Do you have a passion for helping vulnerable people improve their lives? Do you enjoy working in partnership with service users to help facilitate change?

The Dual Diagnosis Team is an exciting and dynamic team that works with service users who have a mental illness and substance use comorbidity across the diverse population of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

The principle duties involved in this role include offering assessments, care planning, harm minimisation advice, structured psychosocial sessions, and group work to vulnerable services users who have complex needs.

The Dual Diagnosis Team uses a flexible approach to working in which it is expected that you will spend some of your week working from NHS and local authority sites , and some of your time working from home.

Main duties of the job

• To support service users who have a mental illness and substance use comorbidity to improve their life outcomes by offering assessments, care planning, harm minimisation advice, structured sessions, and group work.
• To manage a caseload of service users who have complex needs.
• To work assertively, delivering individual psychosocial sessions to vulnerable services users who have complex needs and often a history of difficult engagement with services.
• To assess inpatients for eligibility for the service and assist inpatient services with care planning.
• To promote the health and well-being of service users and carers and to maintain a safe, caring, and therapeutic relationship with a focus on the service users' substance use needs.
• To identify and refer to substance use day and/or residential rehab programmes for service users where appropriate.
• To co-facilitate training, groups, and supervision for professionals regarding substance use in mental health
• To be familiar with The Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act and to operate according to this legislation.

About us

There's a place for you at CNWL.We're passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient's own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust is committed to workforce development and is keen to enable the successful applicant to innovate and evolve with the service.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities:

To provide comprehensive, culturally appropriate, evidence-based assessments to establish eligibility for health and social care services and consult/refer to other services, when appropriate, in relation to the service users substance use needs.

To provide all service users with a holistic substance use assessment encompassing health and social care needs in line with The Care Act, The Mental Health Act, The Mental Capacity Act and other relevant legislation.

To formulate, monitor and review service user care plans in relation to their substance use needs and discharge when appropriate, ensuring a smooth flow of patients through the service.

To complete TOPs forms as required.

To undertake continuous risk assessment and risk management.

To provide direct therapeutic care to users in their own home or other community settings using evidence-based nursing skills or other relevant skills such as psychosocial interventions including Motivational Interviewing, harm minimisation and relapse prevention to meet the service users substance use needs.

To offer supervision, training, and guidance to external agencies as required.

To identify cultural, spiritual, and communication needs of users within a diverse community, and ensure that these needs are addressed in the care plan.

To participate in multidisciplinary responses to crisis situations.

To identify and support carers and to participate in carers assessments.

To work in partnership with other agencies such as Housing, Social Services and GPs.

To complete all necessary documentation including financial assessments to refer service users to day and residential rehab programmes, to meet their substance use needs.

To provide comprehensive reviews of placements and services in relation to the service users substance use needs.

To identify and work proactively to address Safeguarding and Child Protection issues and to implement procedures as required.

Communication

To ensure open channels of communication with both internal and external agencies.

To possess excellent communication skills and form positive therapeutic relationships using warmth and empathy.

To be aware of own verbal and non-verbal communication.

To participate in and provide a specialist substance use perspective to multidisciplinary team meetings/case discussions, to include business and clinical meetings, supervision groups and staff support groups.

To maintain close working liaison with the inpatient services.

To provide continuity of care by covering for colleagues across RBKC and WCC when on annual leave, sickness, or when the service requires it etc.

To communicate via an interpreter when required.

Education and Training

To provide, where necessary, high-quality supervision and teaching in both formal and informal settings on substance use in mental health.

To work in conjunction with Dual Diagnosis Workers across the Trust to provide training on substance use in mental health to staff in mental health services, substance use services and other relevant agencies.

To lead, present and participate in team training sessions to share skills and knowledge within a multi-disciplinary team.

To attend ongoing training including statutory and mandatory courses to meet the objectives set in your personal development plan and/or appraisal.

To ensure clinical information on working practices and developments are up-to-date.

