Help to shape the future of maternal mental health support across Greater Manchester!

We are looking for “lived experience representatives” to join a maternal mental health
services pilot project. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of Greater Manchester’s
transformation of maternal mental health support – help improve what is available and
make it even better.

This can be as:
• One of two lived experience representatives on the project steering group.
• A member of a co-production collaborative group that will bring together people
with lived experience.

What do we mean by lived experience?

By lived experience we mean that as part of your maternity experience, you may:
• Have previously accessed mental health support.
• Be currently accessing mental health support.
• Be seeking mental health support and have not received any yet.
• Have lived experience of mental health problems and requiring support and have not
accessed support.
• Be a close family member of someone covered above.

Lived experience representatives on the programme will:
1. Provide the perspectives of people who access support / experience these issues.
2. Provide advice and scrutiny from a wider lived experience perspective, acting as a
critical friend to the development of the pilot.
3. Use any personal experience as a patient of current services in a constructive and
objective way to ensure views are as representative as possible.
4. Be available to attend meetings which will take place during the day (dates and
timings of meetings will usually be provided a minimum of one week in advance to
all representatives).
5. Prepare for meetings by reading the meeting agendas, minutes and other associated
papers which, at times, may be complex and specialist in nature.
GM IMHN – Role Description February 2021 2
6. Understand that they may be asked to respect the confidentiality of items discussed
by at the meetings.
7. Contribute to feedback on presentations given at the meetings, some of which will
be made by people who use are currently using or have used the services.
8. Show a strong understanding of, and commitment to, working in partnership to
make the pilot a success.
9. Feedback to IMHN on matters discussed at the meetings and gather views from the
network and other people with lived experience; support will be provided to do this.
10. Demonstrate an ability to use listening, negotiating and influencing skills, with a
personal style that is challenging, but not confrontational.
11. Work constructively with others in a team and demonstrate a commitment to nondiscriminatory
principles and values.
12. Share any knowledge about the ways diverse groups that use mental health services
can be impacted by them. This will include being able to consider the perspectives of
people from disadvantaged backgrounds who use services, including those whose
voices are seldom heard.

We will provide the following support to lived experience representatives:
• A payment of £12 per hour for participation in the work of the pilot. Expected
commitment is likely to be approximately half a day per month.
• Reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses when in person meetings are able to
resume again, in accordance with our involvement policy. This includes for taxis
where they are required and agreed in advance with one of the IMHN staff team.
• Support to carry out your role from IMHN, including induction, briefing / debriefing
meetings and training.

Please note you will need to check if this impacts any means-tested benefits and seek
independent advice on this if you are unsure.

How to apply:

To apply please complete our expression of interest form on Survey Monkey that can be
found here by 11:59 pm, Tuesday 16 March 2021.

If you cannot press the link, copy and paste this text:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9GVQ3YL

If you require any further information, or would like to complete the application in an
alternative format, please email greatermanchester@imhn.org

Promoting and supporting equality and diversity 
We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We
particularly want to hear from people from all protected characteristics, and/or from BAME
backgrounds, and are happy to have a chat to explain the available roles in more detail.

For further info, please see the full Role Description GM Maternal MH Role Description