Alcohol Support Nurse

Overview

Alcohol causes a wide range of conditions and is a contributing factor in harm, accidents, violence and self-harm in patients. Over 1.1 million hospital admissions each year have alcohol as a casual factor (NHS, 2019). Dependent drinkers are at the highest risk of alcohol related conditions.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Alcohol Care Team based in Ipswich Hospital. The Alcohol Care Team (ACT) primarily provide specialist expertise and interventions for alcohol dependent patients, and those presenting with acute intoxication or other alcohol related complications, attending ED or admitted as an inpatient.

The Alcohol Specialist Nurse will work within the team with community alcohol services, dual diagnosis, safeguarding and multiple other specialities to provide holistic, individualised care.

• You could be working either in ED or on the inpatient wards within the hospital.
• Run outpatient face-to-face alcohol support clinics and manage a caseload.
• Provide a comprehensive alcohol assessment, identify alcohol dependence and withdrawal, and manage detoxification regimes.
• Contribute to care planning, provide psychosocial interventions and an MDT approach, plan safe discharge and referral to community services.
• Oversee the withdrawal process from alcohol and work with patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and related issues.
• Provide support and counselling to aid in recovery, including helping patients access treatment programs and services, housing, finances, safeguarding, mental health and domestic abuse support.
• Educate clinical staff on identifying and treating withdrawal symptoms and delivering brief alcohol interventions.
• Facilitate nurse-led outpatient clinics to manage holistic treatment for patients in recovery and those requiring surveillance for liver cirrhosis caused by alcohol.

• Band 6 positions, full time and part time, based on a seven-day service with lone working at weekends.
• As an Alcohol Specialist Nurse, contribute to multidisciplinary care and ensure safe discharge planning.

We are ESNEFT and provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' homes. We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

• We support staff with training and development opportunities and flexible working options.
• Generous pension, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave (pro rata) and NHS discounts.
• Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we focus on improving processes and reducing time delays for staff and patients. We are investing in our commitment with a partnership with Epic, a leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier, to bring what is widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, we would like to hear from you. Find out about living and working here: