Job overview
Whittington Health and North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) are seeking a Tobacco Dependency Specialist to work across NLFT adult inpatient wards. The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will work across adult in-patient wards under the supervision of the Tobacco Dependency Project Manager, undertaking tobacco dependence assessments for mental health patients, to continue the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan, to ensure that a “new universal smoking cessation offer will also be available as part of specialist mental health services for long-term users of specialist mental health, and in learning disability services”.
The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will play a key role within a wide multidisciplinary team, to raise awareness of the harm from tobacco and the effects on long term physical health, particularly for people with mental illness. The tobacco dependency specialist will provide direct tobacco dependency treatment to inpatients under the hospitals care and coordinate their tobacco dependency treatment care plans. The Tobacco dependency Specialist will develop links with other local & regional smoking cessations services.
All staff should comply with the Trust’s Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.
Main duties of the job
Provide and monitor care
·Provide compassionate, safe and effective assessment and advice to service users within the in-patient and community services.
·Delivering 1 to 1 and group tobacco dependency interventions to patients admitted to the NLFT inpatient wards.
·Provide bespoke and tailored tobacco dependency treatment to patient with mental health needs.
·Monitor the quit attempts of people within their care, providing follow up and evaluation in partnership with people, families, and carers
·Contribute to ongoing assessment of smoking cessation recognising when it is necessary to refer to others for reassessment or further advice.
·Communicate effectively with colleagues, providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions when sharing information delegating or handing over responsibility for care. To ensure that tobacco dependency records are kept up to date and accurate.
·Liaise with clinical staff to ensure appropriate tobacco dependency treatment is prescribed and administered and ensure that care plans are updated to reflect tobacco dependency treatments.
·Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes
·Provide expert advice on treatment to patients and advice and teaching to staff regarding how to effectively treatment tobacco dependency for patients with mental health conditions.
Working for our organisation
Key Working Relationships:
The Tobacco Dependency Specialists will work under the supervision of the Tobacco dependency project manager and in coordination with the NLFT physical health team, they will also have key relationships with primary care staff and other health and social professionals as appropriate to the care of service users. Key working relationships include the following:
·Tobacco dependency project manager for NLFT and Whittington Health
·Director of Nursing (NLFT) with portfolio for physical health
·NLFT Physical Health Team
·Deputy Director of Nursing (NLFT)
·Contracted medical staff in NLFT
·Clinical and non-clinical staff in NLFT in regard to the treating tobacco dependency program
·Smoking Cessation Service Providers
·Social Prescribers, Clinical Champions and Care Navigators
·Local Community Service Teams
·Tobacco Dependency Specialists/Advisors at Whittington Health and other hospital trusts smoking cessation providers in NCL
·Members of the NLFT Tobacco Dependency Action Group
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Post Summary
Whittington Health and North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) are seeking a Tobacco Dependency Specialist to work across NLFT adult inpatient wards. The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will work across adult in-patient wards under the supervision of the Tobacco Dependency Project Manager, undertaking tobacco dependence assessments for mental health patients, to continue the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan, to ensure that a “new universal smoking cessation offer will also be available as part of specialist mental health services for long-term users of specialist mental health, and in learning disability services”.
The Tobacco Dependency Specialist will play a key role within a wide multidisciplinary team, to raise awareness of the harm from tobacco and the effects on long term physical health, particularly for people with mental illness. The tobacco dependency specialist will provide direct tobacco dependency treatment to inpatients under the hospitals care and coordinate their tobacco dependency treatment care plans. The Tobacco dependency Specialist will develop links with other local & regional smoking cessations services.
All staff should comply with the Trust’s Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.
Key Working Relationships:
The Tobacco Dependency Specialists will work under the supervision of the Tobacco dependency project manager and in coordination with the NLFT physical health team, they will also have key relationships with primary care staff and other health and social professionals as appropriate to the care of service users. Key working relationships include the following:
·Tobacco dependency project manager for NLFT and Whittington Health
·Director of Nursing (NLFT) with portfolio for physical health
·NLFT Physical Health Team
·Deputy Director of Nursing (NLFT)
·Contracted medical staff in NLFT
·Clinical and non-clinical staff in NLFT in regard to the treating tobacco dependency program
·Smoking Cessation Service Providers
·Social Prescribers, Clinical Champions and Care Navigators
·Local Community Service Teams
·Tobacco Dependency Specialists/Advisors at Whittington Health and other hospital trusts smoking cessation providers in NCL
·Members of the NLFT Tobacco Dependency Action Group
Duties and Responsibilities:
1.Being an accountable professional
·Act in the best interests of the people they care for
·Put people first and provide tobacco dependence advice that is person centred, safe and compassionate
·Always act professionally
·Use knowledge and experience to make evidence-based decisions and solve problems
·Recognise and work within the limits of their competence
·Be responsible for their actions
·To work towards completion of preceptorship if newly qualified
2.Promoting health and preventing ill health
·Support people to improve and maintain their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing
·Active involvement in the prevention of and protection against disease and ill health
·Engage in public health, community development, and in the reduction of health inequalities
3.Provide and monitor care
·Provide compassionate, safe and effective assessment and advice to service users within the in-patient and community services.
