Job summary
- Main area
- RN/RMN/OT/Social Work
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7325756
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Marina House
- Town
- Southwark & Lambeth
- Salary
- £44,806 - £53,134 per annum incl. of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Alcohol Assertive Outreach Clinician
NHS AfC: Band 6
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
To case manage a small group of clients with complex mental, physical health, and social care needs who are high users of emergency and inpatient services.
The post holder will work collaboratively with these clients to identify and manage their priorities, supporting recovery while reducing unplanned hospital admissions. With the expansion of the Alcohol Assertive Outreach Team across South London—including Lewisham, Bexley, Greenwich, and Bromley—this role forms part of a regional initiative that integrates care across acute hospital sites and community services.
Main duties of the job
1) Manage a small caseload of clients with complex and multiple needs, including assessment, care planning, implementation, and regular review.
2) Conduct assertive outreach visits in the community, including attending clients’ homes and other agreed locations, to maintain engagement and support those reluctant to access services.
3) Proactively engage clients in alcohol treatment pathways, including structured psychosocial and/or pharmacological interventions, using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
4) Act as an advocate for clients—supporting access to services related to housing, benefits, physical and mental health, and social care—while helping remove barriers to engagement.
5) Undertake dynamic risk assessments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of clients, staff, and volunteers in varied community and hospital-based settings
6) Maintain up-to-date and accurate clinical documentation, sharing relevant information with partner agencies to ensure coordinated care and risk management.
7) Support and supervise volunteers and contribute to informal guidance for Band 5 colleagues, ensuring safe and effective involvement across the service.
8) Contribute to service evaluation, quality improvement, and research projects aligned with the AAOT’s evidence-based model.
9) Participate in regular supervision, appraisal, and ongoing professional development, including fulfilling all mandatory training requirements.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will be assigned a primary hospital base at one of the participating sites:
- St Thomas’ Hospital
- King’s College Hospital
- University Hospital Lewisham
- Princess Royal University Hospital
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Candidates should express their site preferences on application and during interview; while these will be considered, final placements will be determined based on service capacity and needs.
In line with the team’s growth, and there is an expectation that some work will be carried out across the area, as service needs dictate. The role will also include the supervision and support of Band 5 clinicians as delegated by senior colleagues, offering day-to-day guidance and oversight.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • Registered Nurse (RMN/RGN), Qualified Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, or other relevant health/social care professional registration (A)
Desirable criteria
- • Post-registration qualification relevant to the client group or setting (I)
- • Evidence of continued professional development (A/I)
Experience
Essential criteria
- Recent and relevant experience working with alcohol-dependent or mental health clients in a community setting
- Demonstrated clinical knowledge of alcohol dependence and associated co-morbidities, gained through training and/or direct work
- Experience of inter-agency or multi-disciplinary working
- Understanding of structured alcohol interventions, brief interventions, pharmacological treatment options, and motivational interviewing
- Awareness of the physical health risks related to alcohol use and ability to recognise deterioration in physical health
Desirable criteria
- Experience of managing a caseload autonomously
- Experience using clinical or case management databases to record activity
- Experience supporting carers and/or working with volunteers
- Experience of mentoring or supervising junior staff or peers
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Understanding of structured alcohol interventions, brief interventions, pharmacological treatment options, and motivational interviewing
- Awareness of the physical health risks related to alcohol use and ability to recognise deterioration in physical health
- Familiarity with the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act, particularly in the context of clients with alcohol dependence and complex needs
- Effective workload management and ability to respond promptly and flexibly to changing priorities
- Ability to engage and maintain therapeutic relationships with clients who are hard to reach
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Joshua Stapleton
- Job title
- Clinical Service Lead AAOT and ACT
- Email address
- [email protected]
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