Lead Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner- Physical Health

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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.

• Lead Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner- Physical Health
• NHS Af C: Band 7

Main area Lived Experience Grade NHS Af C: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 333-C-HQ-2109

Site Argo House Town Kilburn Salary £55,524 - £62,652 per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 12/08/ :59

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

Are you passionate about using your lived experience to improve physical health services?

CNWL is seeking an experienced

Lead Physical Health Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner to lead the development and delivery of Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice across our physical health services.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence service development at a strategic level, embedding recovery-focused, person-centred and co-produced approaches that improve outcomes for patients, carers and communities.

Working across physical health pathways and service lines, you will support the growth of lived experience leadership and peer support practice.

You will ensure that Peer Support Workers, Senior Peer Support Workers and Advanced Lived Experience Practitioners are recruited, developed and supported in line with Trust standards and best practice.

Working closely with senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams, you will identify opportunities for lived experience roles to add value, develop the infrastructure needed to support these roles and promote inclusive, recovery-oriented models of care.

You will also play a key role in co-production, creating meaningful opportunities for patients, carers and communities to influence service design, quality improvement and workforce development.

The postholder will contribute to Trust-wide planning for Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, ensuring lived experience remains central to service transformation across CNWL.

Main duties of the job

• What You\'ll Do
• Lead the development and delivery of Peer Support and Lived Experience Practice across physical health services.
• Support, supervise and champion Peer Support Workers, Senior Peer Support Workers and Advanced Lived Experience Practitioners.
• Ensure staff receive high-quality induction, supervision, appraisal, reflective practice and continuing professional development opportunities.
• Promote lived experience approaches that support adjustment, hope, autonomy, self-management, recovery and wellbeing for people living with long-term conditions, disability, pain, fatigue, rehabilitation needs and complex treatment pathways.
• Lead and support co-production activities across physical health services.
• Create and sustain meaningful opportunities for patients, carers and communities to influence service design, pathway development, quality improvement, workforce development and communications.
• Work collaboratively with teams and senior leaders across the Trust to embed lived experience expertise within service delivery and transformation programmes.
• Support the development of inclusive, person-centred and recovery-focused cultures across physical health services.
• Working for our organisation

CNWL provides NHS services throughout a person’s life, in physical and mental health and everything in between, from GPs and hospitals to the community and in their own home.

Where community care is not possible, we offer several facilities to treat people in hospital or residential environments.

We also provide healthcare in prisons in London and the surrounding areas.

Partnerships are central to what we do here— with patients and their families, with staff, and with other organisations, especially commissioners and providers, but also with local authorities, GPs, universities, and the voluntary sector.

We envisage more in the years to come.

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.

• Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• Please see the attached job description and person specification

Please note

This vacancy does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship, unless you meet the criteria by temporary exemption from current changes to immigration rules put in force on 22/07/2025. “Separate provisions are applied to workers who have been sponsored and held continuously Skilled Worker visa since prior to 04/04/2024."

As such, if you don’t meet the Transitional Provision (above) we are unable to consider your application unless you can provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the United Kingdom.

If you believe you are eligible for sponsorship or already hold a valid right to work in the UK, please ensure you provide full details of your immigration status in the Pre-Screening Immigrationsection of your application form.

Please note role eligibility also depends on whether the role meets the salary threshold for the relevant occupational code (SOC CODE).

• Able to demonstrate equivalent skills in research, writing or analysis to postgraduate level
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Recovery-focused, peer support and/or lived experience related training activities.
• Full UK Driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Mentorship or clinical supervision training
• Leadership training
• Project management training.
• Quality improvement training
• PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
• Lived experience of recovery, adaptation, adjustment, self management or navigating services in relation to physical health challenges, long-term conditions, disability, significant treatment pathways and/or the wider impact of physical health difficulties.
• Experience as a peer worker Application and Interview
• Experience of working with people accessing physical health, rehabilitation , community health, long term condition or disability related services.
• Involvement in service redesign and development
• Experience of policy or guideline development
• Experience in managing complex HR issues with Application and interview January 2025 or of professionally using one’s lived experience within health or care settings.
• Experience of delivering supervision, appraisal, mentoring or development support to staff or contributors.
• Experience in using electronic patient record systems such as Ri O, Systm One or Care Notes.
• Experience of teaching, training or facilitating groups.
• Experience of relationship building and partnership working.
• Experience of public speaking and delivering presentations
• Experience of liaising and working with colleagues from other disciplines
• Experience of participating in audit, evaluation, research or quality improvement projects
• Experience of working across organisational boundaries and with a wide range of professional groups at a senior level.
• Experience of successfully managing programmes of work or projects.
• Experience of analysing organisational or team issues and developing and implementing resultant change strategies.
• Experience of recruitment and workforce planning.
• Experience of and commitment to co-production
• Experience of working with people accessing physical health, rehabilitation , community health, long term condition or disability related services
• Involvement in service redesign and development
• Experience of policy or guideline development
• Experience in managing complex HR issues with staff
• Experience in budget management
• Experience in strategy development and delivery
• Experience of working with information technology to keep track of operational performance
• Experience of coaching

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

• Ability to demonstrate first person experiential knowledge of recovery, adjustment, wellbeing and self management at an expert level.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the concept of personal recovery as it may apply to physical health, disability and long-term conditions
• Awareness of the service user/survivor movement and the history of Intentional Peer Support.
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of people accessing physical health services, including adjustment, identity, accessibility, stigma, treatment burden and social inclusion.
• Knowledge of and commitment to service user rights, involvement and service user led initiatives
• Understanding and practical knowledge of a variety of recovery, wellbeing, self management and socially inclusive approaches.
• Knowledge of trauma informed practice.
• Demonstrate 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, diversity, accessibility and reasonable adjustments.
• Excellent communication , interpersonal and presentation 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
• Ability to provide leadership and supervision to staff and contributors.
• Ability to deal with pressure, prioritisation, delegation and deadlines.
• Ability to work in accordance with trust policies and procedures
• Ability to work autonomously, on own initiative and under pressure to meet deadlines and competing priorities, and to make decisions independently within agreed timeframes
• Ability to prioritise workload, delegate effectively and support junior staff to do so
• Ability to regularly identify and undertake appropriate learning and development opportunities as part of ongoing CPD
• Ability to identify and effectively manage performance of self and others
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance, chair/facilitate meetings and develop positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders during change
• Awareness of community resources and service user groups
• Knowledge of current legislation that underpins health and social care and a working knowledge of the Equalities Act 2010 and Human Rights Act.
• APTITUDES, ATTITUDES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC S
• Ability to reflect sensitively on your personal experience of recovery to support others
• Ability to identify and take steps to support own wellbeing through a personal Wellness Recovery
• Develops others to grow their capacity and potential.
• Exhibits and promotes respect for service users, families and carers, individual staff, and teams
• Expresses and articulates ideas in a manner that is appropriate, accurate, and easily understood
• Seeks to ensure the provision of a high-quality service to service users, families, and carers.
• Collaborate with families, carers, and service users to co-produce service developments.
• Enthusiasm for peer working and the recovery agenda, curiosity about various service delivery models, and the capacity to explain the benefits of peer working in the context of multidisciplinary mental and physical health services.
• Other
• Ability to travel across the Trust by public transport

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work.

Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience.

AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant\'s chances of success.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully.

You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

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.

• Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system

• Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
• If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

• Name Kayleigh Reid Job title Head of Lived Experience Workforce (interim) Email address
• Additional information
• If you wish to discuss this role please email

Please note: The lead recruiter for this post will be on annual leave from an FAQ sheet has been prepared and can be found in the job advert.

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