Assertive Outreach Nurse

Job summary
Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives. Our core values are Be open, be compassionate and be bold and our teams apply these daily offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Our teams are multi-disciplinary, they consist of a service manager, consultant psychiatrists, doctors, nurses, health care assistants, recovery staff, volunteers, administrators, and peer mentors, all focused on bringing the individuals using our services the best possible support & interventions.

A fantastic, new opportunity has arisen to become an Assertive Outreach Nurse, improving choice and control for individuals who may be rough sleeping, homeless or at risk of homelessness. We are hoping this role will be for you.

The role will be based within our Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Team (RSDAT), supporting individuals across Nottinghamshire County who are experiencing Severe Multiple Disadvantage (SMD) and facing barriers to accessing services due to rough sleeping or homelessness.

The post holder will work within the community using our Health Bus, supporting individuals to access treatment and services, while working collaboratively with partner organisations to improve engagement and outcomes.

Main duties of the job
Where: Nottinghamshire
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2028

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Our Assertive Outreach Nurses play an integral part in Change Grow Lives mission to help people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, they offer specialist clinical interventions to people who use our services.

The post holder will be supporting our hard-to-reach clients with dual needs, helping them to access the mental health support and treatment they need alongside addressing their housing and substance misuse issues.

The Assertive Outreach Nurse role is a varied one, the successful candidate will be an integral member of a multidisciplinary team, offering specialist clinical interventions to people who are homeless and or find it difficult to engage with services.

In this role no two days are the same. Every person who we come into contact with is treated as an individual, so understanding the importance of a whole person approach along with being curious, a good listener, a clinically robust practitioner and having a flexible approach are essential skills.

About us
Believe in people

At Change Grow Live, above all else we believe in people. It's the one thing that acts as a foundation for all our work.

If you use our services: we understand what you're going through. We won't judge. We believe you can make positive changes in your life.

If you work or volunteer for us: we believe in your potential. We believe you can do brilliant, life-changing work.

Our mission and vision

Our mission is to help people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential.

The vision we're working towards is to develop, deliver and share a whole person approach that changes society.

We believe that having diverse people working as part of our team makes us the organisation that we are.

We actively encourage applications from people from all backgrounds to help us to provide the best possible experience for the people who use our services and to make Change Grow Live a great place to work.

The safety of vulnerable children, young people and adults is our absolute priority. We will support you in your role to make sure that you are equipped to support the safety of people who use our services and those around them, to the highest standard possible.

Job responsibilities
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Assertive Outreach Nurse to join our multidisciplinary team, delivering flexible, person-centred support to individuals experiencing severe multiple disadvantage (SMD) across Nottinghamshire County.

This is a unique opportunity for a nurse who is passionate about reducing health inequalities and engaging people who may struggle to access traditional treatment settings. Working predominantly in the community, you will provide specialist substance misuse nursing interventions directly to individuals in supported housing, our health bus, community venues and other outreach settings.

You will play a key role in improving access to treatment for people facing multiple and complex needs, including substance misuse, homelessness, poor mental health, offending histories, and social exclusion.

About the Role
Working autonomously across Nottinghamshire County, you will:

