Tobacco Dependence Treatment Specialist AdvisorinOrpingtoninOrpingtonPUBLISHED FRI 1 NOV 2024

The Tobacco Dependency Specialist Advisor will operationally deliver the smoking element of the NHS LTP by providing a stop smoking service for inpatients admitted to Greenparks House (Bromley), Oxleas House (Greenwich) or Woodlands and Barefoot Lodge (Bexley) based upon the Ottawa and CURE Models of Smoking Cessation. These innovative roles will provide front-facing, visible and accessible support by offering daily face-to-face onsite clinics to service users and staff in each of the mental health inpatient wards in the Acute and Crisis Directorate.

The post holder will be responsible for the following:

• Respond to all inpatient admissions of smokers
• To assess inpatients tobacco dependence, devise a treatment plan and ensure tobacco dependence care is given throughout the inpatient stay and after discharge.
• Provide effective stop smoking support for inpatients, outpatients or staff of the acute trust who want to stop smoking.
• Continue to develop referral systems from all patient care pathways, agreed with managers and clinical leads, and prioritising those for smoking-related health conditions.
• Ensure a range of services are available in the Trust to meet different needs and preferences.
• Develop expertise in effective treatment programmes for people with a range of smoking related health condition.
• Plan and deliver a comprehensive training programme to promote a systematic, proactive approach to stopping smoking across the Trust.
• Offer expertise to clinicians, managers, and specialists.
• Support the development and implementation of policies and protocols for managing nicotine withdrawal for in-patients and access to medication.

About us

Clinical

• To deliver robust stop smoking interventions for inpatients, outpatients, visitors, and hospital staff in line with NICE guidance.
• To be responsible for the implementation of the NHS LTP across several wards in the hospitals.
• Deliver evidence-based stop smoking advice to people wishing to stop smoking, in accordance with local and national protocols, in groups or with one to one individual support.
• To help staff to identify partners and family members of patients and engage them in treatment.
• Plan care in partnership with clients and refer to colleagues or other health professionals if appropriate.
• Explain to patients how their smoking relates to their illness, medical condition and/ or social circumstances to ensure they can make an informed decision to stop smoking.
• Give information about all stop stopping medications in line with best practice, NICE guidance and NCSCT monitoring guidelines. This will include evidence of relative effectiveness.
• Ensure Champix, vaping, Zyban and all nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products are first line treatments of choice.
• Undertaking carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring of clients and supporting development of strategies by clients to deal with withdrawal and longer-term relapse prevention.
• Work with consultants, nurses, and ward staff to develop services which meet the needs of their patients.
• Ensure that everyone who expresses an interest in stopping smoking is given information to understand what services can offer them.
• Keep informed of developments and innovation in practice and ensure all training, information and advice is up to date and evidence based.
• Maintain and use this knowledge to inform and advise stakeholders or the general public.
• Plan and organise own workload to ensure a balance between direct work with clients and developmental work with the Trust.
• Maintain own professional development and ensure own supervision needs are identified and met.
• Support the development of protocols for inpatients to access medications if they wish to stop smoking.
• Ensure that products are on the hospital formulary and that systems are in place for inpatients to receive such products.
• Support the development of protocols for nicotine replacement products to be used to manage nicotine withdrawal for inpatients unable to smoke in hospital or grounds.
• Advise staff on use of nicotine replacement products to manage withdrawal in all smokefree settings.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders e.g. consultants, nurses, pharmacists, and senior managers to develop a proactive, co-ordinated approach to motivating people to stop smoking.
• Develop a strategy to ensure that all hospital staff can access help to stop smoking at their workplace or near where they live.
• Develop, adapt, and maintain effective referral systems throughout the hospital to the stop smoking service.
• Integrate work on referral systems to stop smoking services with service redesign and development of care pathways.
• Maintain referral systems to stop smoking services in the community when this best meets the needs of patients or staff and follow them up via telephone after discharge.
• Maintain accurate records for national reporting procedures.
• Use prevalence and health data to ensure that services are accessible and target those whose health is most at risk from continuing to smoke e.g. cardiology and respiratory patients.
• Co-ordinate training programmes on motivating people to stop smoking and use the most intensive support they are willing to accept.
• Deliver training to all hospital staff on effective brief interventions and tailored level 2 training to selected groups.
• Ensure all training meets the national standards set by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training.
• Review, purchase, develop and distribute educational materials and resources such as training packs, leaflets, posters and CO monitors.