Enhanced Practitioner - Shared Care Drug & Alcohol Service in Workington

The Enhanced practice professionals will use clinical decision making within a scope of practice, participate in decision making amongst the wider MDT and contribute specific knowledge of an area of practice. The Enhanced level of practice includes freedom to act. Practice is autonomous within the professional scope of practice.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will have highly developed specialist skills and advanced knowledge in a specific area of interest.
• They will have significant clinical experience in their area of practice.
• As an autonomous practitioner they will undertake independent consultations with patients attending with specific symptoms within the post holder's specialist scope of practice.
• They will assess, examine, investigate, diagnose, treat and follow up patients within their scope of practice.

About us:

North Cumbria Primary Care Ltd (NCPC) is an innovative not for profit social enterprise, established to create a network of great surgeries which sustains and supports the development of general practice across the local area. We enable our member general practices to continue to operate as local family practices with the benefit of a large and robust infrastructure to provide support.

Job responsibilities:

• To provide a specialist and advanced professional contribution to the clinical management of patients attending within their specialist area.
• Work within the national clinical management guideline in line with the Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Government on Clinical Management- Department of Health & Social Care 2017.
• Carry out a health check at a minimum annually incorporating Hepatitis B&C, & HIV- where appropriate and evidence of Hepatitis B vaccinations where applicable.
• Examples include but are not limited to wound care, contraception, blood borne virus testing and immunisation, smoking cessation services, and mental health interventions.
• Carry out comprehensive assessment of patients with drug and alcohol needs, including physical and mental health screening.
• Undertake comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments of patients with substance misuse disorders.
• Diagnose and manage drug and alcohol dependence, withdrawal syndromes, and co-morbid conditions.
• Develop and deliver individualised care plans focused on harm reduction, stabilisation and health checks.
• Initiate and manage opioid substitution therapy- OST and alcohol detoxification plans.
• Prescribe independently in line with national and local guidelines, supporting safe prescribing pathways in collaboration with GPs and pharmacists.
• Manage complex presentations including dual diagnosis, safeguarding concerns, and high-risk behaviours.
• Provide brief clinical interventions, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention strategies, including detox support, wound care, vaccinations and medication prescription where appropriate.
• Monitor treatment effectiveness, side effects, and adherence.
• Manage acute presentations related to substance misuse, including overdose risk and withdrawal.
• Actively work with Recovery Co-ordinator to support the individual to engage in a range of interventions and treatment options, to include substitute opiate prescribing and alcohol detoxification prescribing.
• To supply point of care drug screening equipment.
• Ensure the person has access to and is holding naloxone.
• To supply DBTS kits.
• Attend Multi-Disciplinary Team meeting with the GP to discuss complex cases with recovery Steps Cumbria.
• Use a combination of skills, knowledge, values and self-esteem to manage change and move beyond competency, moving from experienced to expert in area of specialism.
• Working at an enhanced level of practice- with strong autonomous decision making within scope of practice and current competencies.
• Practice with autonomy and accountability.
• To be responsible for the follow up of the patients under their care.
• Adhere to the NMC/ HCPC/ professional body Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and ethics for nurses / professional body at all times.
• To undertake assessments for clinical risk within the service and ensure all staff are aware of responsibilities and related policies.
• To participate in the identification, development, implementation and dissemination of local clinical protocols, policies, procedures, guidelines relating to individualised specialist service; which includes their management ensuring clinical governance is maintained.

Person Specification:

Other requirements:

• Full clean driving licence.

Personal attributes:

• Positive attitude, self-motivated.
• Willingness to learn new skills.
• Ability to work with a team and independently.
• Ability to adapt to change within working situation.

Experience:

• Advanced clinical assessment and diagnostic skills.
• Strong knowledge of substance misuse pharmacology and harm reduction.
• Excellent communication and motivational interviewing skills.
• Ability to manage risk, safeguarding, and complex psychosocial needs.
• Non-medical prescribing experience in substance misuse.
• Significant and extensive experience within Drug and Alcohol misuse.
• EMIS clinical system.

Qualifications:

• Registered healthcare professional (NMC / HCPC).
• Possess the right to work in the UK and be on the performers register.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Significant post-qualification experience in substance misuse.
• RCGP Certificate in the Management of Drug Misuse (Part 1) and RCGP in the Management of Alcohol problems in Primary Care.

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.