Alcohol Drug Clinical Nurse Specialist

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity to up skill or to simply change your career direction. Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

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. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career. With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you\’re at, there\’s always a place for you at CNWL.

Site UCLH NHS Trust HQ Town London Salary £56,276 – £63,176 per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 16/02/2026 23:59

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London\’s population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff. We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview

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.

Main duties of the job

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.

Working for our organisation

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• 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

Experience

• 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

Skills and knowledge

• 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 issues relating to substance misuse and health care.
• Knowledge of the physical and mental health effects of excessive alcohol consumption
• Knowledge and experience of the full range of treatment modalities for alcohol problems.
• Knowledge of prescribing interventions for drug & alcohol detoxification and abstinence support.
• Understanding of brief interventions, motivational interviewing and other counselling techniques.
• Be able to demonstrate flexibility and creativity when developing care packages.
• Good verbal and written presentation skills.
• Ability to plan, co-ordinate and develop local policy and procedure in line with government strategies and recommendations
• Knowledge and understanding of relapse prevention programme.
• Knowledge of local services for alcohol and other substance misuse problems.
• Computer literacy and ability to manage and present information clearly.
• Commitment to interagency involvement in service, partnership and teamwork
• Empathy towards client group
• To carry out monitoring of referrals and feedback to referrers.
• Ability to devise, deliver, commission and evaluate drug & alcohol training based on A&E and hospital need

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

• Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system
• Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
• If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.