Alcohol Practitoner

The Alcohol Practitioner will use their knowledge and experience to holistically assess patients who are in hospital and who have issues with alcohol. They will develop therapeutic relationships and provide appropriate advice and motivational support. They will make appropriate referrals into internal and external services to meet the needs of the individual.
They will liaise with nurses and doctors to ensure effective communication and use these opportunities to provide information on addiction to improve the knowledge of clinical staff.
They will screen patients to identify those at risk from alcohol related health and social problems and those whose health is being damaged by alcohol and provide brief interventions as appropriate.
They will manage a small caseload of patients who are unsuitable or unwilling to engage in community services., The Alcohol Practitioner will be welcomed into the Alcohol Care Team. We are a friendly and passionate team and all of the team members have the shared vision to improve this service to meet (or exceed) the needs of the local population who have alcohol misuse issues. We are the opposite of change resistant and love to be challenged and to trial new ways of working.

We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated band 4 Alcohol Practitioner who has an interest in addiction and a passion for improving the care of patients with alcohol misuse issues. This practitioner will be responsible for the assessment of alcohol dependent patients and those who are drinking at a harmful / hazardous level and will provide psycho-social interventions. They will have a caseload of patients who will be supported both pre and post detox, and they will respond to the needs of patients attending hospital frequently for a variety of reasons.

The Alcohol Care Team work at both City and Sandwell hospitals until we move into our new acute hospital, The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in the future.

NHS AfC: Band 4
Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust is a friendly, integrated healthcare provider focused on improving the life chances and health outcomes of our diverse population.
We have three strategic objectives:
People: To cultivate and sustain happy, productive and engaged staff;
Patients: To be good or outstanding at everything we do;
Population: To work seamlessly with partners to improve lives;
We run services from Sandwell, City and Rowley Regis Hospitals, Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre, Birmingham Treatment Centre, the Lyng and Leasowes Intermediate Care Centre. Our GP practices and community teams provide care in schools, healthcare centres and at home.
Our next milestone is opening the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), a once in a career opportunity to shape care transformation within and beyond the hospital walls.
Developing and caring for our People is fundamental. We were one of the first Trusts to provide the Real Living Wage, as well as a Live and Work scheme to support people at risk of homelessness into paid work and training. We offer a range of staff benefits, health & wellbeing support and will help you to bring your ambition to life through our bespoke training and development programmes. As "People" is one of our three strategic objectives, we make a continued commitment to prioritise support for all our colleagues.
Healthcare services have a significant impact on the environment. We are committed to embedding sustainable practices. We expect all colleagues to support the delivery of our Green Strategic Plan and to drive positive changes in their department., The team is relaxed and there is a focus on wellbeing. We recognise that it we don't value our own health, we will be unable to provide the service our patients deserve.
The current working hours are 4 days per week , 0800 - 1800 including weekend working. The post holder will be expected to work cross site at City and Sandwell hospitals.
For an informal discussion please contact Carol Appleyard, Lead Alcohol Nurse, SWB Alcohol Care Team, on ., Please see job description and person specification for detailed job description and main responsibilities.
As a major employer in the Black Country and West Birmingham region we are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. We want the Black Country and West Birmingham region to be the best place to work and as such will consider all requests to work flexibly taking into account personal and individual circumstances alongside the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the Recruiting Manager as part of the on-boarding process.