Peer support workers use lived experience to support other people facing related health or mental-health challenges. Their role is different from that of a clinician: the value lies in shared experience, mutuality, hope and practical understanding rather than diagnosis or treatment.
NHS England describes peer support as an approach in which people draw on shared experience to help one another. In formal services, peer workers may work alongside multidisciplinary teams while retaining a role that is distinct from clinical practice.
Why role clarity matters
Using personal experience professionally can be valuable, but it also creates boundary questions that services need to manage carefully. Clear job descriptions, appropriate training, supervision, reflective practice and access to peer networks can help workers decide when and how to share their own experience safely.
Peer support should not be presented as a substitute for clinical care where clinical assessment or treatment is needed. It is one part of a broader system of support, and the design of the role can differ between services.
For more on the principles and different models of peer support, see NHS England’s peer support guide.
