Job overview
The Addictions Care Team provides a high quality 7 day service to patients at Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust who are affected by alcohol or substance use/misuse.
The post holder will be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating the provision of specialist Addictions treatment advice and carries out specialist holistic nursing assessments and interventions. The post holder will provide clinical supervision to other staff, students and may undertake research, lead clinical audits in own specialist area. Ensuring the safety and well-being of service users, and always working in a manner that promotes dignity and human rights through the adoption of person centred care principles.
Closing date: 3rd May 2026
Interview date: 11th May 2026
Main duties of the job
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Addictions Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist, to join our well-established Addictions Care Team.
This is an exciting time to join the team and the post holder will be expected to work across St Thomas and Guys Hospital sites. The role will involve working a shift pattern of Long Days, Weekends and Bank Holidays.
The post-holder will need to be a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) and or a Registered General Nurse (RGN), with a passion and commitment for working with patients who use or misuse alcohol and drugs. It’s essential for the post holder to have some relevant experience either in acute hospital setting or the community of managing patients affected by alcohol and drugs who require treatment including medically assisted stabilisation or detoxification.
The role will provide comprehensive alcohol and drugs holistic assessments, delivering brief /extended interventions, harm minimisation, psychosocial interventions, monitoring & supervising inpatients detoxification, liaison with family/carers and external community substance misuse services, including other health and social care professionals.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job responsibilities:
1. Independently manage a group of patients within the Addictions specialty whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering specialised individualised and personalised direct patient care.
2. Demonstrate appropriate practice and specialist addictions advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care. This includes history taking, physical examination and the requesting of agreed diagnostic procedures/clinical.
3. Responsible for the correct administration of prescribed medication including transfusion of blood and blood products.
4. Be responsible for assessing and recognising emergencies in the Addictions specialty.
5. Act as an advocate for patients within the department, to ensure a patient orientated approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS Plan and other relevant.
6. Ensure that patients’ receive high quality clinical care and a good patient experience, having regard for their customs, religious beliefs and doctrines.
7. To provide leadership, support and guidance to staff in monitoring the planning delivery and evaluation of individualised specialist.
8. Is wholly accountable for his / her practice in line with the NMC code of professional conduct and takes every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve his / her knowledge and professional.
9. Ensure safe and effective care for complex patients requiring advanced specialist clinical skills and responsible for carrying out specialist nursing procedures.
10. To be responsible, for maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors and other staff within the clinical.
11. Ensure that sensitive patient records are stored.
12. Ensures the cultural and spiritual needs of patients are recognised and accommodated within resources.
13. Support and enable patients and carers to make informed decisions relating to their treatment.
14. Participate in case conferences in relation to the management of patients.
15. Ensure staff take precautions to minimise the risk of cross infection in relation to the safe disposal of body fluids (including blood).
16. A key member of the multidisciplinary team in supporting patients and their carers during the delivery of bad news.
17. Assess educational and information needs for patients and families.
18. To be an effective communicator with patients/carers/families regarding disease treatment.
19. Promote high quality clinical care, and assist in the development of the specialist addictions service, through the use of evidence based practice and clinical standards.
20. Provide a seamless, high quality service from referral through to assessment, diagnosis, treatment.
Please see attached job description for full details.
Person specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential criteria
21. BSC/1st Degree/Diploma Nursing qualification, registered with NMC.
22. Experience working with patients who use/misuse alcohol or drugs.
23. Evidence of professional/clinical knowledge/experience in assessing and treating patients who present with alcohol or drug problems.
Desirable criteria
24. Post registration qualification/experience in drugs and alcohol
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
25. Experienced and competent in the management of patients with addictions
26. Experience working with patients who use/misuse alcohol or drugs
27. Experience of teaching/ assessing/ supervising others in addictions.
Desirable criteria
28. Previous post registration experience or CPD training in Alcohol or substance misuse
Skills And Knowledge
Essential criteria
29. Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate specialist addictions care delivered to patients/clients and give relevant advice/information to patients and relatives.
30. Ability to administer prescribed medication including transfusion of blood and blood products
31. Good communication skills and ability to deal with sensitive information. To include dealing with distressed relatives, care of terminally ill & other challenging situations
32. Demonstrates Specialist Addictions Expertise Underpinned by Theory
Desirable criteria
33. Evidence of involvement and leadership in teaching and mentoring learners
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.