Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic individual who can produce results in a challenging environment.

The postholder will be part of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Tobacco Dependency Service, offering smoking cessation support to smokers using our urgent care and outpatient services.

Underpinning the service will be the QUIT philosophy of ask the Question, Understand the level of addiction, provide Information & initiate Treatment.

The Trust is committed to encouraging and supporting smokers who access our services to quit. We recognise that tobacco dependency is a chronic, relapsing clinical condition that prematurely kills at least half of people who smoke. Smoking is seen as a medical condition that can be treated, rather than as a lifestyle choice.

To deliver this effectively, the successful applicant will need excellent communication, motivational and organisational skills and work as part of a tobacco dependency team. The Senior Smoking Cessation Advisor will report to the Tobacco Dependency Service Lead. Working under unsupervised guidance, the Senior Smoking Cessation Advisor will be responsible for ensuring that the Smoking Cessation Advisors motivate and engage smokers attending the hospital’s accident and emergency department, facilitate follow-up support and ensure effective handover of care to established community smoking cessation services.

Some weekend working (to be confirmed) may be required in the future, on a rota basis.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will take a prominent role to support the Smoking Cessation Team within the Trust’s urgent care and outpatient departments, under the direction of the Tobacco Dependency Service Lead. This will include, but is not limited to: 

·  Leading the Smoking Cessation Advisors within specified pathways of the Trust

·    Supporting the delivery of very brief advice (VBA) training for Trust staff

·     The post holder will also contribute to the wider role of the team in the promotion, development, monitoring and evaluation of relevant pathways of the Tobacco Dependency Service

·  Provide specialist tobacco harm reduction interventions including smoking cessation brief advice and behavioural support directly to tobacco smokers 

·       Work collaboratively with the wider Multi-Disciplinary Team to ensure person centred, robust care planning and delivery

· Contribute to the work with the Trust’s Communications and Engagement teams to develop and promote internal communications around the service 

·  Ensure appropriate data collection to support clinical care and monitoring of the service is undertaken and reported as required by Walsall Public Health and NHSE 

·   To act as a role model to others and uphold the Trust’s vision and values

• Some weekend working (to be confirmed) may be required in the future, on a rota basis.

Working for our organisation

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300. It provides inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010, and ongoing upgrades ensure the Trust now has state-of-the-art facilities, including a Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit. A new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, opened in March 2023, has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity, providing almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.