• Deliver clinical outreach interventions to individuals experiencing severe multiple disadvantage.
• Undertake comprehensive physical assessments in community settings and support access to primary and secondary healthcare services.
• Identify, engage and support individuals who would benefit from Buvidal treatment, including those who may be disengaged from traditional services.
• Administer Buvidal injections safely within community and outreach environments in line with prescribing guidance and organisational protocols.
• Initiate and support Buvidal treatment programmes for individuals transitioning from oral buprenorphine, methadone or entering treatment for the first time.
• Provide harm reduction advice, overdose prevention education, wound care support, and interventions aimed at reducing drug-related deaths.
• Conduct comprehensive alcohol assessments to determine levels of dependence, identify risks, and recommend the most appropriate treatment pathway, including community detoxification, inpatient detoxification, or residential rehabilitation.
• Work closely with prescribers and partner agencies to facilitate referrals, support treatment readiness, and ensure individuals receive timely access to alcohol treatment and recovery services.
• Train service users and partner agencies in the use of Naloxone and ensure widespread access across the SMD population.
• Deliver BBV screening, health promotion and Hepatitis B vaccinations where clinically appropriate.
• Build and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with people who may have experienced trauma, exclusion, stigma and barriers to healthcare.
• Work closely alongside housing providers, outreach teams, mental health services, social care professionals and other partner agencies to coordinate support.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to service performance, governance and quality assurance processes.
• Participate in safeguarding processes, risk management and multidisciplinary case discussions.
• Provide advice, screening support and signposting to appropriate sexual health services, including access to STI testing, contraception and HIV prevention initiatives such as PrEP, helping to reduce barriers to healthcare engagement.
• Deliver basic wound care interventions within community settings and assess ongoing clinical needs, providing advice and signposting to appropriate healthcare services, including Street Health and primary care providers, to ensure continued treatment and support.

About You
You will be:

• A first level Registered Nurse with a current NMC PIN.
• An experienced practitioner who is confident working independently in community settings.
• Passionate about supporting people with multiple disadvantage and reducing barriers to treatment.
• Skilled in assessment, care planning and risk management.
• Knowledgeable about substance misuse treatment, harm reduction and health promotion interventions.
• Able to establish professional, empathetic and non-judgemental relationships with people who may have complex presentations.
• Comfortable working flexibly across a large geographical area and managing your own caseload.
• Experienced in working collaboratively with multiple agencies and professionals.
• Committed to trauma-informed, recovery-focused and strengths-based approaches.

Additional Requirements

• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use.
• Ability to travel throughout Nottinghamshire County on a daily basis.
• Willingness to work in a variety of community settings, including supported accommodation, hostels, day services and outreach locations.
• Understanding of the challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness, multiple disadvantage and social exclusion is highly desirable.

We want to support you to recognise and achieve your goals:

• We hold regular national nurse and HCA forums, and you will have regular 1:1s and appraisals
• We actively support our nurses with revalidation with protected continuing professional development time, which totals up to 6 days per year.
• We also have a wide range of educational opportunities including free access to the RCNi learning platform and we reimburse your NMC fee
• We offer you the opportunity to use the government backed Apprenticeship Levy fund to develop nursing practice in line with your specific role
• All our team members are encouraged to take a wellbeing hour every week and access personal well -being resources
• Our nursing pay is competitive with the NHS Agenda for Change pay bands

What we offer you:

• Generous holiday entitlement (+ bank holidays), increasing annually for first five years service
• Flexible working arrangements
• Paid Wellness hour each week, plus access to our Wellness Hub and Employee Assistance Program
• Contributory pension scheme
• Discounts on shopping, cinema, holidays, and more
• A friendly and supportive team environment
• Free eye test vouchers
• Extensive training, career development, and progression opportunities
• Cycle to Work and generous Refer a Friend Scheme

As part of our commitment to patient safety and professional standards, all nurses are required to wear the designated company uniform while on duty. This ensures a consistent, hygienic, and professional appearance in line with our healthcare protocols

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible

Direct applications only we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• First level registered nurse with recent relevant post qualification experience and a current PIN. Sound and demonstrable knowledge of harm reduction and health promotion interventions.

Desirable

• Relevant recent experience of working within drug and alcohol treatment. Sound and demonstrable knowledge of clinical prescribing issues. Knowledge of the issues facing substance misusers including appropriate medical interventions, social care, and health issues.

Experience
Essential

• Ability to assess and recovery plan service users and formulate written reports, as necessary.

Desirable

• Experience of contributing to project development. An understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best practice. An understanding of the importance of professional integrity in relationships with service users, peers, and other relevant professionals. An understanding of information governance processes and a commitment to follow and apply all necessary safeguards.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).