Substance Misuse Nurse

Change Grow Live; Reading; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A charity organization in Reading is seeking a passionate Substance Misuse Nurse to support individuals seeking to overcome substance misuse. This role requires conducting health assessments, providing health promotion, and developing therapeutic relationships. The successful candidate will have a current nursing PIN and substantial experience in substance misuse. Competitive salary ranging from £37,184.90 to £43,384.61 annually. Applicants need to have the right to work in the UK and are encouraged to apply promptly, as the post may close early due to high demand.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Paid wellness hour weekly

Contributory pension scheme

Access to excellent training programs

Qualifications

• Recent relevant post qualification experience and current PIN.
• Relevant experience in drug and alcohol treatment is desirable.
• Demonstrable knowledge of health promotion interventions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct physical and mental health assessments for service users.
• Provide health promotion and blood borne viruses screening.
• Develop therapeutic alliances with clients experiencing substance misuse.

Skills

Substance misuse experience

Clinical auditing skills

Harm reduction knowledge

Assessment and recovery planning skills

Empathy and non-judgmental attitude

Education

First level registered nurse

Job description

Overview

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives. Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold’ and our teams apply these daily, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Our Nurses play an integral part in Change Grow Lives mission to help people change the direction of their lives, to grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, you would offer specialist clinical interventions to people who use our services. This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic and passionate Substance Misuse Nurseto help shape our vision in how we provide clinical services to individuals whose lives have been affected by drugs and alcohol.

Applicants must have previous substance misuse experience

Where: Reading

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £37,184.90 - £43,384.61 (based on full time hours, pro rata for part time)

*Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

About the role:

• 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.

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

• Contribute to CGL’s Naloxone Strategy by training staff and service users in the use of Naloxone. Ensuring Naloxone is distributed to service users at every opportunity.

• Develop therapeutic alliances with people who have substance misuse problems and develop effective partnerships with them.

• 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 CGL clinical protocols and procedures.

• Provide harm reduction advice to injecting service users, providing information and equipment and ensure all equipment is disposed of safely.

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

About you:

• First level registered nurse with recent relevant post qualification experience and a current PIN

• Relevant recent experience of working within drug and alcohol treatment (desirable but not essential)

• Sound and demonstrable knowledge of harm reduction and health promotion interventions

• Ability to assess and recovery plan service users and formulate written reports, as necessary.

• Clinical auditing skills to inform evaluation of the service and identify areas for development.

• Employ a professional, empathetic, and non-judgmental attitude towards service users and all stakeholders.

• An understanding of the importance of professional integrity in relationships with service users, peers, and other relevant professionals

What we will give to you:

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service“Capped at 30 days”.

• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme

• Contributory pension scheme

• Annual reimbursement of your NMC fee

• Dedicated and protected professional development time.

• Access to excellent training programmes including the RCNi learning platform.

• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc.

• A friendly and supportive team

• Training, career development & progression opportunities

• Protected monthly CPD.

• Our nursing pay is competitive with the NHS Agenda for Change pay bands.

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 33 to 39 (£37,184.90 - £43,384.61)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Closing Date

4/1/2026

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Tiri Chifamba | [e-mail]

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.