Peer Support Worker in Opac

Do you have a belief that peer support can fit in anywhere?

Do you believe our mental health and physical health can't be fully separated?

If yes - then this may be the job for you

This will be a 12 month fixed term role for Peer Support Workers to gain experience in four areas across our OPAC division.

Community Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation Team

The CPFT Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation Service provides rehabilitation to people after a stroke and those with other long-term neurological conditions.

Multiple Sclerosis Team

We provide counselling, support and symptom management for people Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Huntingdonshire and those affected by their diagnosis, through all stages of the disease from diagnosis to palliative care.

Community Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy team

We provide comprehensive community rehabilitation and specialist therapy services to meet the rehabilitation needs of people over the age of 18 years old.

Myalgic Encephalomielitis (ME)/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) team

ME/CFS is a debilitating, chronic multi-system illness. Although a definitive cause for the condition is still unknown, current research suggests that the autonomic nervous system, neuroendocrine system, and the immune system are the body systems likely to be involved in the condition that is ME/CFS.

As a Peer Support Worker you will provide practical assistance to peers in order for the individual to regain control over their lives and their own unique recovery process.

This is a particularly exciting role as you will be based in physical health teams.

You will be placed within areas that likely haven't experienced peer support workers before and explore where peer support work fits with staff and peers.

By carving out a role from within the service you will be able to show the possibility that peer support work can be embedded anywhere

This will be a 12 month fixed term role for 2 Peer Support Workers to gain experience in four areas across our OPAC Division.
- Community Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation Team
- Multiple Sclerosis Team
- Community Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Team
- Myolagic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Team

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- Establish a supportive and respectful relationship with peers and other service users.
- Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on your mutual resources as peers and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
- Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief, self-advocacy and hopefulness via the telling of own recovery story to inspire and instil confidence in peers.
- Assist peers and other service users in creating a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) and advanced directives to feed into the CPA process.
- Support peers and other service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.
- Facilitate access to community groups and networks that enable peers and other service users to participate in community activities, in order to maximise opportunities for taking on socially valued roles and positive identity.
- Accompany peers and other service users to appointments/meetings of their choice and perform a range of practical tasks, aligned to recovery goals.
- Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi-disciplinary team members, peers, other service users and carers.
- Ensure that peers’ recovery goals are integrated into the Trust’s CPA process and are reviewed on a regular basis, liaising closely with care co-ordinators as necessary.
- DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website