Job summary
Addition Recovery Community Hillingdon (ARCH) - Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

The Addiction Recovery Community (ARCH) helps people in Hillingdon who want to break a cycle of addiction to substances such as heroin, club drugs, other types of stimulants or long term alcohol addiction. It represents the bringing together of a variety of services under one roof to provide a better service to service users.

Main duties of the job
Clinical Nurse Specialist

An exciting opportunity has become available at ARCH to work within the Addictions Team as an experienced Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialist.

The aim of the role is to provide specialist addiction nursing support in the form of assessment, engagement and intervention for patients with substance use needs, supporting integration into the community, preventing reoffending and facilitating engagement to the local community substance misuse team ARCH.

The role involves working with a wide range of services. Successful candidates will need to have excellent communication skills as well as the flexibility to work alongside these different groups.

Candidates will need to be able to work effectively as part of a team as well as having the skills and confidence to work as individuals in a range of environments. Supervision and consultation is available to the team to support practice.

We are looking for an experienced registered nurse, with knowledge of mental health, substance misuse disorders demonstrable experience in specialist assessment and decision making.

About us
We are a forward facing trust who believes in training and development of nurses skills and can prioritise supporting prospective applicants to learn new skills in working with providing service users addictions support.

We have ample opportunities to gain a greater understanding of essential skills underpinning clinical practice such as motivational interviewing techniques, relapse management and clinical specialist skills such venepuncture, ECG, dry blood spot testing and fibro scan training.

Details
Date posted: 13 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £45,953 to £54,254 a year
per annum inc. Outer HCAS (pro rata if P/T)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 333-D-AD-0618
Job locations: ARCH, Old Bank House
64 High Street
Hillingdon
UB8 1JP
United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team in the management and treatment provision of the specialist service to people with problematic use of novel psychoactive substances with associated problem drink and drug use attending the service/unit, including harm minimisation approaches, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, care planning, individual intervention, health assessments and education and detoxification programmes, pre and post test BBVs counselling and vaccination and group work.
• To assess continuously the psychological, emotional, social and rehabilitative needs of own clients/patients, taking into account the needs of family, local community and developing systematic plans for care and evaluation of treatment plans.
• To be able to assess and case manage clients who inject drugs, in particular assessing injection sites and be conversant with the precepts of harm minimisation.
• To use agreed and established Treatment Outcome Monitoring Tools (TOP) and any other relevant quality measures.
• To contribute to the development, provision and review of care plans.
• To manage the transfer of individuals between agencies and services.
• To counsel individuals about their substance use and related behaviours, using motivational interviewing, relapse management and other evidence-based interventions,
• To provide clinical advice and support to other colleagues within the health care setting and to other agencies concerned with substance misuse.
• To be responsible for the safe and effective storage and administration of drugs, exercising responsibility for the custody and maintenance of statutory records of such drugs in accordance with the Trust Policies/Procedures on the supply and carriage of drugs in the community.
• To ensure full risk assessments and risk management is delivered effectively.
• To undertake dry blood spot testing for BBV and urinalysis when required.
• To screen clients at risk of, or affected by, blood borne diseases and to plan and agree service responses according to needs.
• To provide education and to assertively promote Hepatitis B vaccination for clients who are at risk of contracting the virus.
• To administer Hepatitis B vaccination in accordance with CNWL Medicine Policies and Protocols.
• To provide pre and post test discussion to clients screened for blood borne viruses in accordance with CNWL guidelines.
• To ensure the CNWL Hepatitis care plan is used for all clients.
• To actively promote attendance at the hepatology clinic for clients affected by liver disease.
• To collaborate with the individual Statutory, Non-Statutory teams, GPs, Primary Care Services, Virology, Chemical Pathology and Liver/ Gastroenterology Departments, and provide expert care without direct medical supervision, using clinical guidance documents and patient group directions as agreed by the Trust.
• To assist in the transfer of individuals between the service and Hepatology/Gastroenterology and other relevant agencies.
• To be familiar with the Trust and local Resuscitation, Infection Control and Needle Stick Injury Policies and Procedures.
• To attend mandatory yearly updates on CPR and Anaphylaxis training.

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential

• Registered NMC Mental Health nurse
• Evidence of continuing personal development and post-registration training in the nursing care, assessment and treatment substance misuse clients.

Desirable

• Diploma in Drugs and Alcohol Studies or equivalent qualification
• Training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Completed the Motivational Interviewing Training
• Module
• BBV Training

Experience
Essential

• Experience of teaching others and willingness to undertake Teaching and Assessing qualification within six months of commencing post.
• Assessing risky health behaviour
• CNS training programme
• Experience of working with clients with drug/ alcohol problems or completion of AOCD
• Experience in Mental Health
• Experience with community based working

Desirable

• Community Nursing Experience
• Experience of working in and delivering services to drug users.
• Research experience
• Knowledge of Patient Information Systems
• Completion of PGD for BBV screening and vaccination

Skills and knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of different treatment models and pathways in substance misuse
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
• An understanding of safeguarding issues in relation to adults and children
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and to prioritise effectively
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to work within a harm minimisation model
• Motivational Interviewing skills / Relapse Management skills
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person
• IT literate

Desirable

• Knowledge of prescribing issues in a drug service
• Experience of group facilitation
• Experience of managing a caseload within the community
• Awareness/knowledge of research skills
• Awareness of counselling models

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics
Essential

• Non-judgemental
• Able to engage in frank discussions with clients about intimate and sexual topics
• Committed to multidisciplinary team work
• Committed to Service User involvement
• Flexible & responsive to a must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal and Diversity policy at a level appropriate to the job developing service.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).