Tobacco Dependency Specialist for mental health service users

Job responsibilities

Post Summary

Whittington Health and North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) are seeking a Tobacco Dependency Specialist to work across NLFT adult inpatient wards. The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will work across adult in-patient wards under the supervision of the Tobacco Dependency Project Manager, undertaking tobacco dependence assessments for mental health patients, to continue the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan, to ensure that a new universal smoking cessation offer will also be available as part of specialist mental health services for long-term users of specialist mental health, and in learning disability services.

The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will play a key role within a wide multidisciplinary team, to raise awareness of the harm from tobacco and the effects on long term physical health, particularly for people with mental illness. The tobacco dependency specialist will provide direct tobacco dependency treatment to inpatients under the hospitals care and coordinate their tobacco dependency treatment care plans. The Tobacco dependency Specialist will develop links with other local & regional smoking cessations services.

All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.

Key Working Relationships:

The Tobacco Dependency Specialists will work under the supervision of the Tobacco dependency project manager and in coordination with the NLFT physical health team, they will also have key relationships with primary care staff and other health and social professionals as appropriate to the care of service users. Key working relationships include the following:

Tobacco dependency project manager for NLFT and Whittington Health

Director of Nursing (NLFT) with portfolio for physical health

NLFT Physical Health Team

Deputy Director of Nursing (NLFT)

Contracted medical staff in NLFT

Clinical and non-clinical staff in NLFT in regard to the treating tobacco dependency program

Smoking Cessation Service Providers

Social Prescribers, Clinical Champions and Care Navigators

Local Community Service Teams

Tobacco Dependency Specialists/Advisors at Whittington Health and other hospital trusts smoking cessation providers in NCL

Members of the NLFT Tobacco Dependency Action Group

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Being an accountable professional

Act in the best interests of the people they care for

Put people first and provide tobacco dependence advice that is person centred, safe and compassionate

Always act professionally

Use knowledge and experience to make evidence-based decisions and solve problems

Recognise and work within the limits of their competence

Be responsible for their actions

To work towards completion of preceptorship if newly qualified

2. Promoting health and preventing ill health

Support people to improve and maintain their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing

Active involvement in the prevention of and protection against disease and ill health

Engage in public health, community development, and in the reduction of health inequalities

3. Provide and monitor care

Provide compassionate, safe and effective assessment and advice to service users within the in-patient and community services.

Delivering 1 to 1 and group tobacco dependency interventions to patients admitted to the NLFT inpatient wards.

Provide bespoke and tailored tobacco dependency treatment to patient with mental health needs.

Monitor the quit attempts of people within their care, providing follow up and evaluation in partnership with people, families, and carers

Contribute to ongoing assessment of smoking cessation recognising when it is necessary to refer to others for reassessment or further advice.

Communicate effectively with colleagues, providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions when sharing information delegating or handing over responsibility for care. To ensure that tobacco dependency records are kept up to date and accurate.

Liaise with clinical staff to ensure appropriate tobacco dependency treatment is prescribed and administered and ensure that care plans are updated to reflect tobacco dependency treatments.

Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes

Provide expert advice on treatment to patients and advice and teaching to staff regarding how to effectively treatment tobacco dependency for patients with mental health conditions.

4. Working in teams

Play an active role as members of interdisciplinary teams

Collaborate and communicate effectively with doctors, nurses, GPs and a range of other health and care professionals and carers

5. Improving safety and quality of care

Improve the quality of care by contributing to the continuous monitoring of people's experience of care

Identify risks to safety or experience and take appropriate action, putting the best interests, needs and preferences of people first

6. Contributing to integrated care

Contribute to the provision of care for people, including those with complex needs

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

To demonstrate a willingness to positively engage in change management

To act as a role model to the MDT, service users, carers and staff

To participate in the induction and training of others working in tobacco dependency treatment.

Financial Responsibility

To always assist the Tobacco dependency Project manager in the in the effective use of resources

1. Service Development and Improvement

To comply with the Trusts requirement in attending all relevant mandatory

training

To actively participate in quality and safety improvement initiatives

To participate in data collection to support the development and improvement of the service

To advise senior management on current issues and new developments with the service area field

To develop and maintain own professional profile

2. Communications

To always act in safeguarding the integrity, confidentiality and availability of sensitive information relating to both service users and staff

To demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills

To communicate effectively, using a variety of methods, with members of the Multidisciplinary Team, service users, carers and other agencies involved in the service users care

To maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries with service users

To ensure effective and collaborative working with staff from other providers and commissioning organisations

Bridge the gap between primary care and secondary care services, to enable better communication and better access to health care for people with learning disabilities/mental health needs

Qualifications and Education

Essential

• Degree and/or appropriate professional qualification or equivalent level of experience in this field.

Desirable

• Level 2 Tobacco Dependency (practitioner) competencies
• Level 3 Tobacco Dependency (practitioner) competencies (mental health competency)

Skills and Ablities

Essential

• Knowledge of good practice in behavioural interventions as specified by relevant governing bodies (e.g., NICE, NCST etc.)
• Well-developed interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate the benefits of stopping smoking to mental health service users' and staff the challenges involved, and these can be overcome.
• Excellent verbal communication skills with excellent spoken and written English
• Skilled in time management, organised and independent working.
• Work well in highly sensitive and high-pressure environments.
• Dealing with highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to present complex data in a clear and easily understood format - both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work flexibly in a fast paced and changing environment.
• Strong skills in negotiation
• Relevant skills to enable teaching, coaching skills, clinical supervision and mentoring of colleagues
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders e.g. Consultants, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and senior managers to develop and deliver a Stop Smoking Service within the hospital

Desirable

• Experience of the RiO patient Record System

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of providing healthcare, healthcare advice or health promotion advice to patients or members of the public
• Administration experience in a large organisation using Outlook, Excel, Word, and patient database systems
• Experience of working in a team
• IT Literate
• Ability to form excellent relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Sustained Record of continued professional development.

Desirable

• Experience of working with people with mental health services and people with serious mental health conditions
• Experience of in treating tobacco dependency or smoking cessation services.
• Experience of delivering behavioural change interventions in a health care setting

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
• Empathetic and enthusiastic and high energy levels
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a flexible approach to work
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic about tackling tobacco dependency.
• A strong team player and able to work cooperatively with colleagues.
• Adaptable to different and complex working situations, can work with mental health service users of all capabilities and attitudes

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).