Clinical Nurse Specialist

NHS; London Borough of Hillingdon; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare trust is seeking a Clinical Nurse Specialist to join their Addiction Recovery Community in Hillingdon. The role involves providing specialist addiction nursing support, managing patient care, and collaborating with various services. Candidates should have a strong background in mental health and substance misuse, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Opportunities for professional development in addiction support are available.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing caseloads in the community.
• Knowledge of treatment models in substance misuse.

Responsibilities

• Manage and treat patients with substance use issues.
• Continuously assess psychological and rehabilitative needs.
• Provide counseling and clinical advice using evidence-based methods.

Skills

Communication

Motivational interviewing

Empathy

Teamwork

IT literacy

Education

Registered Nurse

Job description

Go back Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 25 May 2025

Addition Recovery Community Hillingdon (ARCH) - Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

The Addiction Recovery Community (ARCH) helps people in Hillingdon who want to break a cycle of addiction to substances such as heroin, club drugs, other types of stimulants or long-term alcohol addiction. It represents the bringing together of a variety of services under one roof to provide a better service to service users.

As an NHS Trust, we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues, and of course patients and service users when working in healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Nurse Specialist

An exciting opportunity has become available at ARCH to work within the Addictions Team as a Band 5 or 6 Clinical Nurse Specialist.

The role's aim is to provide specialist addiction nursing support through assessment, engagement, and intervention for patients with substance use needs, supporting community integration, preventing reoffending, and facilitating engagement with the local community substance misuse team ARCH.

The role involves working with various services. Successful candidates will need excellent communication skills and flexibility to work across different groups.

Candidates should be able to work effectively as part of a team and independently in various environments. Supervision and consultation are available to support practice.

We seek an experienced registered nurse with knowledge of mental health, substance misuse disorders, and demonstrable experience in specialist assessment and decision-making.

About us

We are a forward-facing trust committed to training and developing nurses' skills, supporting applicants to learn new skills in addiction support.

Opportunities include gaining skills in motivational interviewing, relapse management, and clinical procedures like venepuncture, ECG, dry blood spot testing, and fibro scan training.

Job responsibilities

• Manage and treat patients with problematic use of novel psychoactive substances, alcohol, and drugs, including harm minimization, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, care planning, health assessments, education, detoxification, BBV testing, vaccination, and group work.
• Continuously assess the psychological, emotional, social, and rehabilitative needs of clients, involving family and community, and develop care plans.
• Assess and case manage clients who inject drugs, including injection site assessment and harm minimization principles.
• Use Treatment Outcome Monitoring Tools (TOP) and other quality measures.
• Develop, review, and implement care plans.
• Coordinate transfers between agencies and services.
• Provide counseling and support using evidence-based methods like motivational interviewing and relapse management.
• Offer clinical advice to colleagues and other agencies involved in substance misuse.
• Ensure safe storage and administration of drugs, maintaining statutory records per Trust policies.
• Conduct risk assessments and manage risks effectively.
• Perform dry blood spot testing and urinalysis as needed.
• Screen clients for blood borne diseases, plan responses, and promote hepatitis B vaccination.
• Administer hepatitis B vaccines following policies.
• Discuss blood borne virus testing results with clients.
• Use the CNWL Hepatitis care plan for all clients.
• Promote attendance at hepatology clinics for liver disease management.
• Collaborate with statutory and non-statutory teams, GPs, and specialty departments, providing expert care without direct medical supervision, guided by clinical protocols.
• Assist in transferring clients between services and agencies.
• Familiarize with Trust policies on resuscitation, infection control, and needle stick injuries.
• Attend mandatory CPR and anaphylaxis training annually.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Experience

• Managing caseloads in the community
• Working with addictions and dual diagnosis clients
• Risk management and care planning
• Working with club drug users and engaging in 'chemsex'
• Providing counseling interventions

Skills and knowledge

• Knowledge of treatment models and pathways in substance misuse
• Effective relationship-building with warmth and empathy
• Understanding safeguarding issues
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and prioritize
• Experience in multidisciplinary teams
• Harm minimization approach
• Motivational interviewing and relapse management skills
• Respectful and culturally sensitive approach
• IT literacy
• Knowledge of prescribing issues in drug services
• Non-judgemental attitude
• Comfort discussing sensitive topics
• Teamwork and service user involvement commitment
• Flexibility and responsiveness to diversity policies

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to a DBS check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£34,521 to £50,697 per year (including Outer HCAS, pro-rata if part-time)