Drug and Alcohol Clinical Nurse Specialist

We are looking for a highly dedicated nurse to join our Liaison Psychiatry Service at Kingston Hospital in Kingston-Upon-Thames. Our team provides a comprehensive specialist service to patients in the general hospital setting including A and E., We have a very strong commitment to education, research and staff development. As well as promoting your own professional development, we will expect you to participate in the teaching and training of nurses and other health professionals., + The post holder will provide a specialist consultation liaison service to referring clinicians and clinical teams, assisting them in decision making in difficult and complex cases in order to help reduce the number of patients awaiting mental health assessment and to provide short term input including assessing and treating inpatients working intensively to support early discharge.
+ The post holder will promote choice and hopefulness and ensure a recovery orientated approach.
+ The post holder will promote and initiate any actions to safeguard vulnerable adults.
+ The post holder will be responsible for the full assessment of care needs of patients presenting with a wide variety of clinical conditions without direct supervision. Following this, the post-holder will be responsible for planning and referring on for appropriate follow up where necessary.
+ The post holder will provide a comprehensive consultation liaison service to the ED and individual inpatient areas/clinicians, particularly in assisting them develop emergency/longer term plans of care and make difficult decisions in cases where patients are exhibiting complex psychosocial needs and/or challenging behaviours.
+ The post holder will be required to teach other nursing and non-nursing staff, both in formal and informal settings. Teaching will also be provided to pre-registration students.
+ The post holder will be responsible for specific clinical projects and undertake all necessary work to complete these, including facilitating meetings, liaising and/or negotiating with other staff.
+ The post holder will be expected to participate fully in quality assurance initiatives, with particular emphasis on a 'patient first' approach when required.
+ The post holder will act as a role model in providing a service for people with mental health problems for all staff within the ED/main hospital.
+ The post holder will initiate and participate in audit/research projects associated with the work of the service when required.
+ The post holder represents Mental Health Trust in the general hospital setting and will play a vital role in communicating and maintaining a good working relationship between the Trusts.
At South West London St Georges Mental Health Trust we are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Committed Employer, and welcome applications from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We are Members of Stonewall Diversity Champions and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.
As part of the Trust's commitment to Equalities and Diversity, the Trust supports the establishment of Staff Networks groups to promote diversity in the workplace:
+ BME (Evolve) Staff Network
+ Christian Staff Network
+ DiverseAbility
+ Deaf Staff Network
+ Mental Health Staff Forum
+ Women's Staff Network
+ LGBTQIA+
We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community and has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.
We provide reasonable adjustments to the interview process for any candidates with a disability.
Please note:
+ That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received
+ That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3^rd party e-recruitment system
+ That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
+ That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
+ That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
+ That your employment is offered subject to successful completion of a Probationary Period depending on your Band (except medical roles)
+ That we are a smoke-free Trust

You will be expected to work predominantly 9-5 but this can be flexible, we require a highly motivated individual to provide some teaching to the staff at St Helier hospital in relation to the treatment of patients with severe alcohol and drug dependence. You will need to establish strong connections with the local drug and alcohol services and be able to work autonomously and also to assist the team in psycho-social assessments where necessary, This is a challenging but rewarding role, offering an exciting opportunity to nurses who have strong assessment and therapeutic skills. You will need the ability to work autonomously whilst still contributing to the team as a whole. Previous experience of working in Liaison Psychiatry is desirable, although not essential. We offer excellent staff support through clinical supervision and teamwork.

NHS AfC: Band 7
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.
We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' however we aim to be 'outstanding'.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".
When you join us, you'll be part of something special - an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.
As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working., We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.