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Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

About

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is one of the largest trusts in the UK, caring for people with a wide range of physical and mental health needs. We have approximately 7,000 staff who provide healthcare to a third of London's population and across wider geographical areas, including Milton Keynes, Kent, Surrey and Hampshire.

As a Foundation Trust we involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run and our future development. If you are interested in becoming a member of our Foundation Trust please visit: www.cnwl.nhs.uk

(source: Central and North West London NHS Foundation NHS Trust website)

Contact

Address: 350 Euston Road; Regent's Place; London; London; NW1 3AX
Contact Number: 02032145700

Find out more

Jobs Website

Open

Ref: 333-G-ED-0416 Vacancy ID: 7062649

Eating Disorders Peer Support Worker (Outpatient Community Team)

Accepting applications until: 03-Apr-2025 23:59

Vacancy status: Open

Accepting applications until: 03-Apr-2025 23:59

Location

Site: South Kensington and Chelsea Mental Health Centre
Address: 1 Nightingale Place
Town: London
Postcode: SW10 9NG
Major / Minor Region: London

Contract type & working pattern

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time

37.5 hours per week

Salary

Salary: £31,944 - £34,937 pa inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T)
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: (NHS AfC: Band 4)

Specialty

Main area: Peer and Lived Experience Workforce

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Organisational Work

Be committed to professional development through independent learning, keeping up to date with latest research and building connections with local and national peer networks.

Promote development of best practices in peer support and Lived Experience Practice across the service through active participation in internal and external training and development programmes.

Supervision requirements – Following the probation period, the Eating Disorders PSW will have monthly 1-1 supervision with clinical line manager and monthly 1-1 supervision with peer supervisor. Prior to this, and in any other periods where additional support is needed, the frequency of supervisions can be reasonably adjusted.

Eating Disorder PSWs will also have group supervision every 2-months with PSWs from other CNWL services as well as fortnightly staff group with the community team.

Work with the multi-disciplinary teams across both the adult and child and adolescent eating disorder service in the support of people accessing eating disorder services, ensuring the needs of individuals accessing the service are met through promoting strengths-based practice.

Attend team meetings and contribute to the assessment, planning, and implementation and review of care with the multi-disciplinary team.

Attend clinical, business & service development meetings as required.

Assist in the development and implementation of educational and peer facilitated support groups and activities.

Make notes of date, length and type of all contacts with services users in the locally agreed format.

Ensure timely and accurate recording of clinical related data and information on the electronic patient record system.

Monitor the service user’s progress, level of functioning, and mental state, reporting progress and areas of concern to the multi-disciplinary team (verbally and on the SystmOne electronic record.

Report any untoward incidents or unusual occurrences to the manager/senior clinician immediately.

Maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to eating disorders, peer support, Carers Act and mental health.

Be aware of, teach others and challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and anti-discriminatory practice as appropriate.

Read and understand statutory requirements of the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Children’s Act.

Lived Experience Specialist Work

Respect integrity, confidentiality, clinical governance and data protection requirements in line with Trust policy.

Have responsibility for relevant safeguarding issues in relation to service users and their network, including making difficult decisions as a team adhering to the Trust’s Safeguarding policy.

Engage in self-reflective practices and commit to continued personal development.

Establish supportive and respectful relationships with people using eating disorders services.

Model/mentor a recovery process, inspire hope, and demonstrate self-management skills and techniques by skillfully using own experience of recovery.

Assume a ‘coaching role’ supporting users in developing personal recovery plans; this can be delivered individually or in groups.

Support service users in making sense of their experiences of eating disorders and recovery. This might include understandings of personal and social recovery, health and wellbeing, personal and social identity whilst recognising that each individual’s recovery is a distinctive and deeply personal process.

Facilitate the individual to move through and beyond services.

Accept and respect service users personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.

Accompany service users to appointments/meetings/activities of their choice and performing a range of practical tasks aligned to recovery goals.

Sign-post individuals to various resources, opportunities and activities within the Trust and the community to promote choice and informed decision making.

