Alcohol Drug Clinical Nurse Specialist

Alcohol Drug Clinical Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 16 February 2026

The purpose of the Drug and Alcohol Clinical Nurse Specialist post is to provide a range of interventions that will divert those patients presenting with high-risk substance misuse from acute services into community-based treatment to avert future hospital admissions and readmissions.

The role of the addictions nurse specialist is to assess and provide brief nursing interventions, including personalised feedback and motivational interviewing, to dependent and other high-risk drinkers and drug users attending UCLH ED or admitted to hospital. The post will safely manage care and treatment of drug and alcohol use /dependence. As part of discharge planning the post holder will support them to access community-based structured treatment as appropriate.

The role of the addictions nurse specialist is to assess and provide brief nursing interventions, including personalised feedback and motivational interviewing, to dependent and other high-risk drinkers and drug users attending UCLH ED or admitted to hospital. The post will safely manage care and treatment of drug and alcohol use /dependence. As part of discharge planning the post holder will support them to access community-based structured treatment as appropriate.

The post-holder will ensure that ED and ward staff are aware of drug and alcohol related issues and committed to screening, identifying, and referring patients who are dependent or high-risk drinkers and drug users. The post-holder will offer ongoing on-the-job training, equipping hospital staff to deliver brief interventions to harmful and hazardous drinkers and drug users. The post-holder will also function as a source of expert advice, guidance, and support for both ED and ward staff on drug and alcohol matters.

They will assist in the development of corporate guidance for clinicians throughout the hospital on alcohol and drug
-related matters, including managing withdrawal and detoxification.

CNWL
- Addictions and Offender Care Directorates

CNWL Addictions is a well-established NHS provider offering a wide range of high-quality drug and alcohol treatment interventions to the diverse and multicultural population across Ealing, Brent, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Milton Keynes. In addition, we also have the tri-borough Club Drug Clinic as well as our National Problem Gambling Service.

The service is committed to a harm minimisation philosophy and to partnership working. Our main partners are primary care services, social and the third sectors.

Treatments are provided across all our clinical centres. Clinical Governance framework is well established and the service prides itself in its continuous development towards becoming a learning organisation.

Please see attached Job description which is attached to the file. Please let me know if you have any queries.

• First Level Registered Nurse (RMN and or RGN)
• Evidence of post - qualification clinical training
• BSc/degree in Drug & Alcohol Studies or other relevant qualification
• Brief intervention, solution focused or similar counselling training & Motivational Interview
• ENB 998-7/ NVQ Assessor or equivalent

• The post holder must have post qualification clinical employment, or experience working in substance misuse or drug and alcohol service
• Experience of drug & alcohol work at Band 6
• Familiar with clinical risk assessment and management of vulnerable client groups
• Experience in planning and delivering training to multi-disciplinary staff of all levels
• Experience as a registered nurse in mental health
• Experience in substance misuse hospital or GP liaison
• Experience of working in a community drug & alcohol treatment / counselling service
• Experience of staff management, development and appraisal
• Experience of developing new services and managing the change process
• Experience of providing education in drug & alcohol awareness for nurses and other professionals
• Experience of developing and implementing quality approaches such as standard setting and clinical audit
• Experience of substance misuse liaison working with Accident & Emergency setting
• Experience of undertaking published clinical research on alcohol

• Ability to co-ordinate and deliver services within a multi-disciplinary setting
• Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical and management supervision
• Ability to lead and facilitate decision making processes
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in varied settings
• Ability to provide drug & alcohol awareness training to wide - ranging multidisciplinary groups
• Knowledge of current legislation and initiatives in substance misuse and accident and emergency medicine
• Understanding of the competencies associated with coordination of an drug and alcohol liaison service
• Ability to deliver evidence-based interventions to service users with drug & alcohol problems
• Knowledge of the legal and ethical…