Substance Misuse Nurse

Job responsibilities

Main purpose of the role

As directed by the Lead/Cluster Lead Nurse, the post-holder will be an integral member of a multidisciplinary team offering specialist clinical interventions individuals accessing our services.

All members of staff are required to always act in accordance with Change Grow Live expectations of attitudes and behaviours. These attitudes and behaviours include, but are not limited to:

Representing Change Grow Live in a professional manner on all occasions.

Striving to improve and share good practice, and work towards continuous improvement

Maintaining and promoting effective communication and shared good practice across the organisation as a whole and externally.

To be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

Adopting a co-operative approach to service delivery which draws on the strength, knowledge, and expertise of all individuals including individuals who use our services, staff, and volunteers

Promoting mutual trust and respect as a guiding principle for all working relationships both internal and external

Reporting and working relationships

The role will report directly to the Lead/Cluster Lead Nurse.

Reporting relationships may change.

Role-specific responsibilities

Clinical Practice

Undertake physical and mental health assessments for people who access our services when indicated by clinical need and ensure appropriate sign posting/referral to primary care or appropriate secondary health care services for identified health issues.

Undertake assessments for all alcohol individuals who use our services as indicated in the Change Grow Live Alcohol Policy and Procedure, using the outcome to determine safe detoxification as required.

Assist in the titration process for opioid individuals who use our services as required by service need to ensure the service user achieves an optimum dose of opioid substitution therapy (OST). This process is supported by good communication to other team members, including community pharmacists.

Provide education, health promotion and screening for blood borne viruses (BBV). Provide Hepatitis A and or B vaccinations when indicated.

Work within and consolidate integrated care and treatment pathways for individuals who are identified as being infected with BBVs (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and/or HIV).

Undertake community alcohol detoxification either at the service or at the service users home.

Support opioid detoxification in the community.

Undertake phlebotomy, as required, ensuring adherence to identified pathways for blood sample labelling, collection, obtaining results and signposting.

Use blood results to support the assessment of the current health status of individuals who use our services, the need for specialist medical referral and the suitability for community detoxification.

Where indicated, refer for specialist inpatient services (including detoxification) and liaise with hospital and inpatient unit staff.

Contribute to Change Grow Lives Naloxone Strategy by training staff and individuals who use our services in the use of naloxone. Ensuring naloxone is distributed to individuals who use our services at every opportunity.

Offer wound care assessment and basic wound dressing to individuals who use our services. Organise signposting to other services as required and ensure clear pathways into other treatment arenas as appropriate.

Have a demonstrable ability to manage emergency situations by being proficient in basic life support, defibrillation and managing a medical emergency e.g., anaphylaxis and overdose until the ambulance arrives.

Understand and adhere to the legislation surrounding the use of patient group directions (PGDs).

Utilise psychosocial intervention in both one-to-one and group settings to promote engagement in treatment services and ownership of recovery planning.

Communication

Develop therapeutic alliances with individuals who use our services and develop effective partnerships with them to support their individual recovery journeys, offering health promotion and harm reduction advice.

Ensure that there is good communication of treatments offered, treatment progress and outcome of any investigations to other healthcare agencies, including GPs.

Maintain a current knowledge of appropriate interventions. Ensure that all revalidation requirements are being met and communicated to line manager.

Develop and provide health education, regarding problematic alcohol and drug use and alcohol and drug detoxification.

Attend meetings appropriate to the development and maintenance of the role in agreement with and under the direction of the Lead/Cluster Lead Nurse.

Delivering a Quality Service

The post-holder will contribute to the service to ensure that people who use substances consistently receive high quality services that adhere to the best practice guidelines and to the highest professional standards.

Ensure that procedures are constantly reviewed to promote best practice and evidenced based practice in accordance with UK Guidelines on Clinical Management, NICE guidance, and Change Grow Live clinical protocols and procedures.

Leadership

Provide clinical leadership within the service, including providing support, coaching, and teaching to staff working at the service around harm reduction including BBVS and health promotion.

Dependent on service structure will provide line management/supervision to named health care assistants, student nurse placements and or volunteers working with the nursing team.

Team Working

To take part in assessing the suitability for transfer of clients to shared care services within the community.

To work with others to ensure individuals who use our services have timely access to safe and effective prescribing for community detoxification from substances, across operational sites.

Contribute to the overall performance of the service to ensure that contractual output targets are achieved.

Working with colleagues in the service to design and deliver a community opioid and alcohol detoxification plan utilising a care co-ordinated approach to service user care.

Risk Management

Provide harm reduction advice to injecting individuals who use our services, providing information and equipment and ensure all equipment is disposed of safely.

Undertake risk assessments and contribute to risk management plans for individuals who use our services engaged in the service.

Utilise appropriate prevention techniques to reduce substance misuse related harm and to aid in the prevention of multiple physical harms caused by drugs and alcohol.

Managing Information

Record and input client data and information in order that the service operates within contractual, administrative, and financial requirements.

Ensure that all data requirements in relation to individuals who use our services are met within defined deadlines.

The above is an outline of the post holders duties and responsibilities. It is not intended as an exhaustive list and may change from time to time to meet the changing needs of Change Grow Live.

Staff will need to work flexibly across operational sites as required and to work flexibly within an agreed number of hours to maintain the most appropriate level of service provision.

This role may involve evening, weekend, and bank holiday working.

Experience

Essential

• A first-level registered nurse with a current NMC PIN and recent, relevant post-qualification experience.
• Experienced in working within drug and alcohol treatment services, with direct substance misuse client experience in the last 12 months.
• Knowledgeable in harm reduction and health promotion interventions.
• Confident in assessment, recovery planning and written clinical reporting.
• Skilled in clinical audit and evaluation to support service improvement.
• Professional, empathetic and non-judgemental in your approach.
• Committed to professional integrity and collaborative working with service users, colleagues and partner agencies.
• A clear understanding of the need for and ability to deliver quality services.
• Sound and demonstrable knowledge of harm reduction and health promotion interventions.
• Ability to assess and co-produce recovery plans with the individual using our services, and formulate written reports, as necessary.
• Maintain professional boundaries and work effectively with partnership agencies.
• Communicate confidently and effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Respond flexibly to the demands of the post.
• Show a capacity to work alone and the ability to keep calm under pressure.
• Employ a professional, empathetic, and non-judgmental attitude towards individuals who use our services and all stakeholders.
• Show commitment to facilitating positive outcomes for individuals who use our services.
• Ability to travel between services.
• A commitment to engaging with, understanding, and promoting CGLs values and vision.
• An understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best practice.
• An understanding of the importance of professional integrity in relationships with individuals who use our services, peers, and other relevant professionals.
• A responsibility for your own health, safety, and wellbeing as well as those around you e.g., colleagues and individuals using our services.
• An understanding of, and commitment to, treating all information acquired through the course of your employment as confidential.
• An understanding of information governance processes and a commitment to follow and apply all necessary safeguards.
• A commitment to seek learning opportunities to improve and broaden your own professional knowledge and skills and to contribute to and where relevant oversee the learning of others.

Desirable

• Relevant recent experience of working within drug and alcohol treatment.
• Sound and demonstrable knowledge of clinical prescribing issues.
• Knowledge of the issues facing substance misusers including appropriate medical interventions, social care, and health issues.
• Experience of contributing to project development.
• Knowledge of local services and geography.
• Motivational interviewing techniques.
• Clinical auditing skills to inform evaluation of the service and identify areas for development.

Qualifications

Essential

• First level registered nurse and with a current PIN.

Desirable

• Trained in phlebotomy.
• Qualification in substance misuse.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).