·Delivering 1 to 1 and group tobacco dependency interventions to patients admitted to the NLFT inpatient wards.
·Provide bespoke and tailored tobacco dependency treatment to patient with mental health needs.
·Monitor the quit attempts of people within their care, providing follow up and evaluation in partnership with people, families, and carers
·Contribute to ongoing assessment of smoking cessation recognising when it is necessary to refer to others for reassessment or further advice.
·Communicate effectively with colleagues, providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions when sharing information delegating or handing over responsibility for care. To ensure that tobacco dependency records are kept up to date and accurate.
·Liaise with clinical staff to ensure appropriate tobacco dependency treatment is prescribed and administered and ensure that care plans are updated to reflect tobacco dependency treatments.
·Recognise and report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes
·Provide expert advice on treatment to patients and advice and teaching to staff regarding how to effectively treatment tobacco dependency for patients with mental health conditions.
4.Working in teams
·Play an active role as members of interdisciplinary teams
·Collaborate and communicate effectively with doctors, nurses, GPs and a range of other health and care professionals and carers
5.Improving safety and quality of care
·Improve the quality of care by contributing to the continuous monitoring of people's experience of care
·Identify risks to safety or experience and take appropriate action, putting the best interests, needs and preferences of people first
6.Contributing to integrated care
·Contribute to the provision of care for people, including those with complex needs
Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility
·To demonstrate a willingness to positively engage in change management
·To act as a role model to the MDT, service users, carers and staff
·To participate in the induction and training of others working in tobacco dependency treatment.
Financial Responsibility
To always assist the Tobacco dependency Project manager in the in the effective use of resources
1.Service Development and Improvement
·To comply with the Trust’s requirement in attending all relevant mandatory
·training
·To actively participate in quality and safety improvement initiatives
·To participate in data collection to support the development and improvement of the service
·To advise senior management on current issues and new developments with the service area field
·To develop and maintain own professional profile
2.Communications
·To always act in safeguarding the integrity, confidentiality and availability of sensitive information relating to both service users and staff
·To demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills
·To communicate effectively, using a variety of methods, with members of the Multidisciplinary Team, service users, carers and other agencies involved in the service users’ care
·To maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries with service users
·To ensure effective and collaborative working with staff from other providers and commissioning organisations
·Bridge the gap between primary care and secondary care services, to enable better communication and better access to health care for people with learning disabilities/mental health needs
Person specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential criteria
1. Degree and/or appropriate professional qualification or equivalent level of experience in this field.
Desirable criteria
2. Level 2 Tobacco Dependency (practitioner) competencies
3. Level 3 Tobacco Dependency (practitioner) competencies (mental health competency)
Skills and Ablities
Essential criteria
4. Knowledge of good practice in behavioural interventions as specified by relevant governing bodies (e.g., NICE, NCST etc.)
5. Well-developed interpersonal skills
6. Ability to communicate the benefits of stopping smoking to mental health service users’ and staff the challenges involved, and these can be overcome.
7. Excellent verbal communication skills with excellent spoken and written English
8. Skilled in time management, organised and independent working.
9. Work well in highly sensitive and high-pressure environments.
10. Dealing with highly sensitive and confidential information.
11. Ability to present complex data in a clear and easily understood format – both verbally and in writing.
12. Ability to work flexibly in a fast paced and changing environment.
13. Strong skills in negotiation
14. Relevant skills to enable teaching, coaching skills, clinical supervision and mentoring of colleagues
15. Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders e.g. Consultants, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and senior managers to develop and deliver a Stop Smoking Service within the hospital
Desirable criteria
16. Experience of the RiO patient Record System
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
17. Experience of providing healthcare, healthcare advice or health promotion advice to patients or members of the public
18. Administration experience in a large organisation using Outlook, Excel, Word, and patient database systems
19. Experience of working in a team
20. IT Literate
21. Ability to form excellent relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
22. Sustained Record of continued professional development.
Desirable criteria
23. Experience of working with people with mental health services and people with serious mental health conditions
24. Experience of in treating tobacco dependency or smoking cessation services.
25. Experience of delivering behavioural change interventions in a health care setting
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
26. Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
27. Empathetic and enthusiastic and high energy levels
28. Excellent interpersonal skills and a flexible approach to work
29. Self-motivated and enthusiastic about tackling tobacco dependency.
30. A strong team player and able to work cooperatively with colleagues.
31. Adaptable to different and complex working situations, can work with mental health service users of all capabilities and attitudes
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
32. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
33. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
34. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
35. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
36. Participate in required training and supervision.
37. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.