To take an active interest in research into mental health and substance use, utilising findings where appropriate and developing research-based practice.

Management of Resources

To work within agreed levels of resources, both human and financial.

Data Recording/Administration

To collect and record clinical data in the required format on both CNWL and local authority databases.

To maintain integrated client records accurately in line with NMC, CNWL and local authority policy and The Data Protection Act/GDPR.

To write reports, complete substance use assessments and other documentation for referrals to day and residential rehab programmes.

Management, Supervision and Accountability

To be managerially accountable to the Team Manager and Clinical Team Leaders.

To receive caseload supervision and appraisal in accordance with CNWL Policy and to use this time to reflect on clinical and professional practice and professional development.

To be professionally accountable to Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

To maintain professional registrations, inform the Team Manager if these lapse, and adhere to the appropriate codes of conduct.

To uphold the principles of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and adhere to all other statements as required by the NMC or other any professional Code of Conduct.

To act up for the Clinical Team Leader when required.

To offer support and guidance to junior members of staff, in the absence of seniors, on a day-to-day basis.

To be available as a Clinical Supervisor if desired, in line with Trust Policy.

Research and Service Development:

To actively engage in health promotion and psycho-education in line with NSF guidelines.

To contribute to the development of policies and procedures devised by the team, in line with Trust Clinical Governance and Audit.

To identify service development needs and to lead or participate in approved audit and research programmes.

Quality Assurance

To be directly accountable and responsible for own nursing practice and to operate in line with NMC Code of Professional Conduct in relation to rules, regulations and policies on direct user care.

To act as an autonomous clinician.

To act with the guidance, policies and procedures issued by the Trusts Directorate of Nursing and Social Services, to maintain and continually improve practice as outlined with PREP.

To act within the Trust Clinical Governance framework and inform local Clinical Governance Groups in relation to evidence-based practice.

To maintain and observe the confidentiality of all information relating to clients as laid down in the Confidentiality Policy and the Caldicott Principles.

To take part in any approved research programmes.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• 1) Professional Qualification in Mental Health Nursing/ OT / SW
• 2) ENB 998 / Slice or equivalent or willingness to undertake training

Desirable

• Relevant post basic training

Skills/Abilities/ Knowledge

Essential

• 1) Able to build therapeutic relationships using good communication skills that show warmth and empathy
• 2) Experience of using a range of therapeutic skills & psychosocial interventions
• 3) Understanding of the substance use needs of service users with severe and enduring mental health
• 4) Clear understanding & commitment to implementing Equal Opportunities for care delivery & staff in a multicultural community.
• 5) Able to develop effective working relationships with families, carer's & other agencies both statutory and non-statutory.
• 6) Working knowledge of: oThe Mental Health Act 1983 as amended by MHA 2007. oThe Mental Capacity Act 2005 oThe Care Act oNMC Code of Conduct. o NSF and Clinical Governance. oThe CPA framework
• 7) Working knowledge of: new developments in nursing and social care, including concepts of recovery
• 9) Risk assessment and management skills.
• 10) Practical implications of the Data Protection Act
• 11) Understanding of clinical and managerial supervision.
• 12) Computer skills

Desirable

• Basic counselling skills
• Training in Motivational Interviewing

Experience

Essential

• 1) Level of post registration experience
• 2) Previous experience working with service users who have severe and enduring mental health problems in ether an inpatient or community setting.
• 3) Previous experience working with service users who use substances and ideally experience working in substance use services
• 4) Evidence of continuing professional development
• 5) Able to assess, design, deliver and evaluate health and social care packages involving services users and carers
• 6) Keeping accurate records and use of IT systems

Desirable

• 1) Previous community experience

Other

Essential

• 1) Awareness of Health & Safety issues
• 2) Able to work on a flexible basis to cover colleagues during sickness/absence etc

Attitudes, and Personal Characteristics

Essential

• 1) Able to communicate effectively in English verbally, in writing and through presentations.
• 2) Treat users, carers and colleagues with respect and dignity.
• 3) Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-J-KC-0730