Job summary
- Main area
- forensics
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 301-LBG-25-7387613
- Employer
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St George’s Hospital
- Town
- Stafford
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Professional lead for lived experience
NHS AfC: Band 7
Job overview
Can you provide professional leadership to support the organisation, planning, and delivery of peer support across Forensic service's at MPFT?
Can you manage operational and strategic plans and policies, ensuring the delivery of effective, efficient and high quality services for patients and their families / carers?
If so our Forensic service would love to hear from you as we recruit for a Professional Lead for Lived Experience
You will challenge, support and work in partnership with our service health teams (using personal lived experience) in delivering the strategic direction of the peer recovery working approach. You will work closely with the Voluntary sector to address health inequalities by interfacing between VSCE providers and Care Group services.
You will champion peer support across the Trust, inter-organisationally and nationally, and provide training, presentation and representation of peer support as appropriate.
You will take responsibility for the professional leadership of all lived experience roles within forensics and lead and complete key peer support project work as agreed including initiating, researching, liaison with others, developing and delivery.
Main duties of the job
As the forensic professional lead you will be part of the trust wide lived experience leads team contributing towards the strategic development of peer support working across the Trust and representing the needs of the patient population in forensics. .
You will provide professional leadership for peer support workers and other lived experience peer roles across Forensic Mental Health Services.
You will work in collaboration with the Trust Recovery Lead Partner / Wellbeing and Recovery College Service Manager and the Knowledge and Understanding Framework (KUF) Trainer to ensure the leadership, development and support of the lived experience peer support workers at the Trust, and those based with Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partner organisations
You will be working closely with clinical colleagues to promote, develop and embed the principles of recovery orientated practice across forensic mental health services and supporting the development and ongoing delivery of the System’s Peer Support provision.
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the Job Description and Person Specification for further details, a summary is below:
- To be responsible for the professional leadership of lived experience peer support workers within forensic mental health services, working closely with the Trust Recovery Lead Partner and Knowledge and Understanding Framework Trainer to promote the principles and practice of the peer and lived experience roles within operational service delivery.
- Work closely in partnership with operational forensic mental health teams, using lived experience and other skills to bring challenge, ideas and support to further Lived Experience and peer support working across the Trust.
- To exercise responsibility for the operational management and systematic governance of Lived experience workforce and peer support practice within forensic mental health, and to ensure that systems are in place and effective for the clinical and professional supervision and support of staff for whom the post-holder has professional responsibility.
- Lead on service development specifically related to Lived experience and peer support, including the implementation of national and local strategies and policies.
- Identify external drivers that may impact on clinical services and advise on the implementation of national and local policies relevant to peer support across forensic mental health services.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Master’s Degree level study or demonstrable equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
- Coaching and/or mentoring training.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Personal lived experience of mental health struggles and use of mental health services.
- Personal lived experience as a user of secure mental health services or contact with the criminal justice system and recovery from personal mental health challenges
- Has significant experience of face-to-face work with people with mental illness and/or other disabilities.
- Experience of managing and developing peer support workers.
- Has experience of working alongside staff from range of disciplines.
- Experience of utilising own lived experience perspectives and insights in a strategic leadership role.
- Experience of involvement in service redesign or development.
- Evidence of applying interpersonal skills in promoting and implementing recovery-based working.
- Evidence of undertaking evaluation/research/audit activities.
- Evidence of developing policy guidance and protocol to underpin projects.
- Evidence of understanding, producing and analysing and reporting complex data sets or information.
- Experience of research methods, audit or other service evaluation techniques
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience of talking/presenting in public.
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Betsey Walker
- Job title
- (AHP lead)
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01743210085
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