Job overview

The Adult Mental Health services specialise in the assessment and treatment of service users with mental health conditions, serving the community of Kent and Medway.  There are three wards that are covered by our team; two for female and one for male patients (18 beds each).

Have you experienced mental health problems and used mental health services?

Could you use your recovery to inspire hope and support others?

At Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust we believe that people who have experienced, and who are living well with mental health problems, can be the most knowledgeable, skilled and inspirational supporters of others on the recovery journey.

As a Peer Support Practitioner, you will use your own experience of recovering from mental health issues to encourage, inspire and inform others, supporting them in their own journey of recovery, and acting as a role model. In this way, you can enable our service users to live as independently as possible and make the most of their potential.

You will receive induction, training and on-going supervision, including a network of other peer support workers employed within Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust.

Working days will be flexible depending on the needs of the service users and may include weekday and weekend working.

Main duties of the job

The role of Peer Support Practitioner will involve:

• Building strong, supportive relationships with our Service Users
• Helping Service Users to set realistic and positive goals and empowering them to live fuller, more fulfilling lives
• Supporting the group programme on offer by sharing your own experiences
• Developing the service, and helping its users to get involved in this process
• Completing a range of administrative tasks
• Liaising widely with other staff and services within the community
• Promoting awareness of mental health and reducing stigma

To join us as a Peer Support Practitioner, you will need:

• A background of personally recovering from mental health issues
• Experience of using mental health services
• An understanding of factors which can affect recovery in mental health
• IT literacy including Microsoft Office and Internet or a willingness to learn
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to work well in a team
• Empathy, good listening skills, and common sense
• You will need to be able to know when to ask for help

The post will also involve contributing to the development of the Peer Support Practitioner role, particularly within mental health services.

Working for our organisation

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.

Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It’s why we’re passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that’s doing well together.