Peer leadership

What is a peer leader?

Developed with people with lived experience, NHS England’s Lived Experience team’s definition of a peer leader is:

“a person with lived experience who is committed to working collaboratively with the health and care system to provide leadership and empowerment for strategic coproduction, peer support and self-management education.”

As a peer leader, you will learn:

  • about personalised care and how you can benefit
  • how to develop peer support
  • how the ‘voice’ of people with lived experience can shape and influence how health and care services are developed and delivered.

What is the Peer Leadership Development Programme?

The Peer Leadership Development Programme is a personal development programme for people with lived experience and is free to access for 28 days.

The programme is delivered online via an accessible and interactive learning platform called Future Learn.  The first two steps are completed in your own time, at your own pace. On the third step, people come together as a small group. Step three is facilitated by the NHS Lived Experience team using FutureLearn and Microsoft Teams.

The first three steps work together to enable people with lived experience of a long-term health condition to become a peer leader:

  • Step one shares knowledge and helps people grow in confidence to improve their own situation
  • Step two helps people to use what they’ve learnt for the benefit of others
  • Step three develops people to become peer leaders. People learn how to support others through peer support and how to effect positive change in the health and care system.

The final building block is step four, which is open to peer leader graduates. This step is for people who want to develop and strengthen their peer leadership practice.

Hear from peer leaders about their experience of the Peer Leadership Development Programme.

How do I join the Peer Leadership Development Programme?

Get started straight away by taking step one of the Peer Leadership Development Programme.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email: england.pldp@nhs.net.