Job overview

An opportunity has arisen in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust’s (CNTW) North Cumbria Locality. We are currently seeking a Senior Peer Supporter to join our Hope Haven team based in Whitehaven, Cumbria. This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a new and transformative service working alongside local partners including Home Group, Everyturn, and others.

Our aim is to transform the way mental health care is provided locally, by bringing together specialist health, social care and community services in the heart of West Cumbria. 

Lived experience roles are a vital part of our plan to continually improve the services that we provide. They help to support people during their journey through our services to establish greater control over their lives, decisions and build resilience during their care and treatment. 

This role is aimed at people who have experience of using their own recovery journey to help others and now feel able to guide a small, dedicated team of peer supporters and ensure lived experience is integrated into each part of Hope Haven.

As this is a community-based role, you must be able to work centrally from the hub and be able to travel across the Copeland area and other Trust sites across CNTW. 

Due to the 24/7 nature of the project, unsocial working hours will be required.

Main duties of the job

You will be expected to offer a different perspective and contribute to the role by:

Working with people to develop and follow care plans tailored to individual needs

Working alongside colleagues from partner organisations to identify the most appropriate interventions for people whom we work with.

Liaising with senior leads to communicate progress within the Lived Experience team

Supporting and mentoring the Lived Experience team with the day-to-day management of their caseloads

Contributing to the development and delivery of training to all partners

Promoting carer involvement working alongside our carer lead and involvement team.

Assisting with facilitation of groups as well as 1:1 work, using wellness plans and tools.

Recording progress and concerns, working in a manner which ensures confidentiality and security.

We encourage you to keep an eye on our Hope Haven Facebook page for details of any upcoming recruitment events.

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.

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

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

The Posts will also involve contributing to the continuing development of the Peer Supporter role and linking in with Third Sector and/or Recovery Colleges.