Job overview
To case manage a small group of clients with complex mental, physical health, and social care needs who are high users of emergency and inpatient services.
The post holder will work collaboratively with these clients to identify and manage their priorities, supporting recovery while reducing unplanned hospital admissions. With the expansion of the Alcohol Assertive Outreach Team across South London—including Lewisham, Bexley, Greenwich, and Bromley—this role forms part of a regional initiative that integrates care across acute hospital sites and community services.
Main duties of the job
1)Manage a small caseload of clients with complex and multiple needs, including assessment, care planning, implementation, and regular review.
2)Conduct assertive outreach visits in the community, including attending clients’ homes and other agreed locations, to maintain engagement and support those reluctant to access services.
3)Proactively engage clients in alcohol treatment pathways, including structured psychosocial and/or pharmacological interventions, using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
4)Act as an advocate for clients—supporting access to services related to housing, benefits, physical and mental health, and social care—while helping remove barriers to engagement.
5)Undertake dynamic risk assessments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of clients, staff, and volunteers in varied community and hospital-based settings
6)Maintain up-to-date and accurate clinical documentation, sharing relevant information with partner agencies to ensure coordinated care and risk management.
7)Support and supervise volunteers and contribute to informal guidance for Band 5 colleagues, ensuring safe and effective involvement across the service.
8)Contribute to service evaluation, quality improvement, and research projects aligned with the AAOT’s evidence-based model.
9)Participate in regular supervision, appraisal, and ongoing professional development, including fulfilling all mandatory training requirements.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will be assigned a primary hospital base at one of these participating sites:
1. Princess Royal University Hospital Bromley
2. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Candidates should express their site preferences on application and during interview; while these will be considered, final placements will be determined based on service capacity and needs.
In line with the team’s growth, and there is an expectation that some work will be carried out across the area, as service needs dictate. The role will also include the supervision and support of Band 5 clinicians as delegated by senior colleagues, offering day-to-day guidance and oversight.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
3. •Registered Nurse (RMN/RGN), Qualified Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, or other relevant health/social care professional registration (A)
Desirable criteria
4. •Post-registration qualification relevant to the client group or setting (I)
5. •Evidence of continued professional development (A/I)
Experience
Essential criteria
6. Recent and relevant experience working with alcohol-dependent or mental health clients in a community setting
7. Demonstrated clinical knowledge of alcohol dependence and associated co-morbidities, gained through training and/or direct work
8. Experience of inter-agency or multi-disciplinary working
9. Understanding of structured alcohol interventions, brief interventions, pharmacological treatment options, and motivational interviewing
10. Awareness of the physical health risks related to alcohol use and ability to recognise deterioration in physical health
Desirable criteria
11. Experience of managing a caseload autonomously
12. Experience using clinical or case management databases to record activity
13. Experience supporting carers and/or working with volunteers
14. Experience of mentoring or supervising junior staff or peers
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
15. Understanding of structured alcohol interventions, brief interventions, pharmacological treatment options, and motivational interviewing
16. Awareness of the physical health risks related to alcohol use and ability to recognise deterioration in physical health
17. Familiarity with the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act, particularly in the context of clients with alcohol dependence and complex needs
18. Effective workload management and ability to respond promptly and flexibly to changing priorities
19. Ability to engage and maintain therapeutic relationships with clients who are hard to reach