Lead Nurse Integrated Alcohol Care Pathway

Job overview

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Nurse to join our Integrated Alcohol Care Pathway. This unique role sits at the heart of a collaborative partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and King’s College Hospital (KCH). You will be joining a service that bridges the gap between acute hospital care and community outreach, bringing together the Addiction Care Team and the Alcohol Care Outreach Teamto provide seamless, person-centered support for individuals with complex alcohol and addiction related needs.

As the Lead Nurse, you will be the senior nursing authority within the Integrated pathway.l. This is a pivotal leadership position where you will balance high-level clinical expertise with the operational management of a dedicated team of Liaison Nurses. If you are a visible, approachable leader with a passion for improving outcomes in addiction and physical health, this role offers the opportunity to shape a high-profile integrated service.

Main duties of the job

Your leadership will ensure that the service consistently meets its key performance targets while maintaining the highest standards of evidence-based practice. You will be responsible for the direct line management, supervision, and professional development of our Band 6 Liaison Nurses, helping them grow in confidence and clinical skill.

A significant and exciting part of this role involves cross-service leadership. You will take the lead on nursing training and development across both the hospital-based ACT and the community-based ACOT. A key priority will be enhancing the team's competencies in physical health assessment and management, ensuring our staff are equipped to handle the complex interplay between substance use and physical illness

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As the Band 7 Lead Nurse, you will provide vital clinical and operational leadership for the Addiction Care Team  at King’s College Hospital. This role is a cornerstone of the Integrated Alcohol Care Pathway, which unites hospital-based support with assertive community outreach to deliver seamless care for individuals with complex alcohol and substance-related need

You will be the senior nursing presence within the ACT and ACOT, ensuring that care is safe, effective, and person-centred. Beyond managing the hospital team, you hold a unique cross-service mandate to lead nursing training and development for both the ACT and the Alcohol Care Outreach Team. This involves bridging the gap between physical and mental health, building staff confidence in clinical assessments, and acting as a practice development resource within a world-class Academic Health Sciences Centre

• Clinical Leadership: Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the Addiction Care Team, ensuring the service meets key targets and adheres to local and national guidelines.

• Staff Management: Provide direct line management, supervision, and annual appraisals for Band 6 Liaison Nurses, supporting their professional growth through personalized development plans.

• Specialist Advice: Act as a senior clinical resource, offering expert guidance on complex assessments, alcohol withdrawal management, risk safeguarding, and clinical decision-making.

• Training & Development: Lead nursing training across both ACT and ACOT, with a primary focus on enhancing skills in physical health assessment and evidence-based practice.

• Practice Support: Support the induction of new staff and act as a practice development resource for Band 5 and 6 nurses, assisting with competency sign-offs.

• Clinical Communication: Ensure clinical recommendations are communicated clearly and promptly to ward teams, emergency departments, and community partners.

• Educational Outreach: Design and deliver specialist training on substance use and brief interventions to the wider hospital workforce, including medical and allied health teams.

• Data & Governance: Maintain high-quality clinical activity data and ensure the team remains compliant with all health and safety, safeguarding, and clinical governance standards.

• Service Integration: Work closely with the ACOT Team Manager and Clinical Service Lead to ensure consistent nursing standards and smooth communication across the entire pathway.
• Strategic Representation: Deputise for the Clinical Service Lead when required, representing the service at internal Trust and hospital-wide meetings.