Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner

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There's a place for you at CNWL.
We're passionate about delivering first class patient centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient's own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We're always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we're hoping to find our future leaders and we'll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more - whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Site Riverside Centre Town Uxbridge, London Salary £44,485 - £52,521 per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 22/12/:59 Interview date 05/01/2026

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 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.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

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. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview Working across all of our community and inpatient mental health service sites in the local area of Hillingdon, the role of the Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner will be to support the development and ongoing delivery of CNWL's Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice provision within the Borough.

Across these sites, the postholder will work to ensure Peer Support Worker (PSW) roles are created and undertaken in line with our Trust wide policies and practices, that PSWs and Senior PSWs are suitably supported with their work, and that the Recovery agenda is maintained across sites.

The postholder will work to facilitate and maintain service user and carer involvement initiatives across the borough of Hillingdon.

In addition, the postholder will contribute as a leading stakeholder within the Recovery and Wellbeing College and will be responsible for occasional delivery of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.

Main duties of the job The main duties of the job include:

• Support to establish and cofacilitate a regular 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.
• Deliver specialist group and 1:1 lived experience based work where appropriate. This may include working alongside service users in developing crisis, recovery and wellbeing plans, Advanced Decisions/Statements and personal network maps, peer groups and other therapeutic groups within the community and inpatient services and facilitation of Recovery and Wellbeing College courses.
• Regularly contribute to trauma informed case formulations alongside the wider MDT.
• Engage with local community and third sector providers within the borough of Hillingdon to foster positive working relationships.
• 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.
• 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).
• Engage in self reflective practices and commit to continued personal development.

Working for our organisation CNWL employs over 100 peer workers in a variety of settings.

These include:

Mental Health Services including: Inpatient services (including Older Adult and Rehabilitation), Community Mental Health Hubs, Eating Disorders Services, Perinatal Mental Health Services, The Dual Diagnosis Team, Carer and Parent Support Workers, The Young Adult Pathway.

Services beyond Mental Health including: Complex Care, Addictions Services, Health and Justice, Sexual Health Services, The Recovery & Wellbeing College

Detailed job description and main responsibilities The detailed job description and main responsibilities include:

• 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.
• To participate in Trust mandatory training & development opportunities considered appropriate to the Advanced 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.

Person specification Education and qualification

• Completion of Peer Support Training
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Undergraduate degree or able to demonstrate equivalent skills in research, writing or analysis
• Mentorship or clinical supervision training

Experience (Paid/Non paid)

• Lived experience of recovery from mental and emotional distress, and experience of using secondary care mental health services
• Experience as a peer worker
• Experience of delivering mentoring and/or supervision/appraisal
• Experience of teaching and training or facilitating groupwork
• Experience of relationship building and partnership working
• Experience of working with a range of organisations to support service users to reach their personal goals
• Experience in using electronic patient records systems such as RiO, SystemOne or CareNotes
• Experience of public speaking Liaising and working with colleagues from other disciplines
• Involvement in service redesign and development

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

• Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery at an expert level
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to others
• Awareness of the service user/ survivor movement and the history of Intentional Peer Support
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of mental health service users
• Knowledge and commitment to service users rights, involvement and service-user led initiatives
• Understanding and practical knowledge of a variety of recovery approaches
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice
• Demonstrable skills in effective leadership
• Ability to take part in activities for improving quality
• Ability to manage own workload, prioritise and seek creative solutions
• Understanding of the importance of equality and diversity
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
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