will champion recovery and work closely with all members of the MDT.

About us

Come and work with us at our award-winning NHS Trust, leading the way for trying new and better ways of working to help improve life for our local communities.

We have around 9,000 staff who provide physical and mental healthcare, support for people with learning disabilities, and adult social care across Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. We also run regional and national services, including help for new parents (perinatal care), eating disorders, forensic services, sexual health, and support for people in prison with mental health, drug, or alcohol problems.

We offer great career development for both clinical and non‑clinical roles, with ongoing training and support to help you learn and grow.

We are 'United in our Uniqueness' and committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves, no matter their background or identity. We want our staff to feel supported and valued, and we aim to build a team that reflects the communities we serve. Together, we can make sure every voice is heard, and every difference is respected.

Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications

Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.

Job responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities It is anticipated this will be a dynamic role with lots of variation and will include tasks such as: Visiting people in their own homes, local community venues or in hospital settings; Exploring peoples interests, identifying challenges, and setting goals; Providing peer support during mealtimes, which may include eating with the individual you are working alongside; Building skills to encourage independence with tasks such as meal prep, using public transport and shopping; Supporting people to access groups and activities in their local communities; Co‑producing and co‑facilitating groups alongside clinical members of the team. This is a community‑based role therefore it is essential that applicants are able to independently travel throughout Shropshire in order to meet the needs of the service. Having lived experience of an eating disorder is an essential requirement for this post, therefore we would very much encourage you to reflect this, alongside your other skills, attributes, and experiences, when thinking about how you meet the requirements of the person specification and submitting your application. We ask if you are considering applying for this role you are not currently referred to or receiving support from Midlands Partnership University Foundation Trust Eating Disorder service at this time. This is a full-time post (37.5 hours / week); however, part time or job share options would be considered for successful candidates.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

• Health Education England Peer Support Work training or equivalent experience and willingness to complete this.
• Other evidence of training or development relevant to working within mental health settings (statutory or voluntary).

Experience

• Own personal experience of accessing secondary mental health services for an eating disorder.
• Previous experience of offering formal/informal peer support to people who are navigating recovery / experiencing mental illness from a range of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Has experienced transitions within services, for example outpatient care to inpatient, inpatient care to outpatient, child, and adolescent services to adult eating disorder services.
• Previous experience of facilitating or taking part in peer support groups or settings.

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

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust