Working in Primary Care is at best a challenge, with an increasing volume and complexity of patients, a worsening workforce crisis and not enough time to breathe.

Overview

Our Peer Mentoring programme links a professional Mentor to provide guidance and support to a mentee, with a focus on the individual’s specific needs e.g. professional development, career goals or work-life balance. The aim is to encourage autonomy and self-development to help build and maintain the mentee’s own resilience and wellbeing.

Who is it for?

The Peer Mentoring programme is for anyone working in Primary Care – Clinical, managerial and administrative staff – in the wider practice or PCN staff.

Mentees are looking to lead their own professional or self-development, ready to reflect and exchange with others to identify their skills and gaps in their skillset, and to progress and broaden their horizons. Mentoring can help with increasing motivation, working through transitions positively and managing workload. Mentoring is not merely for crisis management; it can support individuals achieve their goals through all stages of their career.

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    • Settling into Primary Care or returning after a break.
    • Work relationships challenges
    • Exploring personal and professional development opportunities e.g., career pathways, time management, managing boundaries.
    • Building resilience to prevent burnout issues.
    • Any personal or professional issue e.g., reflection on development and future opportunities.

  • Fully funded sessions (up to 6*) can be arranged face-to-face or virtually at a time convenient for both Mentor and Mentee.

    Our Peer Mentors are a team of professionals who are available to the whole Primary Care workforce. They are established practitioners, and respected peers with a variety of advanced communication skills, experience, and training. Some may be established coaches or mentors. All will receive additional advanced communication skills training as part of the service and are bound by the code of conduct and confidentiality.

    The Clinical Leads of the service oversee the matching process to ensure the mentors who are best placed are matched with mentees in line with their preferred preferences and topics. On occasions, mentees may benefit from expertise from more than one peer mentor and due to the vast range of skillsets available within our team, we can signpost as needed.

    Mentors will actively listen and assess their Mentee’s strengths, areas of improvement and objectives to help them lead their own development, plan short and long-term goals with a view to improve their personal or professional life.

    *For mentees on the New to Practice Programme, up to 12 sessions a year are available.

    • Managing priorities
    • Boundary setting
    • Planning one’s career
    • Increasing resilience
    • Improved work-life balance
    • More constructive work relationships

  • Please use this confidential email address for more information or to register your interest: kmicb.kmpcthmentoring@nhs.net

  • Given the complexities of our mentee’s professional working environment and the unique pressures they are facing; it is important that the Peer Mentor has appropriate experience in the Primary Care Context to enable them to understand challenges and barriers to best practice, including the Mentee’s attitudes, beliefs, learning style, and motivation.

    Our Peer mentor team consists of a range of multi-professional roles including, GPs, Nurses, Managers and Administrators.  We request that prospective Peer Mentors contact the Programme Support Team for a discussion in the first instance. Prospective Mentors will need to complete an Application form and an Annual Declaration form.

  • All Peer Mentors agree to abide by the Code of Conduct for Kent and Medway Primary Training Hub Mentors. Prior to accepting any Mentees, all Peer Mentors will complete a Mentor Training Programme provided by Kent & Medway Primary Care Training Hub unless agreed otherwise.

    To maintain accreditation by the Service, all Peer Mentors will be required to participate actively in CPD activities through the year. There are currently quarterly action learning sets which Mentors are encouraged to attend as part of your CPD to maintain your status on the active register of Mentors. They are facilitated by one of the Programme Leads or an external trained facilitator.

    The service will also provide an annual development day for all active Peer Mentors and 1:1 Support from the Clinical Leads is available as required. It is also encouraged that those in a supportive/therapeutic relationship have their own support mechanism such as a supervisor.