DASS Nurse Specialist | West London NHS Trust

The post is clinically based with a primary focus on assisting with the provision of assessment and treatment interventions, on both an individual and a group basis, for patients who have a history of substance use/misuse and who require treatment in a forensic mental health setting.

The post will be based on the Ealing site of West London Mental Health NHS Trust. The post holder will be expected to assist with the provision of the Drug and Alcohol Support Service (DASS) across all clinical areas of the Men's, Women's and Adolescent Directorates, including medium secure wards, low secure wards, the hospital hostel, and community settings as appropriate.

The post will involve active development and deployment of the skills necessary to deliver, both individually and jointly with other multi-disciplinary professionals, one-to-one and group therapeutic interventions for West London Forensic Service patients. S/he will provide advice, supervision and consultation to other members of ward/ multi-disciplinary teams on substance-related issues. The post holder will be involved in regular training of multi-disciplinary staff in relation to work with service users who use/mis-use drugs and alcohol. S/he will be expected to take initiative in relation to organisational and development issues concerning the provision of an effective and patient-centred substance misuse service. The post holder will be expected to engage in regular supervision and training

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We're rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

1.Clinical

1. To provide specialist assessment, including risk assessment, of patients who have severe and enduring mental disorders (both mental illness and personality disorders), serious forensic histories and histories of significant misuse of substances, and who present with highly complex needs.

2. To provide appropriate, evidence-based treatment interventions for substance misuse, in both individual and group settings, taking into account patients' individual profiles of needs and abilities.

3. To fulfil the role of DASS Team Member for designated clinical areas, providing specialist advice, guidance and consultation to multi-disciplinary teams and ward teams regarding care planning and management, including risk management, of patients who misuse substances.

4. To establish and maintain communication with patients and carers on complex and potentially stressful topics in a range of situations. This includes giving feedback on sensitive issues to patients who are compulsorily detained, have severe mental disorders and have a heightened potential for hostile reactions.

5. To give feedback and communicate with, as necessary, referrers, the multi-disciplinary team and the wider health, social care and criminal justice system on matters concerning the assessment, treatment and management of mentally disordered offenders who misuse substances; including preparation of written reports as necessary.

2.Service Development

1. To contribute to planning and delivery of the Drug & Alcohol Support Service, including taking the lead on specific projects related to increased clinical provision and effectiveness of the Service.

2. To attend ward rounds, CPA meetings, Clinical Improvement Groups, staff meetings, community meetings and other relevant meetings for designated clinical areas as the DASS Team representative; to initiate plans within those forums for more effective clinical care/management of service users, and to take responsibility for their implementation in consultation with other multi-disciplinary staff.

3. To attend and represent DASS at meetings of the User Forum as required.

4. To contribute to collaboration and information-sharing with outside agencies in order to improve the delivery and effectiveness of DASS.

3.Teaching and Training

1. To contribute to the identification of multi-disciplinary training needs in relation to treatment and management of service users with substance misuse histories.

2. To contribute to teaching and training of multi-disciplinary staff across the Forensic Service.

4.Supervision

1. To provide supervised informal clinical supervision to multi-disciplinary professionals working with substance misuse issues.

2. To be responsible for the supervision of student nurses on placement with the DASS Team.

3. To participate in regular clinical supervision on current caseload and on supervision/management issues arising from the role of DASS team member for individual wards.

4. To participate in regular independent consultation to the DASS Team.

5.Research/Evaluation

1. To evaluate the effectiveness of individual therapeutic interventions under supervision of the DASS Team Manager.

2. To contribute to the evaluation of the Drug & Alcohol Support Service in collaboration with other members of the DASS Team.

3. To lead on specific audit projects, under the supervision of the DASS Team Manager.

4. To contribute to the DASS Team's database of research and audit information and to support the development of evidence-based practice across all clinical areas.

5. To assist with relevant research projects as identified by the DASS Team Manager.

6.Professional Development

1. To maintain and develop clinical and research knowledge of developments within the fields of substance misuse and forensic mental health.

2. To assist in the effective development and organisation of the service by attending appropriate departmental and other meetings/training as required.

7.Other

1. To adhere to all relevant Hospital Policies and guidelines and operate in line with NMC Code of Professional Conduct.

We are now able to offer a permanent position with the multi-disciplinary DASS Team for a qualified nurse with a proven interest in the area of substance misuse. This is an excellent opportunity to build your knowledge of drugs/alcohol and how they affect people with serious mental illness. It will enable you to develop skills in the assessment and treatment of drug/alcohol problems, and in appropriate care planning and management of patients who are at risk of using substances. You will also contribute to the growth of a culture in which staff and patients are empowered to manage the challenges of substance misuse more effectively and confidently. You will receive good support and supervision from members of this committed and enthusiastic team, and will have access to a range of training opportunities., Applicants should have experience working with forensic mental health service users, preferably within in-patient forensic services and ideally also with service users with co-morbid substance use problems.