Do you have expertise from your own lived experience of mental health? Have you experience of working in peer support in a similar setting?
We are recruiting a new peer support specialist role to work at the Department of Psychiatry in Eastbourne. These roles involve working with patients during their inpatient stay and as they plan to leave the ward and across the transition to other care.
Please note: You must have relevant lived experience of managing your own mental health to be shortlisted for this role, and the peer support skills and experience to use it in an acute setting.
A new hospital in Bexhill will replace our inpatient services at the Department of Psychiatry. This means that, if you are successful in your application, you will be asked to transfer to the new location when they open later in 2026.
Main duties of the job
Peer Support Specialists will work alongside patients at all stages of their inpatient stay. You will be delivering peer-led groups and activities, while offering more structured peer support with patients on admission, during their stay and where possible, for a set time after discharge, linking them with peer support in other services, VCSE and statutory.
As part of the clinical team, peer support specialists can support collaborative care planning and review, enabling these processes to be more accessible and inclusive. Peer support on the wards will enable patients to be heard and more involved in the service provision and improvement.
About us
There is a strong professional network for peer support staff across the Trust with a bespoke peer training package, peer supervision and mentorship offered alongside regular clinical supervision and line management within teams. Our peer support staff also have networks for peer to peer learning and support.
In return for your skills and enthusiasm, we can offer you interesting and rewarding work that makes a difference, as well as providing excellent learning opportunities.
Job responsibilities
Peer Support workers engage with mental health service users to show empathy, share lived experience, inspire hope and promote recovery.
Peer support is delivered through mutuality, empowerment and choice and giving the opportunity for the exploration of meaning and purpose.
Peer support is part of our multi-disciplinary offer and supervision is regularly provided to support the work.
In this role as a Peer Support Specialist you will be working at a more independent level, and may have the opportunity to guide and mentor less experienced peer support workers. You will be part of a community of practice where you will have the opportunity to contribute to the learning and direction of our develop programme of peer support.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS
* Health care or relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent skills acquired through experience or formal teaching qualification
* A recognised Peer Support qualification
* Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE
* Significant experience of providing peer support to people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity in health/social care setting
* Experience of working with groups and running activities
* Experience of supervising or mentoring others
* Lived experience of mental health issues/difficulties
* Managing personal mental health and recovery
* Comprehensive knowledge of Peer Support, Recovery and Wellbeing in mental health and ability to apply this throughout your work
* Experience of seeking support in role and using peer leadership to guide practice
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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