Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Acute Peer Support Worker

The closing date is 09 November 2025

Job summary

Do you have lived experience of mental health difficulties, or have you cared for someone who has?

Do you want to use your understanding of mental health recovery to support people facing similar challenges?

Peer Support Workers are people with lived experience of mental health conditions and mental health services. They use their experiences and empathy to support other people and their families receiving mental health services, and to model recovery.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, compassionate, highly motivated Peer Support Worker to join our Inpatient team. The successful candidate will work as an integral member of our Inpatient multi-disciplinary teams, helping to support people on their recovery journey.

We're thrilled that you are thinking of joining us.

We serve a population of approximately 150,000 residents, making the services we offer variable and personalised with a flexible approach to our service users.

The Isle of Wight is a unique and stunning gem located off the South Coast of England, a short ferry journey from Portsmouth and Southampton, with journey times taking from as little as 10 minutes. London can be reached in 90 minutes by rail from Southampton or Portsmouth. There is a regional airport at Southampton, with flights to many European destinations as well as UK mainland cities. The island offers an amazing coastline with beautiful countryside, year round events, festivals and award-winning attractions.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 3 Peer Support Worker, you will play a key role in offering empathetic support alongside practical assistance to empower people to feel in control of their lives and their own unique recovery process. This role will focus on supporting people in our inpatient setting.

You will:

*Promote choice, self-determination and opportunities for the fulfilment of socially valued roles and connection to local communities.

*To act as a recovery champion within the team

*You will support clinical staff working within the Acute Care pathway to ensure that people are offered the right support at the right time..

*To contribute to new service developments and actively take these forwards as required.

*You will need to be able to establish empathetic and respectful relationships within clear boundaries, engaging effectively and communicating with people in crisis, often under challenging and emotive circumstances.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Date posted

27 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year based on full time hours

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

348-IOW-9012

Job locations

Sevenacres

Parkhurst Road

Newport

Isle of Wight

PO30 5TG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

* Commitment to work towards formal peer support accredited training

Desirable

* Training for lived experience practitioners
* Evidence of further related training

Experience

Essential

* Personal lived experience of mental health distress
* Direct experience of using secondary mental health services
* Basic understanding of Peer Support
* Ability to support others in a Recovery Orientated way
* Ability to role model, empower and enable others
* Understanding of how lived experience of mental health problems can be used to support others
* Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
* Understanding of recovery focussed principles and how they can influence support
* Understanding of the issues and concerns that people may have in relation to their care
* Able to maintain the profile of the peer support service within a multidisciplinary multiagency setting

Desirable

* Experience of working with peers and/ or clinicians using a co-production methodology within a work setting.
* Experience of contributing to a research project or audit
* Experience of collaborative working alongside professionals in either a statutory or non-statutory mental health service
* Experience of group work interventions
* Ability to challenge clinical practice and attitudes in a diplomatic way
* Knowledge of mental health policies and legislation that may contribute to support
* Understanding of the issues and concerns that people may have in relation to their care

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

* Commitment to work towards formal peer support accredited training

Desirable

* Training for lived experience practitioners
* Evidence of further related training

Experience

Essential

* Personal lived experience of mental health distress
* Direct experience of using secondary mental health services
* Basic understanding of Peer Support
* Ability to support others in a Recovery Orientated way
* Ability to role model, empower and enable others
* Understanding of how lived experience of mental health problems can be used to support others
* Understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
* Understanding of recovery focussed principles and how they can influence support
* Understanding of the issues and concerns that people may have in relation to their care
* Able to maintain the profile of the peer support service within a multidisciplinary multiagency setting

Desirable

* Experience of working with peers and/ or clinicians using a co-production methodology within a work setting.
* Experience of contributing to a research project or audit
* Experience of collaborative working alongside professionals in either a statutory or non-statutory mental health service
* Experience of group work interventions
* Ability to challenge clinical practice and attitudes in a diplomatic way
* Knowledge of mental health policies and legislation that may contribute to support
* Understanding of the issues and concerns that people may have in relation to their care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Sevenacres

Parkhurst Road

Newport

Isle of Wight

PO30 5TG

Employer's website

https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Sevenacres

Parkhurst Road

Newport

Isle of Wight

PO30 5TG

Employer's website

https://hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)