Senior Clinical Practitioner- COMHAD

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Clinical Practitioner to join our Co-Occurring Mental Health, Alcohol and Drugs (COMHAD) Provision. This is a 1-year secondment opportunity, offering a unique chance to work with individuals who may face barriers to accessing traditional services, including those affected by mental health difficulties, substance use, social exclusion and other complex needs.

You will play a key role in improving access, engagement and outcomes for people who are often underserved, working across mental health, substance misuse and partner organisations. The role focuses on delivering high-quality, person-centred care using trauma-informed, recovery-oriented and harm minimisation approaches.

This is an excellent opportunity for a clinician looking to broaden their experience, develop leadership skills, and contribute to improving how services respond to co-occurring needs across a range of settings.

Main duties of the job

• As a Senior Clinical Practitioner, you will provide specialist clinical input to individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use needs, particularly those who may be less likely to engage with traditional services.
• You may be asked to undertake comprehensive assessments and deliver time-limited, evidence-based interventions, supporting individuals to access and remain engaged in treatment and recovery pathways. You will contribute to care planning, risk management and the coordination of care for people with complex and often high-risk presentations.
• A key aspect of the role is working collaboratively across mental health teams, substance misuse services and partner agencies, including those working with socially excluded groups, to improve access and continuity of care. You will support colleagues through consultation, shared working and informal teaching, helping to strengthen capability in working with co-occurring needs.
• You will also contribute to service development, supporting improvements in pathways, reducing unplanned disengagement from services, and promoting effective, recovery-focused interventions across systems.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide specialist clinical advice and support to colleagues within the health care setting and to agencies concerned with substance misuse.
• To undertake time-limited treatment specific work, including prescribing, with clients whose care is co-ordinated by other members staff in clinical teams, in respect of substance misuse, relapse prevention, detoxification and rehabilitation referrals for rough sleepers with co-occurring substance dependence and mental health need devising systematic plans for care; implementing this plan; co-ordinating the input of others and evaluating its effectiveness. This includes commencement of medication; monitoring effect and side effects and interactions and developing medication adherence strategies for nursing staff.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner providing expert assessments and developing, implementing and evaluating care/ treatment interventions for service users with complex needs associated with a co-occurring substance dependence and mental health issues.
• To lead the promotion of evidence-based practice for people with co-occurring substance dependence and mental health needs with their linked services.
• To provide expert advice to clinical staff of all disciplines and grades (including consultant psychiatrists) on the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care/treatment packages for people with a Co-occurring mental health, alcohol & drugs.
• To provide clinical supervision formally and informally to staff of all disciplines (e.g. nurses, doctors, social workers) and grades (up to an including consultant level).
• To provide harm reduction information, support and referral with an emphasis on safer drug and alcohol use, safer sex, tobacco harm reduction / smoking cessation, HIV, Hepatitis A,B and C and other blood borne infections. To work closely with Wandsworth & Richmond drug and alcohol Service to support referral and engagement to Hep C treatment.
• To provide overdose prevention interventions in line with Wandsworth & Richmond drug and alcohol Service guidelines.
• To manage a caseload of service users affected by rough sleeping, drug and alcohol use and severe and enduring mental health needs – this will include service users with complex needs.
• In consultation with service users, enable substance misuse and homelessness providers, to develop flexible and realistic strengths based / recovery plans.
• To support RSDATG Team with the assessment of service users for residential detoxification and rehabilitation treatment, where appropriate.
• To employ a range of interventions with service users including motivational interviewing and be familiar with treatment tools.
• To empower services to work with people with co-occurring substance misuse and staff and service user to identify quality improvements in practice and service delivery and become involved in service user co production.