Substance Misuse Advisor

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Promote the health and wellbeing of people who use the service through offering specialist drug advice, information and support.
• Work with patients to change their behaviour to improve their health by stopping/ reducing drug use (and, on occasions, support significant others e.g. partners/ parents/family members of patients experiencing drug problems).
• Work with patients to access the community drug treatment and recovery service for further/ongoing support.
• Required to use their persuasive skills to encourage patients to change their behaviour (e.g. to reduce consumption of drugs/abstain, accept a referral for further support).
• Manage own caseload of patients and responsible for all associated tasks, including follow-up visits, and managing diary commitments.
• Support clinical staff to provide more effective drug support for their patients, through providing up to date and evidence-based information and guidance.
• Provide specialist advice and support to staff, including delivering an education, training and awareness programme to help reduce harm.
• Ensure robust discharge planning to meet the needs of the patients ongoing drug care support, including arranging onward referral/appointment (e.g. to a community drug treatment and recovery service, community pharmacy), signposting (GP, self-help resources), agreeing follow-up appointments/contacts, co-ordinating continued supply of medication or prescription, feeding back to health care partners e.g. GP/primary care.
• Responsible for management of day-to-day workload.
• Work with a wide range of patients as part of their day-to-day work, including those with communication difficulties and adapt information and support provided accordingly
• Provide information to people about stopping/ reducing their drug use, minimizing harm and health-related issues in line with best guidance and protocols. Taking into consideration the wide range of diverse needs e.g. different forms of drugl use, English as a second language Communicate using a range of resources that promote health improvement (mainly stopping/ reducing drug use), adapting information and using different formats depending on both patient need (e.g. pregnant woman, adult inpatient) and for different staff groups or specialties.
• Provide accurate and up to date promotional information to patients and staff and design and produce new resources as/when required.
• Co-ordinate health improvement campaigns within the Trust and externally. This will require planning and collaboration with health improvement specialists and other colleagues (e.g. Public Health, Communications leads) and adapting information/messages for the intended target group.
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the service, including the completion of the minimum data set.
• Responsibility to feed back to Team Leader on any service improvements identified during day-to-day practice.
• Use initiative to communicate/propose new or innovative ways of working to improve the delivery of the service for patients.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate patient and staff records in line with Trust guidelines.
• Responsible for responding effectively to referrals made to the service within stated timescales.
• Plan and organise own daily activities, visiting a range of patients in various locations and situations. Plans will require adjusting depending on patient needs and, for example, if a patient has been moved or is unable or unwilling to engage.
• Work closely with Community Drug Services and other providers ensuring a smooth hand over of patient care where appropriate.
• Ensure administrative duties are carried out efficiently and effectively in order to meet the needs of the service.
• Attend meetings as and when required, preparing agendas, and may include taking notes and preparing minutes, both formal and action plans.
• To be involved in monitoring and evaluation of patient feedback, offering recommendations as part of the team to improve the service.
• To be involved in the marketing and promotion of the service alongside other colleagues. This will include ward visits, presenting to small groups e.g. team meetings and clinical forums, to raise the profile of the service and facilitate service improvements.
• Responsible for audit within own work area.
• Responsible for service improvement initiatives. Collate and analyse the results from surveys and questionnaires to inform improvement work and present this in a range of formats for different staff groups/audiences
• Alert line manager to any issues in work (including concerns about individuals or work in the Trust or in the community) and maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality.
• At all times treat patients, visitors and colleagues with dignity and respect, exercising discretion and maintaining confidentiality.
• Ensure that no action or omission on your part is detrimental to the condition, safety, well-being, and interest of the patients.
• Work in a collaborative and co-operative manner with other members of the care team and observe operational policy and procedure requirements.
• Promote a safe working environment at all times, reporting untoward incidents in line with Trust Policy.
• Take every reasonable opportunity to maintain and update knowledge, competence and skill.
• Ensure CO monitors are in working condition reporting any issues with them as required.
• Monitor supplies of CO monitoring disposables and health promotion resources and supplies.
• Responsible for maintaining stock of health improvement resources within own work area e.g. patient group or clinical specialty.
• Other duties at a comparable level of responsibility as required meeting the needs of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A levels or significant years of relevant work experience
• GCSE level English and Mathematics or equivalent grade C or above
• NVQ level 3/4 or equivalent health related studies OR substantial successful experience delivering drug interventions/support

Desirable

• Specific training in drug interventions

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a Health or Social Care setting.
• Experience of providing healthcare advice or promoting healthy lifestyle advice to patients or members of the public
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of providing help, support and/or counselling on either a one-to-one basis or as part of a group setting.
• Experience of using Microsoft office software
• Knowledge and experience of database management and understanding of its importance in the effective day-to-day delivery of health services.
• Understands the challenges of providing integrated care for patients and their families. As a key member of the team is able to demonstrate initiative and leadership where required.
• As a key member of the MDT is able to arrange access to services to support personalised care plans, referring patients and their families to agencies and services appropriately
• Is able to employ strategies to promote personalised informed decision making when planning, implementing and evaluation care activities. Able to tailor information to meet patients needs, including where complex care and support exists.

Knowledge and Awareness

Essential

• A good level of understanding of evidence-based practice in relation to drug use reduction/ cessation.
• Is able to explain the importance of using good quality research to inform evidence based practice and of lifelong learning in maintaining contemporary awareness of best practice
• Applies principles of human behaviour in relation to making healthy lifestyle changes and decisions
• As a member of the MDT actively able to participate in the planning, development and evaluation of personalised care plans by offering objective clinical or evidence based information to inform the plan.
• The ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with professionals/individuals from a variety of different professional backgrounds
• Evidence of continual personal and professional development
• Is able to contribute to the development of systems to promote knowledge, understanding and adherence to legislation, standards, policies, protocols and values that underpin national and local provision of health and care.
• Excellent communication (both written and verbal) and listening skills. Ability to communicate complex and challenging information to patients in order to facilitate change.
• Is able to communicate complex information in a clear, accurate, unambiguous and timely manner to patients and their families and across the MDT. Checking understanding by using mechanisms such as clarifying and reflecting back.
• The ability to be active in teaching and mentoring trainee Drug Dependence advisors and able to develop resource and activities to support learning
• A good standard of computer skills including data entry, accurate reporting of agreed care plans and effective hand over of care.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload and coordinate own schedule without direct supervision
• Accurate and sufficient record keeping

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).

Employer details

Employer name

The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Address

Pinderfields Hospital

Aberford Road

Wakefield

West Yorkshire

WF1 4DG

Employer's website

https://www.midyorks.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)