Lived Experience Recover Workers (West Sussex, Inpatient wards)

CAPITAL in partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Location: West Sussex inpatient settings (Langley Green, Meadowfield, Oaklands - you will be based on one site, with the possibility of travelling to others)
Hours of Work: 22.5 or 37.5 hours
Salary: £12.90 per hour (Equivalent to NHS Band 3 / 4: up to £13.90 depending on experience, hours and role)
Contract: Fixed term, 12 months

About the roles

These are new roles focused on bringing lived experience into everyday inpatient care. This is a pilot project, hence the one-year contract term.

You will work alongside ward teams to support recovery focused and therapeutic activity. The role is about being present on the ward, building relationships, and contributing to a positive and engaging environment for patients.

You will use your lived experience appropriately to support hope, participation and recovery, while working within clear professional boundaries.

Hours and contracts

We are recruiting a small team of Lived Experience Recovery Workers to work across inpatient settings in West Sussex.

Contracts will be offered flexibly, likely across 4 to 5 roles, with a mix of full time and part time hours.

All roles will be place based, working within a single inpatient setting. There is no requirement to travel between sites.

We welcome applications from people looking to work between 3 and 5 days per week.

Final hours and working patterns will be agreed based on service needs and the strengths of the successful applicants. Our aim is to build a balanced team that provides consistent ward based presence across all sites.

What you will be doing

• Supporting structured recovery and wellbeing activities on the ward

• Working alongside Occupational Therapists and ward staff to co deliver sessions

• Building rapport through consistent, everyday interactions

• Contributing to a visible and reliable presence within daily ward life

• Supporting and sharing patient feedback and insight to support service improvement

• Working as part of the multidisciplinary team

About you

We are looking for people who:

• Have lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery

• Can use that experience in a purposeful and appropriate way

• Are comfortable working within clear professional boundaries

• Can support group based or structured activity

• Work well as part of a team

• Communicate clearly and build trust with a wide range of people

• Are committed to inclusion, participation and improving services

About CAPITAL

CAPITAL is a lived experience led organisation. We bring people, services and systems together to improve mental health support through coproduction and lived experience leadership.

We have over 300 members and deliver work across inpatient settings, community services and system change programmes.

This pilot is part of a partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to strengthen recovery focused support and lived experience into wards.

What you can expect

• A role where lived experience is recognised as expertise

• Structured support from both CAPITAL and SPFT

• Opportunities to contribute to service improvement and coproduction

• A chance to help shape how lived experience is embedded in inpatient care