Peer support is based on the recognition that there is no better person to support the path towards recovery than someone who has walked the same or similar path as that individual, and could support them to develop a career within the NHS or wider health care system.
We can even boast that as well as promoting the recovery of others, the Peer role has been instrumental in the Peers’ ongoing recovery journey. We have seen Peers go on to become Senior Peers, Senior Health Care Social Workers, Counsellors and enter Occupational Therapy courses at University.
While Peer support can be found across the organisation, Community Roots Peers are linked to inpatient services where they use their lived experience to drive a person-centred approach, involving themselves in patient meetings, one-one’s, delivery of sessions requested by the service users and are also making a real difference to services based on their support of Friends and Family Test (FFT) through the use of iPads.
Moving forward Peers will be further linked to the Community Roots offer and not only supporting service users in those services to access sessions, but providing a vital link to the Community Roots offer post-discharge, providing a valuable bridge between in-patient and community settings. As we move forward we are also exploring further exciting opportunities to utilise lived experience to provide hope to those experiencing a similar journey.