Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Please note: This role is fixed term for 6 months.
Working across all of our community and inpatient mental health service sites in the local areas of Hillingdon, the role of the Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner will support the development and ongoing delivery of CNWL’s Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice provision within Hillingdon.
Across these sites, the post holder will work to ensure Peer Support Worker (PSW) roles are created and undertaken in line with our trust wide policies and practices, and that PSWs and Senior PSWs are suitably supported with their work and that the Recovery agenda is maintained across sites.
The post holder will work to facilitate and maintain service user and carer involvement in the borough of Hillingdon.
In addition, the postholder will contribute as a leading stakeholder within the Recovery and Wellbeing College spokes and will be responsible for occasional delivery of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Working across this service line, the Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner will support the development and ongoing delivery of CNWL’s Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice provision.
The post holders will work to ensure Peer Support Worker (PSW) roles in Hillingdon are created and undertaken in line with our trust wide policies and practices, and that PSWs and Senior PSWs are suitably supported with their work and that the Recovery agenda is maintained throughout.
The post holders will work with a number of people with mental health difficulties currently being treated within local services, to undertake 1-1 lived experience specialist support or run a peer group to complement the work of the service.
In addition, the post holder will contribute as a leading stakeholder within the Recovery and Wellbeing College spokes and will be responsible for occasional delivery of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.
CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 7,000 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.
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. See attached Staff Reward and Wellbeing Handbook detailing our benefits, discounts and wellbeing initiatives for staff.
Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.
To promote understanding of the principles and practice of the peer and lived experience practitioner roles across the borough of Hillingdon.
To meet regularly with Senior Peer Support Worker(s) for individual supervision (professional supervision and line management as delegated by manager).
To contribute to Borough Senior Management Team meetings, site-based management meetings and locality wide meetings regarding peer working and lived experience practitioner roles and perspectives.
To contribute as a leading stakeholder to the local Recovery and Wellbeing College spoke. This will include attending and organising meetings to report on the feedback and delivery of Recovery and Wellbeing College snapshots across sites and regular liaison with the central Recovery and Wellbeing College team.
Contribute to service development meetings and across
To coordinate and deliver Team Preparation sessions for teams in the process of recruiting a new Peer Support Worker or Lived Experience Practitioner.
To scope out and support teams to consider new peer worker roles within their skill mix, and co-run information sessions promoting the roles to external applicants, contribute to shortlisting, interviews or assessment centres and eventual induction of new staff.
To ensure all Peer Support Workers and Lived Experience Practitioners have a clear, up to date and expert offering to those they work with in regards to community resources to support recovery and social inclusion.
To propose policy or service changes for their own work area or beyond their own work area that contributes to a culture across Hillingdon that is therapeutic, productive, accessible, inclusive, flexible and responsive to service user’s needs.
Promote positive understanding, awareness and attitudes towards mental health as part of day-to-day duties.
Participate in and actively contribute to Lived Experience Practitioner supervision, mandatory training and team meetings, and organisational events as required.
Ensure excellent communication and liaison with colleagues within the wider services of the Trust, being an agent for change and a champion of recovery in all interactions both within and outside the organisation.
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.
Lived Experience Specialist Work and/or Group Work
Support to organise and co-facilitate bi-monthly Service User and Carer Involvement Group in Hillingdon. Ensuring that it remains a safe space and a platform for involvement and co-production opportunities in the borough of Hillingdon.
Provide person centred, strengths-based support, informed by experiential knowledge of ‘lived experience’ (direct personal experience of mental and emotional distress), supporting service users to maintain or regain a sense of agency and autonomy throughout contact with services.
To advocate for service users within Multi-Disciplinary meetings, supporting the team to consider different perspectives, ideologies and worldviews.
Deliver specialist group lived experience-based work where appropriate. This may include peer groups on inpatient wards or within the community and Recovery and Wellbeing College snapshot courses.
Work in highly sensitive and complex situations, at times with people who are experiencing very high levels of distress.
To keep and maintain accurate, quality and up to date records (using the appropriate computer systems including systmOne.).
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.
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 and 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 Lived Experience Practitioner role and as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).
To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development review/ Appraisal.
To receive regular line management supervision in addition to discipline specific supervision

Please refer the Job description for details