Hepatitis B Peer Support Worker

Do you have your own personal lived experience of aHepatitis B diagnosis? Do you have some experience of working in a related health or social care field?We are looking for people who are willing to positively share their personal experiences with others in order to support service users in their journey of recovery.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to develop the first Peer Support Worker role within Hepatitis B services in the UK.

We are seeking to recruit a Hepatitis B Peer Support Worker to be part of an established, experienced and friendly Viral Hepatitis team based at Mortimer Market Centre, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

Mortimer Market Centre provides outpatient care for around 4,900 People living with HIV, and also approximately 500 people living with Chronic Viral Hepatitis.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual who would be committed to working within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and a catchment area which serves a socioeconomically and culturally diverse population.

The successful candidate will have a central role in developing Peer Support within the Hepatitis Service, supported by our well-embedded HIV Peer Support Worker team and Health Advisers.

Peer Support Workers use their lived experience to bridge the road to recovery. By sharing your own experiences, you will help service users understand how to manage life after a diagnosis of Hepatitis B. Offering understanding, acceptance and empathy based on shared experience, Peer Support Workers model ‘the gift of hope’ by offering images of possibility, as well as providing practical information, support and ideas about coping strategies and problem solving based on their own personal lived experience.

Though ‘clinical recovery’ might not be a current reality for people who have been diagnosed with Hepatitis B, we use the definition of recovery as“the purposeful pursuit of a good life, irrespective of the absence or presence of symptoms, built around the pillars of hope, opportunity and control, with self-management and social inclusion at the heart.”When we define recovery in this way, we consider it to be relevant to people affected by Hepatitis B. The role of the Peer Support Worker in the Hepatitis Service will be to support people to attain the recovery of a life after a Hepatitis diagnosis.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 7,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. The trust is recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare.

All staff members are expected to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members.

You will be fully supported in your personal and professional development through training, as well as regular 1:1 supervision within the line management structure, along with peer supervision and involvement in Trustwide PSW development events.

Please noteonly candidates who have personal experienceof living with a diagnosis of Hepatitis B should apply.

Please refer to your recovery journey and experiences of living with this diagnosis within your application. You will also be asked to give a short presentation on your recovery story at interview, should you be invited.
1. To work with the multi-disciplinary team to provide emotional and practical peer support to mono-infected Hepatitis B service users in order to motivate engagement, build self-esteem and confidence.
2. To support newly diagnosed and existing service users regarding adjustment to Hepatitis B diagnosis.
3. To provide a supportive and respectful relationship with service users, respecting their personal beliefs, uniqueness and identity.
4. To assume a ‘coaching’ role supporting service users in developing personal wellbeing plans; this can be delivered individually or in groups to assist individuals in managing their physical and mental wellbeing.
5. To model/mentor a recovery process and demonstrate self-management skills and techniques, using own experience of recovery to illustrate a life beyond a Hepatitis B diagnosis.
6. To contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and review of care as part of the multi-disciplinary team; encouraging the individual to co-produce their care.
7. To skilfully utilise personal experience of recovery and act as a role model for service users, inspiring hope, sharing personal life experience and lessons learned as a person in ongoing recovery.
8. To assist service users in identifying their own strengths, personal interests and goals; providing opportunities for service users to direct their own recovery process.
9. To assist in the development and implementation of educational and peer-facilitated support groups and activities which complement the team plan.
10. To collaborate closely with all staff groups at the Hepatitis Service in order to appropriately link service users with the most appropriate support.
11. To refer and signpost patients to internal and external services, for further support as appropriate.
12. To positively promote and support service users in the community by maintaining extensive knowledge and links with community resources and to actively support service users to access opportunities of their choice.
13. To develop and maintain excellent working relations with the Hepatitis voluntary sector, local partners, mental health services, homeless charities and other relevant organisation.
14. To develop and maintain excellent working relationships with local partners including GPs, mental health and social services, hostels and other organisations.
15. To meet, welcome, introduce and orientate service users, their carers and families to the service.
16. To support the service user to prepare for meetings regarding their care e.g. assessments, review meetings etc.
17. To help service users to access information on health promotion, mental and physical wellbeing.
18. To report service user progress and areas of concern to the multi-disciplinary team (verbally & on the local electronic record keeping system).
19. To assist the service user to understand their rights and choices within the service.
20. Report any untoward incidents or unusual occurrences to the manager/senior clinician.
21. To support the delivery of relevant learning and development activities for the multidisciplinary team regarding living with Hepatitis B.
22. To maintain professional relationships with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance of boundaries.
23. To actively challenge inequalities and to address discrimination whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation.