HIV Peer Support Mentor

Job Advert

As part of NHS London's new opt-out HIV testing in Emergency Departments (ED) across London hospitals, you will work with key clinical partners to deliver peer support to those testing HIV positive.

You will manage a caseload of clients, with a focus on individuals newly diagnosed with HIV and those struggling to remain engaged in care. Your role will also involve providing support through referrals to specialist services, including substance use, mental health, and welfare advice and advocacy support.

Main Tasks

1. Work with METRO's HIV Peer Mentoring team and NHS clinical teams to deliver support for patients living with HIV, often with complex needs, to ensure engagement with care, adherence to treatment and viral suppression.

2. Carry your own caseload of mainly complex and vulnerable clients located at various South London NHS trusts.

3. Offer clients up to 12 sessions of individual support, as well as group work support.

4. Work with clients diagnosed at Accident and Emergency (A&E) through the 'opt out' testing services, and with clients who are either inpatients or find it difficult to adhere to medication.

5. Signpost clients to relevant support services in relation to mental health, drug and alcohol, housing, debt, benefits, and immigration issues.

6. Understand safeguarding risks and be able to implement safeguarding procedures, including making safeguarding reports to the local authority.

METRO is looking for a committed and motivated individual with lived experience of HIV to work with our Peer Mentoring team. You will be working to deliver peer support interventions for people living with HIV in hospitals in South London. Our programme of support delivers individual support to people living with HIV through mentoring, as well as occasional opportunities for group work. Key duties include mentoring people living with HIV, as well as contributing to programme outcomes and helping to manage relationships with hospital staff.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive peer mentoring team that reflects the communities we serve. As such, we particularly welcome applications from women with lived experience of HIV, as this helps us address service gaps for women affected by gender-based violence, trafficking, and other complex needs. In line with the Equality Act 2010, this role will involve work in women-only spaces where being a woman is a genuine occupational requirement.

To meet the needs of the people we support, you should be a proactive self-starter who can work some evenings, weekends and work from a number of our different settings.

Application Process

As part of this recruitment process, you will be asked to answer questions in the online application form to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and experience and through information gathered by sharing your CV. The information you share will be evaluated and shortlisted against the following criteria.

CV Criteria

• Lived experience relevant to women's health and social inequality, particularly in the context of HIV. And the ability to offer peer support in women-only spaces, including those affected by gender-based violence, trafficking, or pregnant while living with HIV.
• Five or more GCSEs or the equivalent, which may be 1 year of work/volunteer experience
• Experience running or participating in peer mentoring or support (formal or informal), OR demonstrable ability to build trust, share lived experience appropriately, and offer emotional support
• Experience developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships
• Ability to work with clients with English as their second language, including those using multiple languages.
• Ability and willingness to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends

NOTE: For this application, you will also be asked to write to 6 specification criteria. For each criteria, a box is provided that has a character limit equivalent to approximately 300 words. When prompted, use the dropdown to choose 6 so enough boxes will be created for you to answer each specification criteria in a separate box.

Applicants who don't answer all 6 criteria listed below limit their ability to be considered and shortlisted for this role. For further information on responding to these criteria, format suggestions, and the criteria that will be assessed in the interview stage, please download the application guidance notes.

Job Specification Criteria

• Understanding of issues affecting people and communities living with HIV, including current HIV treatment and prevention
• Well-developed communication skills, both verbal and written, in a range of settings, including via telephone and online
• Knowledge of safeguarding, including a willingness and ability to develop skills through training, particularly around safeguarding, assessments, and referrals
• Experience developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships
• Experience running or participating in peer mentoring or support (formal or informal), OR demonstrable ability to build trust, share lived experience appropriately, and offer emotional support
• Experience conducting assessments and referrals with service users, or a willingness and ability to learn these processes through training