Senior Peer Support Worker
Are you an experienced Peer Support Worker with lived experience of mental distress and using mental health services? East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) is recruiting a Senior Peer Support Worker to join the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team in London.
This permanent, part-time Band 4 position offers an opportunity to use your lived experience and professional peer-support experience to help people build hope, strengthen recovery and reconnect with their communities.
The closing date for applications is 16 September 2026.
Job Details
- Job title: Senior Peer Support Worker
- Employer: East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Team: Tower Hamlets Community Psychology
- Band: Band 4
- Salary: £34,186 to £37,389 per year pro rata, including HCAs
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Part-time
- Location: Mile End Hospital, Bancroft Road, London, E1 4DG
- Date posted: 10 September 2026
- Reference: 363-TH7768695
- Closing date: 16 September 2026
- Sponsorship: Applications requiring current Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcomed and will be considered
About the Role
The Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team works closely with voluntary, community and faith-based organisations to strengthen local resources and provide accessible, client-centred and culturally sensitive services.
The Senior Peer Support Worker role is specifically designed for someone with lived experience of mental distress and mental health services, combined with significant previous experience working as a Peer Support Worker.
You will use your own experiences appropriately to encourage hope, recovery and self-belief in others. The role focuses on mutuality, information sharing, choice and self-determination, while helping people identify their strengths and pursue personally meaningful goals.
As a senior member of the peer-support service, you will also help develop the service, support other Peer Support Workers, contribute to training and establish stronger links between mental health services and local communities.
Key Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
- Work as an integral member of the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team.
- Co-facilitate person-centred and community-centred activities focused on hope and recovery.
- Bring detailed knowledge of Tower Hamlets and its community organisations to the team.
- Lead the development of the peer-support offer alongside the service lead.
- Promote understanding of peer support among colleagues and community partners.
- Help develop and facilitate community-based groups and interventions.
- Support individuals to identify and work towards personal recovery goals.
- Help people improve their quality of life and pursue activities and roles that are personally important to them.
- Deputise for Peer Support Borough Leads on relevant projects and meetings.
- Provide support and guidance to Band 3 Peer Support Workers.
- Facilitate reflective practice where appropriate.
- Provide training to Peer Support Workers, staff and people using services.
- Assist with recruitment and induction of new Peer Support Workers.
- Provide shadowing opportunities for new members of the peer-support workforce.
- Work with the Service Lead to promote safe, effective and continuously improving practice.
- Develop partnerships with GPs, mental health services, service-user and carer experts-by-experience and VCSE organisations.
Community and Partnership Working
A major part of the position involves working beyond traditional clinical services.
The successful candidate will help connect people with local communities and organisations while contributing to recovery-focused interventions covering resilience, social connection, shared support and community engagement.
You will work with professionals and organisations across the health and care system and help ensure that people using services have opportunities to participate in valued roles and activities.
Requirements and Person Specification
Education – Essential
Applicants should have:
- ELFT Accredited Peer Support Worker Training by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, or equivalent.
- A willingness to undertake further training or qualifications required for the position.
- Commitment to developing underpinning knowledge through work-based learning and mandatory training.
Education – Desirable
- NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent experience.
Experience – Essential
You should have:
- Lived experience of mental health difficulties and accessing mental health services.
- Significant experience working as a Peer Support Worker within an adult mental health setting.
- Experience working with community or third-sector organisations.
- Awareness of local services and community organisations in Tower Hamlets.
- An understanding of mental health issues.
- Experience working within a multidisciplinary team.
- Experience working with Clinical Psychologists.
Experience – Desirable
The following would be advantageous:
- Experience supervising other workers.
- Experience facilitating reflective practice.
- Ability to speak a local language, particularly Somali or the Bengali Sylheti dialect.
Knowledge and Skills – Essential
Candidates should demonstrate:
- Sound knowledge of good practice in Peer Support Work.
- Detailed knowledge of Tower Hamlets and relevant community organisations.
- Competence using IT packages, including email, word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software.
- A broad understanding of recovery principles.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to develop effective peer relationships with service users and carers.
- The ability to understand and appreciate other people’s experiences.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Cultural awareness, including understanding how discrimination and disadvantage can affect mental health.
- A clear understanding of mental health issues.
Knowledge and Skills – Desirable
It would also be beneficial to have:
- Experience co-producing information resources for emerging projects.
- Knowledge of audits, surveys and consultations.
- An understanding of Intentional Peer Support.
Salary and Benefits
The position is offered at NHS Band 4, with a salary of £34,186 to £37,389 per year pro rata, including HCAs.
The role is permanent and part-time and provides the opportunity to work within an NHS mental health service while contributing to community-focused recovery and peer-support development.
Working Pattern and Location
This is a part-time position based at:
Mile End Hospital
Bancroft Road
London
E1 4DG
The post is within the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team and involves partnership working with community organisations and services across the borough.
Visa and Skilled Worker Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside other applications.
Applicants requiring sponsorship should independently confirm their eligibility for the relevant UK immigration route and ensure they meet all applicable visa requirements.
Applicants coming to the UK may also be required to provide criminal record certificates for countries where they have lived for the relevant periods, in accordance with UK immigration requirements.
DBS Check
The successful applicant will be subject to the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and relevant exceptions legislation.
Application and Selection Process
Applications should be submitted through the official NHS Jobs vacancy.
Candidates should ensure that their application clearly demonstrates the essential experience and qualifications listed in the person specification, particularly:
- Lived experience of mental health services.
- Significant Peer Support Worker experience.
- Community and third-sector partnership experience.
- Knowledge of Tower Hamlets.
- Understanding of recovery-focused practice.
- Ability to support and develop other Peer Support Workers.
Closing Date
The application deadline is 16 September 2026.
As the closing date is approaching, applicants should submit their application as early as possible.
Full Details + Apply
Senior Peer Support Worker – East London NHS Foundation Trust
Salary: £34,186–£37,389 per year pro rata
Band: 4
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Location: Mile End Hospital, London
Closing date: 16 September 2026
Reference: 363-TH7768695
Apply through NHS Jobs:
https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9363-26-1058/ats-direct-apply
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a permanent position?
Yes. The vacancy is a permanent, part-time position.
What NHS Band is the role?
The position is Band 4.
What is the salary?
The advertised salary is £34,186 to £37,389 per year pro rata, including HCAs.
Where is the job based?
The role is based at Mile End Hospital, Bancroft Road, London, E1 4DG, within the Tower Hamlets Community Psychology team.
Is previous Peer Support Worker experience required?
Yes. Significant experience working as a Peer Support Worker in an adult mental health setting is listed as an essential requirement.
Is lived experience required?
Yes. The person specification specifically requires lived experience of mental health and accessing mental health services.
Does this job accept applicants who need Skilled Worker sponsorship?
Yes. The advert explicitly states that applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome and will be considered alongside other applications.
Is Peer Support Worker training required?
Yes. ELFT Accredited Peer Support Worker Training by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, or equivalent, is listed as essential.
Can speaking another language be an advantage?
Yes. Speaking Somali or the Bengali Sylheti dialect is listed as a desirable criterion.
Who is the employer?
The employer is East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT).
Source and Disclaimer
This vacancy information is based on the official NHS Jobs advertisement for reference 363-TH7768695.