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Change Grow Live seeks a Substance Misuse Nurse to provide specialized clinical support to individuals dealing with substance use issues and their health impacts. Key responsibilities include conducting physical and mental health assessments, facilitating alcohol and opioid detoxifications, and providing education on health and harm reduction. The nurse will work within a multidisciplinary team, ensure effective communication with healthcare providers, and contribute to national strategies such as Naloxone training.
Essential skills for this role include a person-centered approach, strong communication, clinical competence, and flexibility. The position offers professional development opportunities, including access to learning platforms, CPD days, and support for Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revalidation.
The role involves both direct patient care and managerial duties, including supervising healthcare assistants and students. Regular assessments, risk management, emergency response preparedness, and adherence to clinical standards are crucial. Nurses will also promote the welfare of vulnerable individuals and support a culture of continuous improvement within the organization. The position may require evening and weekend work.
Change Grow Live is one of the UKs 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.
Nurses are an integral member of our multidisciplinary teams, offering specialist clinical interventions to people who use our services. Every person who comes into our service is treated as an individual, so understanding the importance of a whole person approach along with being curious, a good listener, a clinically robust practitioner and having a flexible approach are essential skills
- We hold regular national nurse and HCA forums, and you will have regular 1:1s and appraisals
- We actively support our nurses to revalidate with protected continuing professional development time, which totals up to 6 days per year.
- We also have a wide range of educational opportunities including free access to the RCNi learning platform and we pay for your NMC fee
- We offer you the opportunity to use the government backed Apprenticeship Levy fund to develop nursing practice in line with your specific role
- All our staff are encouraged to take a wellbeing hour every week and access personal well -being resources
- Undertake physical and mental health assessments.
- Appropriately sign post/refer to primary/secondary health care services for identified health issues.
- Undertake alcohol assessments, using the outcome to determine safe detoxification.
- Undertake community alcohol detoxification at the service or at the service users home.
- Assist in the titration process for people using opioids.
- Support opioid detoxification in the community.
- Provide education, health promotion, screening for blood borne viruses (BBV). Provide Hepatitis A/B vaccinations.
- Work within & consolidate integrated care & treatment pathways for those identified as being infected with BBVs.
- Undertake phlebotomy, as required.
- 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 and liaise with hospital and inpatient unit staff.
- Contribute to CGLs Naloxone Strategy by training staff and individuals who use our services in the use of naloxone.
- Be proficient in basic life support, defibrillation and managing a medical emergency.
- Understand and adhere to the legislation surrounding the use of patient group directions (PGDs).
- Provide line management/supervision/support to HCAs, student nurses & volunteers.
About us
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.
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