Overview
The role of the DACT Nurse is to provide a comprehensive and holistic assessment of the patient, including mental and physical health, social issues, and drug and alcohol history to formulate a plan of care based on individual needs. Brief interventions will be delivered as standard and there is an expectation to follow up patients who require admission to hospital. The DACT will provide acute assessment to support inpatient wards and the Emergency Department, and will also work within the Acute Medicine Unit and Surgical Assessment Centre. The Band 6 DACT nurse will work as an autonomous practitioner with regular access to supervision and support from the Team Leader. The post holder will provide advice and training to DBTH staff and be an expert point of contact. A good multidisciplinary working approach is essential to liaise with local service providers to ensure continuity of care. The post holder should be flexible to meet the needs of this new team and demonstrate knowledge, expertise, advocacy skills and a passion for working within the specialty of alcohol misuse.
Responsibilities
* Provide specialist assessment and intervention to patients presenting with drug and/or alcohol related problems or injuries and identify appropriate treatment options to be implemented.
* Use local and national guidelines for the treatment of alcohol misuse and/or drugs and ensure high quality, evidence-based care for all patients referred; concerns should be escalated immediately if this is not the case.
* Promote screening, identification and brief intervention of patients, equipping ward staff with the appropriate tools to carry these out.
* Educate patients and their families/carers on substance misuse related harm and deliver brief advice.
* Screen patients to identify those at risk from alcohol related health and social problems (hazardous drinkers) and those whose health is being damaged by alcohol (harmful drinkers) and undertake appropriate interventions or referrals.
* Identify patients currently using illicit substances and undertake appropriate interventions or referrals.
* Advise and support emergency department staff on admission criteria for patients with substance misuse issues attending the department.
* Advise clinical staff on the management of patients experiencing acute alcohol withdrawal, including treatment protocols, detoxification medications and vitamin prescribing (once qualified as a non-medical prescriber).
Why RDaSH
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) employs around 4000 colleagues who are appreciated, valued and respected. We have a wide portfolio including mental health, physical health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services. We are dedicated to the development of our people and hold a learning half day every month for our colleagues. We are passionate about enhancing the quality of our service and work to attract and select the right colleagues who share our passion for providing first class care while remaining committed to our vision and values. Please view our Strategy at: https://www.rdash.nhs.uk/documents/clinical-and-organisational-strategy-2023-to-2028/ and to learn more about working with RDaSH: https://workwithrdash.co.uk/. We are committed to inclusive cultures and invite you to view our Allyship video at: https://youtu.be/WMJSkLoTk4Q.
Terms and further information
The main terms and conditions of service can be found at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook. Please view the attached job description and person specification for full role details. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if there are a high number of applications. This advert closes on Thursday 2 Oct 2025.
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