Band 6 Substance Misuse Nurse - Southend on Sea

Looking for a role where your nursing skills directly support recovery, resilience, and real change? Based in Thurrock and working 35 hours per week, this is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking multidisciplinary team delivering high-quality substance misuse care in the community. We are seeking a Band 6 Community Substance Misuse Nurse to provide and supervise evidence-based nursing care for individuals experiencing drug and alcohol dependency. Working in line with national guidelines, NMC standards, and Forward policies, you'll play a key role in delivering safe, compassionate, and recovery-focused interventions.

You'll be part of a collaborative team supporting service users from first contact through to sustained recovery, combining clinical expertise with genuine therapeutic engagement.

What you'll be doing:

• Delivering assessment, triage, and nursing interventions for individuals with complex substance misuse needs
• Supporting prescribed drug treatment, including administration of controlled medications
• Carrying out health needs assessments, risk assessments, ECGs, fibro scans, and clinical audits
• Providing 1:1 support, group work, brief interventions, and crisis care
• Using urine and saliva testing and interpreting results accurately
• Supporting case management, care planning, and through-care/discharge planning
• Working closely with primary care, mental health services, and partner agencies
• Maintaining accurate clinical records in line with NMC and data protection standards

What we're looking for:

• Registered Nurse with active NMC registration
• Experience or strong interest in substance misuse, community nursing, or mental health
• Confident working within a multidisciplinary, recovery-focused environment
• Skilled in communication, risk assessment, and motivational interviewing
• Committed to delivering care aligned with the 6Cs, NMC Code, and evidence-based practice

This is more than a nursing post; it's a chance to be part of a service that genuinely supports change. You'll work in a role that values clinical expertise, autonomy, teamwork, and continuous development, while making a meaningful difference to people's lives every day in the Thurrock community.

If you're motivated by recovery-focused care and want to be part of a supportive multidisciplinary team, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us as an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme - Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Diversity at Forward Trust

The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with Lived Experience of addiction, offending, or homelessness. When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

To find out more about Forward's commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy, please visit our website.

We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.

Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview. If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the Eligibility to Work in the UK requirements.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follows safer recruitment practices and supports a culture of openness and accountability.