Peer Support Phase 2 Newly Launched in ARI

Peer Support, as an option to support wellbeing for staff, has been successfully operating in a variety of different teams- lead by colleagues within those teams, since April 2022.

We are now trialling an expansion of the Peer Support offer, from our pool of skilled and dedicated Peer Supporters from a range of different departments, to wider ARI colleagues.

Location of peer supports will be linked to need and will be advertised from 15th January 2024 - however any staff member can access.

What is Peer Support?

Peer support is a service which offers early emotional support to healthcare staff and is delivered by their peers who have “been there”. This is because we know that healthcare workers prefer to receive support from their peers after a stressful event at work, or if personal stressors are impacting on their work. Peer supporters undergo training to upskill themselves in delivering “psychological first aid”. This is defined as a compassionate and supportive presence designed to mitigate acute distress and assess the need for continued mental health care. Peer support is not a counselling or mentoring service. It is where a colleague has been trained to have a supportive conversation with their distressed peer, to utilise empathic listening and signpost to helpful resources or to the next level of professional help if necessary.

How can Peer Support support myself or a colleague?

The aim of Peer Support is to provide rapid and responsive emotional support to all members of staff at times of distress. This will evidently benefit the members of staff who receive Peer Support. In addition, the long-term goal is to create a positive shift in workplace culture which leads to a more open and compassionate working environment, and will therefore benefit all staff over time.

for more information please refer to this poster (pdf) or to contact a Peer Supporter please get in touch via our generic e-mail account: gram.peersupportari@nhs.scot, please note, this e-mail is monitored 9am-5pm Monday - Friday.