Lived Experience Worker - Alcohol Care Team

East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are pleased to offer an 12-month fixed term contract for a Community engagement worker within The Alcohol Care Team. As part of the NHS long term plan Alcohol Care Teams have been funded through NHSE initiatives to provide services to those who use Alcohol and have presented at acute settings. Alcohol Care Teams work in collaboration with partners to:

• Minimise harm through awareness raising around Alcohol and its associated complexities.
• Reduce the number of avoidable Alcohol related admissions and length of hospital stay.
• Improve the care withdrawal management for those who use Alcohol.
• Provide psycho-social support to enhance recovery outcomes.
• Work in collaboration with primary, secondary and relevant third sector partners to engage those who use Alcohol with appropriate services.

The Alcohol Care Team works across Blackburn and Burnley hospital sites. This post is funded by Blackburn with Darwen Council and as such, the post holder will work with people from this locality but will also be required to travel to Burnley to visit Blackburn residents.
1. Build professional relationships with service users who are under the care of The Alcohol Care Team.
2. Work in a flexible and proactive way to engage those who use Alcohol and other substances with local appropriate services.
3. Work as part of a wider multi-disciplinary virtual team to meet the needs of service users.
4. Act as an advocate for service users to actively reduce the challenges to engagement with services.
5. Assist in the facilitation of service users with Mutual Aid organisations, and other social groups.
6. Work with a range of providers under supervision to address health and social inequalities.
7. Encourage the and support people who use Alcohol and other substances in the uptake of health appointments.
8. Develop a good understanding of local service and housing provision acting as a resource for service users and actively facilitate attendance.
9. Develop and maintain good working relationships with local treatment providers acting as an ambassador for The Alcohol Care team.
10. To undertake reasonable requests for additional tasks in response to service requirements to support the wider team as directed by senior colleagues.
11. Work as part of a virtual team members to home visits and community visits travelling to various locations consistent with the service and service user needs.
12. Liaise with appropriate team members to access healthcare for physical needs, such as wound care, Blood Borne Virus vaccinations and Hepatitis C treatment wound care.

When you walk through the door, one of the first things you’ll notice is that this Trust is full of talented people. Not just in the fields of medicine, nursing or diagnostics but in every part of the organisation. We are professional and passionate people who are all working together in an open and supportive culture.

We are committed to offering you a rewarding career and ensuring you feel a part of a flexible workforce that constantly seeks fresh ways of delivering the best care for our patients.

We don’t just look at you for who you are now; we look at you for who you could be in the future. We take training seriously, and encourage you to do the same. As a Trust we want to recruit, develop and retain skilled and motivated people to maintain a high performance culture.

Come and be a part of it!

We strive to create a workforce that is:

• skilled, well trained, knowledgeable and flexible
• motivated and willing to learn
• customer focused and responsive
• productive, efficient and comparable with the best
• striving for continuous improvement
• committed to the Trust’s aims and values
• valued for its contribution
• representative of the communities it serves

If you’re wondering whether we’re the employer for you, the answer is that a career here is what you make of it. The opportunities are all out there, waiting. The rest is up to you.
1. Use motivational interviewing and evidenced-based psychosocial interventions to engage with service users who use Alcohol and other substances to reduce risks and promote recovery.
2. Provide the voice for the service user contributing to service user feedback initiatives and involvement.
3. Keep up to date care and data records in line with Trust policy and professional standards.
4. Work collaboratively to actively engage in training initiatives and campaigns around Alcohol and substance use within the acute setting and the community.
5. Contribute to recovery plans with service users that are SMART goal focussed and appropriate to the service user’s communication needs.
6. Assist service users with technology to engage with digital offers to address health and housing needs for recovery.
7. Liaise with concerned others and engage with families and carers as appropriate.
8. Contribute to data collection tools for The Alcohol Care team.
9. Maintain confidentiality in line with organisational policy and understand processes for the safeguarding of vulnerable people.
10. Ensure that all equipment is safely used and maintained.
11. Communicate any risks to yourself, the service user and appropriate others to senior colleagues and other professionals.
12. Contribute to auditing of case files for Alcohol screening.
13. Engage with training opportunities for self-development.
14. Report any incidents and near misses in line with Trust policy.
15. Be able to communicate with patients the reason for data collection and understand one’s own responsibility under GPDR and the data protection Act 1998.