Peer Supporter

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Wallsend; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) invites applications for a Peer Supporter in the North Tyneside Recovery Partnership. The post is intended for people with lived experience of addictions and/or mental health, or those who care for someone with these experiences, to support service users through their recovery.

You will work as part of a Clinical Team, build trusting relationships, help navigate appointments, and support resilience.

Qualifications

• Personal lived experience of secondary mental health services and/or supporting someone with mental health/addiction recovery.
• Ability to share personal recovery story in a professional manner.
• Strong interpersonal and team-working skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop a therapeutic relationship with service users identified through screening tools.
• Initiate contact to ensure awareness of planned appointments and arrange support.
• Support service users on the day of appointment and with follow-up referrals.
• Work as part of the MDT to support physical health pathways where needed.
• Record progress and feedback to inform wider treatment planning.
• Lead on Your Voice initiatives and contribute to care planning.

Skills

Lived experience

Recovery storytelling

Interpersonal skills

Teamwork

Job description

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW). We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, 'I've seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.' We're on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we've got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there's lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We're always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's (CNTW) North Locality. The role will be for a Peer supporter for the North Tyneside Recovery Partnership. A Peer supporter will already have substantial experience working within a Peer Supporter Role.

The Peer Supporter role is a vital part of our plan to continually improve the service that we provide. The role is aimed at people with personal lived experience and/or experience of caring for someone, who has lived experience in addictions and/or mental health. The principal role of the post will be to support service users throughout their journey through our services, to establish greater control over their lives and decisions, and build resilience during their care and treatment.

This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a Clinical Team, utilising your personal experience to inspire people through their own recovery path. The role focuses on creating trusting relationships whilst supporting service users (and or carers) in their journey of recovery.

This will be a challenging, but rewarding role, working with people presenting with a range of addiction, mental health issues and risks. The post holder must have the ability to communicate where there are barriers and they must be able to work as part of a team. Be confident in working with people and demonstrate strong recovery values in, inspiring hope and empowerment in others

Main duties of the job

• Develop a therapeutic relationship with those identified through screening tools, to ensure there is a clear point of contact, joint appointments with key worker
• Initiate contact with service users to ensure they are aware of their planned appointments, arrange any support needs required for attendance
• Support on the day of appointment
• Support any follow up, including that of ongoing referrals, additional appointments and support to appointments where appropriate
• To work as part of the MDT
• To support the physical health pathway with consideration for phlebotomy training and supporting of ECG's
• To obtain feedback from service users and feed this into the wider treatment system. To lead on Your Voice and form part of the triangle of care
• Recording progress and concerns, working in a manner which ensures confidentiality and security
• Set up service user forums to promote service improvement and change, led by service users
• Set up some health-related groups external to the core service, for example allotment groups, fishing groups, Gyms etc.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS Employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

As an employee of CNTW, the wellbeing of all of our staff is vitally important. The post holder will have several avenues of support but should also feel confident in their own personal skills and abilities to draw upon their own resilience and strengths to sustain their own wellbeing throughout this role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description and role descriptor for full details.

Advertising date : 8th September 2026

Closing date : 22nd September 2026

We will arrange a group assessment day prior to interview where we can meet potential applicants in person and potential applicants can come along to find out more about the post and decide whether this post is right for them. Dates to be confirmed.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

Essential criteria

• Completion of a competency-based programme within probationary period OR equivalent demonstrable experience
• Knowledge of care related procedures, clinical observation, relevant legislation

Desirable criteria

• Completion of Peer Support Specialist Training or other similar peer support training
• Completion of Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training
• Completion of WRAP Educator training

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Understanding of personal values and beliefs
• Good interpersonal and team-working skills
• Ability to share personal story of recovery in a professional manner
• Confidence in own skills and ability to draw upon own resilience and strengths to sustain own wellbeing
• Ability and willingness to reflect on work practice and be open to constructive feedback
• Ability to work in an enabling and creative way
• Ability draw on own resilience while working with challenging situations.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workload

Desirable criteria

• Experience of WRAP or other recovery / person-centred planning tools
• Knowledge of how the mental health and other health and social care systems operate
• Understanding of issues affecting mental health and well-being

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Personal lived experience of secondary mental health services and own recovery journey and / or personal lived experience of supporting someone with mental health / neurodiversity / learning disability
• Experience of being in a supportive and enabling role

Desirable criteria

• Experience of a person-centred approach
• Experience of working in the mental health field
• Knowledge of trauma informed practice
• Knowledge of strength's based and person-led practice

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria

• Ability to meet the mobility requirements of the post

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.