Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Clinical Specialist in Dual Diagnosis

The closing date is 27 October 2025

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Clinical Specialistto provide strong clinical leadership within our dedicated multidisciplinary team. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and compassionate care to our client group, with a clear focus on clinical risk management, evidence-based practice, and continuous improvement.

  • Provide clinical leadership to the clinical team in the care, treatment, and therapy of service users.

  • Lead, motivate, and inspire staff at all levels to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.

  • Offer expert support and guidance to practitioners on all aspects of clinical care, ensuring adherence to evidence-based practice and national guidelines.

  • Sustain and develop a robust clinically based training programme to support staff development and maintain high standards of practice.

  • Maintain your own expert clinical status through ongoing professional development, research, and quality improvement projects.

  • Actively contribute to the Trust Senior Nursing Team, participating in relevant forums, committees, and strategy discussions.

  • Lead and participate in clinical audits, RCA reviews, and ensure that lessons learned from incidents and complaints are effectively implemented.

Main duties of the job

  • Provide clinical leadership, consultation, and supervision to nursing and multidisciplinary teams on all aspects of care, treatment, therapy, and clinical risk management.

  • Act as a role model for evidence-based practice, promoting and embedding best practice in collaboration with clinical, governance, and research teams.

  • Support the development and implementation of systems and processes to share learning from research, national guidance, and local audit findings.

  • Contribute to policy development, ensuring all clinical practice aligns with Trust policies, national standards, and current legislation.

  • Lead the development and delivery of training programmes, ensuring staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide outstanding clinical care.

  • Maintain and demonstrate expert clinical knowledge, including completion of specialist training and ongoing professional development.

  • Provide specialist advice and support across clinical areas, including undertaking the role of non-medical prescriber where required.

  • Communicate effectively across multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams, using a range of communication styles to engage and motivate staff, service users, and carers.

  • Participate in clinical audit, research, and quality improvement initiatives, ensuring learning is embedded and sustained across services.

About us

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Details

Date posted

14 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pa/pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

246-WSU7510231

Job locations

West Suffolk Hospital

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 2QZ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Assessment of mental state, risk and drug/alcohol use

Collaborative planning of onward referrals, signposting, information provision

Liaison with relevant partners/agencies to ensure excellent working relationships, joint working, effective handovers between services

Reviewing training needs, knowledge gaps, in the team and planning to address this.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Assessment of mental state, risk and drug/alcohol use

Collaborative planning of onward referrals, signposting, information provision

Liaison with relevant partners/agencies to ensure excellent working relationships, joint working, effective handovers between services

Reviewing training needs, knowledge gaps, in the team and planning to address this.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Mental health nurse, occupational therapist, social worker or equivalent.

Desirable

  • Further education in specialty area

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of practice within clinical area with proven track record in delivering high quality care

Desirable

  • Experience of implementing evidence based practice and or service improvement initiative.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Mental health nurse, occupational therapist, social worker or equivalent.

Desirable

  • Further education in specialty area

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of practice within clinical area with proven track record in delivering high quality care

Desirable

  • Experience of implementing evidence based practice and or service improvement initiative.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

West Suffolk Hospital

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 2QZ


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

West Suffolk Hospital

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 2QZ


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Team Manager

Gemma Fretwell

gemma.fretwell@nsft.nhs.uk

01284713386

Details

Date posted

14 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pa/pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

246-WSU7510231

Job locations

West Suffolk Hospital

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 2QZ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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