Tobacco Dependency Advisor

Job description

Job responsibilities

General Duties:

Communication and working relationships

To provide sensitive information, including the risks of smoking to inpatients, their relatives and carers, in an empathetic and reassuring manner.

To maintain communication, service provision and support to all inpatients inorder to maximise the likelihood of successful cessation.

To maintain effective communication and working relationships within the service, wider teams, and other health care professionals.

Work with patients, their relatives and carers, to change their behaviour to improve their health.

Act as a smoke free champion and promote the Trusts Smokefree policy interventions.

Provide advice and support to ward staff, including reinforcing the prinicples of giving Very Brief Advice and onward referral of patients to the tobacco dependency service.

Responsibility for Patients

Without direct supervision, provide behavioural support to patients, working with their relatives and carers, and multidisciplinary teams, to assess dependence and develop individualised patient tobacco dependency treatment (or temporary abstinence) plans in accordance with the Trusts standard operating procedures and related policies.

Provide information to service users about stopping smoking, minimizing harm from tobacco, and health-related issues in line with best guidance and local protocols, to enable them to make informed choices about their care, which is safe and underpinned by evidence.

Complete robust discharge planning to meet the needs of the patients ongoing stop smoking support: including arranging onward referral to the Community Pharmacy Advanced Services; agreeing follow-up appointments; providing contact information; co-ordinating uninterrupted supply of nicotine replacement medication or prescriptions; and feeding back to health care partners (for example, GPs, community nursing teams, allied health care professionals), as appropriate.

Signpost patients to other sources of support as relevant, including Worcestershire Lifestyle Advisors, for advice on healthy eating, increasing level of physical activity, reducing alcohol consumption, mental health and wellbeing.

Work with the Lead Tobacco Dependency Nurse towards achieving all relevant Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England targets, and local Key Perfomance Indicators, ensuring care complies with National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendations.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development

With supervision, be responsible for supporting inpatient staff with their supply of a range of different combination Nicotine Replacement Products (NRT) in accordance with the Trusts policies.

Provide comment on proposed changes to the tobacco dependency Standard Operating Procedure and any other related policies, as appropriate.

Responsibilty for Financial and Physical Resources

Use the Trusts resources efficiently and suggest efficiency savings to the Lead Tobacco Dependency Nurse when appropriate.

Ensure Carbon Monoxide monitors are in good working condition reporting, and resolving where possible, any issues with them as required.

Responsibility for Staff

Participate in demonstrating own duties to front line and less experienced staff.

Responsibility for Information Resources

Provide telephone assessment, treatment planning and support for patients referred to the service after discharge from hospital.

Record personally generated information and update the patients records as accordingly.

Maintain records protecting confidential information obtained in the course of professional practice and compliance with Data Protection Acts.

Responsibility for Audit, Research and Development

To contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the service, including the completion of the NHS England minimum data set requirement supporting the Lead Tobacco Dependency Nurse with monthly submission of this. This will include following up quitters who do not attend for planned support.

To contribute to the collection and collation of data relevant to achieiving the Trust and ICS Key Performance Indicators and in ensuring care complies with National Institure of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendations.

Physical Skills

As a service where demand may be unpredictable, work flexibly to meet the needs of the role and service users.

Demonstrate a high level of physical skills (co-ordination and sensory), essential to obtain accurate Carbon monoxide monitoring.

Analytical & Judgement Skills

• To be skilled in a range of non-routine practivces, including for example Carbon Monoxide screening.

• Undertake the NCSCT Practitioner and Mental Health Specilaity modules in order to qualify as an advisor and maintain knowledge and skills through participation in continuous development.

• Knowledge of nursing care procedures and practices; acquired through NVQ3/4 plus additional training to diploma level equivalent, or equivalent through short courses or experience.

Planning & Organisational Skills

Assist with the planning and organisation of an effective and dedicated Worcestershire wide inpatient service for treating tobacco dependency in collaboration with all internal and external partners.

Without direct supervision but reporting to the Lead Tobacco Dependency Nurse, will:

o Organise, prioritises and adjusts own workload in relation to patient care.

o Plan and organise treatment (or temporary abstinence) plans for motivated patients (including patients with serious mental illness) in line with the NHS England, NCSCT, and NICE recommendations, the tobacco dependency Standard Operating Procedure and other relevant Trusts policies.

o Liaise with Community Pharmacy Advanced Service, and as appropriate, other health care professsionals with regard to patients care.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Takes pride in their work.
• Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the role.
• Assertive, self-confident and proactive.

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Successful completion of National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT): Practitioner training or willingness to undertake on commencement of post.
• Successful completion of National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training: Mental Health Specialty module or willingness to undertake on commencement of post.

Other

Essential

• Clean driving licence, access to own vehicle (up to date MOT as appropriate), insurance with business cover.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a hospital setting.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Healthy lifestyle/Behavioural change experience.
• Knowledge of NHS Stop Smoking Services.
• Experience of working with people with serious mental illness.

Skills/ Knowledge

Essential

• Organisational abilities and excellent time management skills.
• Basic knowledge of the use of IT resources relevant to the role.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally, in writing and electronic formats.
• Communicate with patients in an empathetic manner.
• Able to work using own initiative and as part of a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including proven listening and communication skills.
• Audit and database skills.
• Decision making skills, both clinical and non-clinical.
• Demonstrable ability to work in a busy environment and cope when the service is under pressure.
• To be competent to deal calmly and professionally with patients, relatives and work colleagues in a confidential and sensitive manner.
• Seeks out, and takes, opportunities for supporting improvements within the smoking cessation service offered, with patient focus foresight.

Desirable

• Evidence of continuing personal development.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)