Peer Support Worker - London, United Kingdom - South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Verified Company

London, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

This peer support role is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the trust wide project called PCREF (Patient Carer Race Equality Framework) which is aiming to improve access, experience, and outcomes for Black Service Users.

The primary goal of this role is to provide peer support and advocacy to Black communities in the Croydon borough who are dealing with mental health challenges.

Peer Support Workers will be responsible for collaborating with Trust services and establishing connections to support Black patients and carers.

They will use their own lived experiences of mental health issues and services to help others, providing an inclusive space where individuals feel respected, accepted, and understood.

They will understand that everyone's experience will be unique but will treat everyone's experience as being equally important.

Key responsibilities of this role will include building positive relationships with Black service users, carers and communities including mental health support services.

Peer Support Workers will support patients who use services intensely and use insights from partnership working with community organisations and the Croydon Community IAG to develop a culturally appropriate care model aimed at reducing repeated admissions.

Support workers/Advocates will use their knowledge and expertise to ensure that Black service users' views, wishes and needs are considered, expressed, and heard.

They will support them to access culturally appropriate care and work with the Croydon Community IAG to build and maintain good working relationships with community organisations to support Black patients on their journey to recovery.

This role will need individuals who acknowledge the inherent challenges of racism for Black communities within traditional mental health services.

South London and Maudsley NHS Trust is recruiting Black male and female applicants (of African and Caribbean heritage), as the statutory requirement of the Equality Act 2010, Advance Equalities in Mental Health 2020 and Patient, Carer Race Equality Framework 2020, to address the importance of Black patient safety.

These posts are therefore restricted to Black applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9 and Part 1.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

There are very few organizations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness.

Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations:
care and treatment, science and research, and training.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

To work effectively as a member of CAMHS or Adult Mental Health teams and the wider multidisciplinary team.
Contribute to feedback and evaluation following interventions and provide insights on patient's participation, including any concerns or suggestions.
To work with groups of patients (people) on a ward or other community areas to assist them in developing and expressing rights to cultural appropriate care.
To call and/or meet with patients on wards or other convenient places to help them prepare for meetings and to attend appointments with them to speak on their behalf where they unable or do not have the capacity, take notes, and ensure that they understand the proceedings.
To facilitate access for Black patients (people) within and outside NHS organisations e.g., in terms of their presenting needs and support in relation to NHS care or local authorities, housing, employment and social care.
To respect the service user's right to privacy and to ensure that their dignity is always maintained, by ensuring confidentiality and safe keeping of client's records.
To keep patients informed of the progress on advocacy issues in addition to the ultimate outcome.
To maintain accurate records of all interactions with clients in accordance with statutory requirements, relevant legislation and in line with the requirements of our funders and challenge any racialization or stereotypes of Black service users.
Working with the Croydon Community IAG to build and maintain good working relationships with community organisations, Ward inpatient staff, within a culturally appropriate coproduction and coaccountability framework.
To liaise with and challenge NHS, care professionals or local authorities as appropriate to ensure that due processes have been followed.
To raise any safeguarding issues in line with SLaM's policy and procedures.
To attend team meetings, take part in regular one to one supervision, training, appraisal with managers and group supervision to assess and measure cultural advocate role in support of Black