HIV Re-Engagement Peer Support Coordinator, Central West and North West London

Salary: £32,000 per year pro rata - £22,400 per annum for 3.5 days per week

Hours: 3.5 days a week (24.5 hours per week). The role involves some evening and weekend work. Time off in lieu is offered.

Terms: Fixed term contract for 12 months, with potential for extension; 4-month probation period.

Annual Leave: 17.5 days annual leave entitlement per year (pro-rated from 25 days for fulltime staff)

Job Location: Naz’s office 30 Blacks Road W6 9DT and visiting multiple sites across Greater London

You will provide an integrated offer of HIV re‑engagement peer support, contacting people who have been out of HIV care and supporting them to return to care. Your approach will be person‑centred and trauma informed, prioritising safety, trust, and cultural consideration. The role will be based out of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Imperial NHS Trust sites in North West and Central West London. You will also travel to meet people across North West and Central West London in community settings where needed. You will work closely with a multi‑disciplinary team at the NHS clinics and also with other community organisations. You will manage an ongoing caseload of people living with HIV who will often have complex needs, and will be responsible for continuing support to encourage people back into care.

About Naz: Naz is a sexual health charity working to address sexual health inequalities in Black, Brown and Global Majority and LGBTQ+ communities. We have over 30 years of experience working across London to provide culturally specific interventions to communities disproportionately impacted by poor sexual, reproductive and HIV outcomes. Our evidence‑based interventions are designed to enable those with the greatest risk of poor sexual health outcomes to have fulfilling sexual lives, understand how to access the right local service and ultimately to support better physical, mental, and sexual health outcomes.

This project will find people who are living with diagnosed HIV but who are not accessing care. We understand that the reasons people fall out of HIV care are complex and overlapping, with issues including unsecure housing or homelessness, mental and physical health issues, navigating the immigration system, substance use, poverty, or having lives which feel chaotic and where living well with HIV takes a back seat. We also understand that people may have lost trust in services due to poor previous experiences, may have missed appointments and drifted away from care, or otherwise slip through cracks in the system. We will support them from where they are right now – having conversations with them to better understand the issues that may be impacting their access to care.

The project will build a re‑engagement team that brings together peer support workers, NHS clinicians including a community nurse and health advisor, and community organisations, with this peer engagement role having a central place in the model. The project will work in North West and Central West London, including the boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea. It is delivered in partnership led by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation trust, with London North West University Trust and Imperial NHS Trust, with Naz Project, Positively UK, Plushealth, Antidote, and funded by Fast Track Cities London.

Who we are looking for: Our model for engagement is peer‑to‑peer, as this fosters trust through shared experience. We are looking for someone with their own experience of living with HIV for at least 2 years, and possibly personal experience of some of the barriers to staying in care, such as navigating the immigration system, homelessness, or drug use. You will understand the intersections around accessing health care, stigma, and competing priorities, as well as having the ability to communicate well and reach people on a personal level.

Other information: You must be able to regularly travel across North West and Central West London to HIV clinics, and to meet clients. This post will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. This role is only open to people living with HIV, under the genuine occupational requirement for peer‑led support (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1).

Benefits of working with us:

• Full Employee Assistance Programme - a confidential employee benefit designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life or work life, health and general wellbeing
• 25 days Annual Leave per year (pro‑rated for part‑time staff), in addition to Bank Holidays
• Exceptionally diverse and inclusive workplace with a welcoming culture

How to apply: We particularly welcome applications from Black African and other Global Majority communities disproportionately affected by HIV. If you have any questions around the role, please contact Kim Hawkins at kim@naz.org.uk. To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter to kim@naz.org.uk.

Main responsibilities of Post:

• Peer support 1-1 interventions
• Using details provided by the NHS clinics, contact people living with HIV by phone, text and email
• Carry out community outreach to reach people who may not respond to direct contact
• Make initial contact with clients, frequently in community settings; register clients to the service and ongoing contact to facilitate engagement with the service
• Assessing client needs using a person‑centred assessment tool such as the wellbeing journey
• Completing accurate, person‑centred and individualised risk assessments. Identify any safeguarding concerns, taking appropriate action in‑line with organisational policy and making relevant referrals to other specialist services
• Co‑creating wellbeing plans with clients that are comprehensive, person‑centred and individualised, based on a clear assessment of that individual’s needs and circumstances.
• Signposting and referral to clinical services (such as counselling, psychology and mental health)
• Internally to Naz
• Externally to other voluntary and statutory services
• Casework and advocacy around areas of client need, such as access to hardship grants, welfare benefits, letters of support to the UKBA / NASS and Care Act referrals
• Regular follow‑ups and review with clients to assess their progress, ensure continued relevance of interventions, and supporting them in achieving and maintaining improvements
• Reassessment of need and exit from project, if appropriate
• Involving service users and their family/advocates in the planning of the individual’s care as appropriate
• Supporting individuals to effectively access NHS healthcare services including GPs; integrate digital self‑help and support resources into their action planning as necessary
• Refer clients to peer mentor / befriending services when appropriate
• Providing person‑centred care that reflects the rights, preferences and choices of individuals in an environment that is safe, healthy and maintains the individual’s dignity and wellbeing
• Enter and update appointments, notes and agreed assessments using NHS systems; manage and update appointment booking to ensure suitable online, phone and in‑person appointment slots are available and efficiently used

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Maintain up-to-date electronic records of service users’ information, interventions and progress, with each contact recorded
• Ensure all monitoring information, evaluation and reports are completed to agreed deadlines
• Use the wellbeing assessment tool to monitor wellbeing of service participants
• Support the development and implementation of systems for the evaluation of the project

Collaboration, Community and Team Working:

• Establish and strengthen working relationships with HIV clinics at Chelsea and Westminster Trust, Imperial NHS Trust and London North West University Trust
• Work alongside NHS healthcare services to optimise the care of people with HIV and enable them to access other services as appropriate
• Work collaboratively with partner organisations Positively UK, PlusHealth and London Friend
• Being committed to professional development and training opportunities offered by Naz; there will be mandatory trainings for this role and you will need to sign an honourary contract with the NHS Trusts to enable you to work out of their premises
• To represent Naz at public events relative to the needs and concerns of communities across London

Internal:

• To carry out the duties of the post with due regard to Naz policies such as Equal Opportunities, child protection and adult safeguarding, data protection and health and safety
• To carry out all duties in consultation with your Line Manager, staff, management committee, clients, special interest groups and external agencies as appropriate
• Undertake any other duties within your capabilities that are relevant to the job and reasonably requested of you by your Line Manager

Person Specification: Please see our full Person Specification at our website https://www.naz.org.uk/naz-vacancies. This is not included here due to LinkedIn's word limits. The selection panel will assess candidates against these criteria. Please write a cover letter that illustrates each area with examples from your experience that show your ability to undertake this job and your interest in working for Naz.