Tobacco Dependency Advisor

At Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust we are increasing the support we offer to people who are admitted to, or attend our mental health inpatient and community based services, to help them to stop smoking or to reduce harm from tobacco and be smoke free during an inpatient admission (temporary abstinence).

NHFT recognises smoking as an addiction (tobacco dependency) and that it 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.

This post will contribute to tackling inequalities in health through promoting and supporting people with severe mental health problems or learning disabilities to stop smoking. The post holder will provide tobacco treatment advice and support to individuals and groups of people, who want to stop smoking, reduce their harm from tobacco or for temporary abstinence when in hospital. This will be for both patients, staff and in some instances parents/carer of people who have been admitted.

• Promote the general health and wellbeing of people who use the service through offering healthy lifestyle advice and support.
• Work with people to change their behaviour to improve their health to include patients and staff.
• Act as a smoke free champion promoting the smoke free message through their day to day work.
• Provide advice and support to ward staff, including reinforcing the training provided.
• Ensure robust discharge planning for the patient’s ongoing tobacco dependency treatment for patients wishing to quit or who have an ongoing harm reduction programme.

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the ‘About You’ Section of the document.