Positively promote and support service users in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with community resources and actively supporting service users to access opportunities of their choice.

Communicate with patients/clients and carers with empathy, reassurance and tact.

Support the service user to prepare for meetings regarding their care e.g. assessments.

Help service users to access information on health promotion, mental and physical wellbeing.

Assist the service user to understand their rights and choices within the service.

Challenge any inequalities and to address any discrimination whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation, modelling positive, strengths-based, non-discriminatory, non-jargon, non-medicalised language in all areas of work.

Participate in and deliver Recovery College programmes where appropriate.

Raise the profile of peer support both within CNWL, and externally, through co-delivery of presentations, workshops, and participation in Trust wide peer related projects and audits: and information sharing as required and as agreed with the line manager.

Maintain professional relationships with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance of boundaries.

General Responsibilities

Work in accordance with CNWL’s Trust Values, Aims and Objectives.

To act as an ambassador for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations.

Work at all times to promote equality, diversity, inclusivity and justice. As well as individual human rights.

Be efficient, responsible and maintain a high level of personal organisation; keeping accurate and appropriate records and providing information for monitoring and evaluation as required.

To prioritise your own personal wellbeing, and to seek support if issues arise with work-life balance.

Work flexibly, being prepared to perform other duties commensurate with the role which may include new areas of operation following consultation.

Work alongside and ensure active service user and carer participation in all aspects of work including design, implementation and monitoring of activities.

Learning and Development

To participate in Trust mandatory training & development opportunities considered appropriate to the Eating Disorders PSW role and as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Undertake the accredited ‘Developing Expertise in Peer Support’ Level 4 module.

To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual development review/ Appraisal.

To receive regular line management supervision in addition to discipline specific supervision.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

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.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training
Completion of Level 4 City University accredited course “Developing Expertise in Peer Support” course.
Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

Desirable criteria

Accredited certificate in Life Coaching
Accredited peer support worker training

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

Own personal lived experience of a(n) eating disorder(s)
Experience of having personally accessed eating disorders services.
Paid or unpaid working experience in health and social care .
Developed plans for managing own mental wellbeing
Willing to positively share own life experiences and personal experiences of an eating disorder with service users.

Desirable criteria

Paid or unpaid peer support worker experience.
Involvement in service redesign and development.
Paid or unpaid experience of working with people with eating disorders.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

Essential criteria

Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery
Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form peer relationships with service users and carers
Effective listening skills
Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Trust
Ability to appreciate / understand other people’s worlds
Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience
An ability to be non-judgemental
An ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
Knowledge of how to build community links and networks
Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service user
Understanding of issues arising from experiencing mental ill health
Sensitive understanding of diversity issues and an ability to promote anti-discriminatory practice/ equal opportunities
Ability to demonstrate practical skills to provide support with daily living activities
Excellent planning, self-management and organisational skills
Effective team player skills
An awareness of behaviour and interactions as meaningful communications
Ability to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently with guidance
Ability to challenge issues in relation to stigma, low expectations and discriminatory practice in an effective manner
Emotional intelligence and reflectivity with ability to work effectively with others to bring about change in a complex and dynamic organisation

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of basic food hygiene
Knowledge of basic first aid
Basic Health and Safety awareness
Moving and handling awareness
Awareness of local services
Knowledge of benefits/ employment systems
Ability to demonstrate a good understanding of mental health issues
Ability to speak other languages
Working knowledge of the principles of coproduction
Knowledge of current legislation which underpins Health and Social Care and a working knowledge of the Equalities Act 2010 and Human Rights Act

Other

Essential criteria

A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate (e.g. some evenings & weekends)
Ability to travel between locations using own or public transport

Numeracy and Literacy

Essential criteria

Acceptable level of written literacy and numeracy
Basic IT skills i.e. word & email

Documents

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Kelsea McCready
Job title: Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 02076856218
Additional information: Please do get in contact if you have any questions or would like to visit prior to interview.