Diabetes Peer Support Worker

Band 3 Diabetes Peer Support worker

Lived experience of using health services is essential for this role.

The role of Peer Support Worker has been developed specifically for people who have lived experience of using health services. Through sharing their own experiences, Peer Support Workers will inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.

The role will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users in order for them to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery process. Within a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, they will promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of personally valued roles and connection to local communities.

People will need to have completed the ELFT Accredited Peer Support Worker Training or have experience of working as a Peer Support Worker (and complete the ELFT APSW training within 6 months of recruitment).

Co-production is one of the foundations at ELFT and you will work closely with the Community Diabetes Team and patients on their caseload, to co-produce and co-develop care plans and health promotion sessions.

The post-holder will also be involved in raising the awareness of the complexity of the health and social challenges people with Type Two Diabetes and the impact this has on mental health & well-being and vice versa. A key aim of the service is to help people manage their diagnosis and lead a full meaningful life.
- To provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users, working flexibly to meet individual needs.
- To assist service users to identify their strengths, personal interests and goals and support them to access and participate in health education activities which meet these whilst demonstrating acceptance of and respect towards service users' personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.
- To positively support living within their community through developing and maintain extensive knowledge and links with local areas and/or in the area the individual service users wish to return to and actively supporting them to access these resources including acting as an escort, e.g., in relation to vocation, education and leisure.
- To act as a role model and mentor for Recovery using own experience to inspire hope in others; demonstrating coping skills, sharing life experiences and lessons learned where appropriate.
- To support people to engage and attend their appointments and empower them to collaborate with clinicians in managing their diabetes including support to attend appointments and/or IT support if accessing virtual
- To support safety effectively in line with policies and procedures. To ensure any concerns regarding an individual's wellbeing, including issues of safeguarding, are raised with senior members of the team
- Support the delivering of Diabetes Structured Education in a variety of locations across Newham.

Newham Community Diabetes Service is based at Shrewsbury Road Health Centre. You will be working within an enthusiastic, friendly and exciting team of Community Diabetes Nurse Specialists and other health care professionals, providing clinical / education support for patients with diabetes and their carers.

The team comprises of highly motivating and supportive staff, you will be working in a friendly environment that will bring the best out of you. In East London NHS Foundation Trust, we value our staff and believe that anything worth doing is worth training for; you will be supported and trained to be able to provide effective care to our patients, carers and their families.

You must be self-motivating, organised, computer literate and able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills with a commitment to continued personal development.

At ELFT Newham Community Diabetes Service, we offer DESMOND structured type 2 education programme. Training will be provided to staff who are currently not DESMOND trained to be able to deliver DESMOND).

Kindly refer to the job description and person specification that is attached to the vacancy profile.