Substance Misuse Nurse

NHS; Walsall; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health and social care charity in the UK is looking for a Substance Misuse Nurse. You will conduct health assessments, manage detox processes, and provide educational support to individuals facing substance misuse issues. Candidates should be registered nurses with a current NMC PIN and relevant experience in drug and alcohol treatment. This role emphasizes harm reduction strategies and comprehensive care, supporting clients in their recovery journeys.

Benefits

Protected professional development time

Free access to learning platform

Regular 1:1s and appraisals

Qualifications

• Registered nurse with experience in drug and alcohol treatment services.
• Skilled in assessment, planning recovery, and writing clinical reports.
• Commitment to maintaining professional integrity and collaborative work.

Responsibilities

• Conduct health assessments and ensure appropriate referrals.
• Manage community alcohol detoxification and opioid treatment.
• Provide education and promote awareness of health issues.

Skills

Experience in substance misuse treatment

Patient assessment and recovery planning

Knowledge of harm reduction interventions

Effective communication

Ability to work under pressure

Education

First level registered nurse with current NMC PIN

Tools

Clinical auditing skills

Job description

Job Summary

Change Grow Live is one of the UK’s leading health and social care charities and the Substance Misuse Nurse role is a varied one. You will be supporting people with multi-faceted issues related to the impact of substance use on their physical and mental health.

At Change Grow Live we want to support you to recognise and achieve your goals. We hold regular national nurse and HCA forums, provide regular 1:1s and appraisals, support revalidation with protected continuing professional development time (up to 6 days per year), offer free access to the RCNi learning platform and pay for your NMC fee. We also use the government-backed Apprenticeship Levy fund to develop nursing practice in line with your specific role. All staff are encouraged to take a wellbeing hour every week and access personal well-being resources.

Key Responsibilities

• 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 services for identified health issues.
• Undertake alcohol assessments, using the outcome to determine safe detoxification, and manage community alcohol detoxification either at the service or at the service user’s home.
• Assist in the titration process for opioid individuals, ensuring the service user achieves an optimum dose of opioid substitution therapy (OST) and liaising with community pharmacists.
• Support opioid detoxification in the community.
• Provide education, health promotion and screening for blood borne viruses (BBV); provide Hepatitis A and B vaccinations when indicated.
• Work within and consolidate integrated care and treatment pathways for individuals identified as being infected with BBVs (Hepatitis B, C and/or HIV).
• Undertake phlebotomy as required, adhering 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, 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 Live’s Naloxone Strategy by training staff and individuals who use our services in the use of naloxone and ensuring naloxone is distributed to individuals at every opportunity.
• Offer wound care assessment and basic wound dressing to individuals who use our services, organising signposting to other services as required.
• Demonstrate 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 one-to-one and group settings to promote engagement in treatment services and ownership of recovery planning.
• Develop therapeutic alliances with individuals who use our services and develop effective partnerships to support their individual recovery journeys, offering health promotion and harm reduction advice.
• Ensure effective communication of treatments offered, treatment progress and outcomes of investigations to other healthcare agencies, including GPs.
• Maintain current knowledge of appropriate interventions and ensure that all revalidation requirements are met and communicated to the line manager.
• Provide health education regarding problematic alcohol and drug use and 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.
• Contribute to the service to ensure that people who use substances consistently receive high‑quality services that adhere to best practice guidelines and the highest professional standards.
• Review procedures to promote best practice and evidence‑based practice in accordance with UK clinical guidelines (e.g., NICE) and Change Grow Live clinical protocols and procedures.
• Provide clinical leadership, including support, coaching and teaching to staff working at the service around harm reduction and health promotion.
• Provide line management/supervision to named health care assistants, student nurse placements and/or volunteers working with the nursing team (depending on service structure).
• Take part in assessing the suitability for transfer of clients to shared care services within the community.
• 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.
• Design and deliver a community opioid and alcohol detoxification plan utilising a care‑coordinated approach to service user care.
• Provide harm‑reduction advice to injecting individuals, providing information and equipment, and ensuring safe disposal of all equipment.
• Undertake risk assessments and contribute to risk management plans for individuals who use our services and are engaged in the service.
• Record and input client data and information to operate within contractual, administrative and financial requirements, ensuring all data requirements are met within defined deadlines.

Essential Experience

• 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 Change Grow Live’s 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.
• Ability to travel between services.
• Commitment to continuous professional development and maintaining NMC registration.

Desirable Experience

• 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.

Essential Qualifications

• First level registered nurse with a current NMC PIN.

Desirable Qualifications

• 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 a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see https://www.changegrowlive.org/.