Evaluation of the Delivering for Mental Health Peer Support Worker Pilot Scheme – Research Finding

The need to adopt and promote a recovery-based approach to mental health support was described in ‘Delivering for Mental Health’ and later in ‘Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland’. In support of this, ‘Delivering for Mental Health’ included a commitment to support the development of the Peer Support Worker role within mental health services in Scotland. As a result pilot schemes were developed in five Health Board areas where Peer Support Workers were trained, and then employed, to fill new positions within NHS teams in a range of settings, including inpatient and community-based services. These new workers, who were required to have a lived experience of mental health issues, drew on a range of skills to share their lived experience with the intention of supporting others in their recovery journeys. An evaluation was commissioned to assess the impact of the peer support pilot on service users, peer support workers and the wider service system as well as assessing the process of implementation at national and local levels.