Substance Misuse Nurse

The North London Forensic Service is a NHS tertiary forensic mental health service based at Chase Farm Hospital in the London Borough of Enfield.

We provide care and treatment to people aged over 18 who have a primary diagnosis of mental illness or learning disability and who are liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act (1983). The service supports those whose risk of harm to others or escape from hospital cannot be safely managed in other mental health settings and therefore require care and treatment within a secure mental health service.

The post holder will provide specialist substance misuse assessment and will deliver evidenced based psychosocial interventions to service users in the in‑patient services. The post holder will help design and deliver training sessions related to substance misuse for other healthcare staff as well as working with MDT staff within the service to promote awareness and understanding of substance misuse issues through offering advice and consultation on service users' care to colleagues, and to other non‑professional carers.

The post holder will promote an agenda of recovery from the dependence on drugs and/or alcohol within the client group and which supports the goals of reducing re‑offending, increasing re‑integration into meaningful and sustained occupation and improving social and family relationships.

The post holder will work alongside the other members of the Substance Misuse team to offer evidenced based interventions to service users in the in‑patient services. The post holder will assist the Substance Misuse Lead to develop and maintain high quality standards of care.

The post‑holder will be responsible for the assessment, planning and implementation of motivational & relapse prevention based interventions for a small caseload, the post holder will work very closely with their supervisor, the team lead.

The job involves delivering 1:1 and group interventions to service users.

The key skill and requirement for this post is the ability to be able to develop and sustain therapeutic relationships with those with complex presentations such as comorbid mental health and substance misuse issues.

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

• We will provide consistently high‑quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

• 1.1. To carry out initial screening and triage, and develop and implement treatment within the field of dual diagnosis (mental health and substance use/misuse) for service users identified as potentially having a dual diagnosis within NLFS.
• 1.2. To carry out substance misuse assessments, as appropriate
• 1.3. To provide one to one sessions with service users, ensuring that care and recovery planning in relation to Substance misuse is conducted on an individual basis according to the specific needs of the service user.
• 1.4. To communicate highly sensitive information requiring the development of persuasive or re‑assurance skills to service users and colleagues.
• 1.5. To establish, sustain and disengage from therapeutic relationships with individuals.
• 1.6. To interact and co‑operate with…