Address Do you enjoy talking to patients and wish you could spend more time with them, helping them make a good recovery? We are looking for staff with experience in working with patients and an understanding on how hospitals work to join a small team of Tobacco Dependency Advisors. The team works together with other professional groups supporting patients during and after their hospital stay. We are looking for people who can relate to patients, has excellent people skills and can help motivate patients to make steps towards better health and is able to engage with the wider healthcare team.
We have hours available for 1.2 FTE (6 daytime shifts) , Monday-Friday office hours at Tunbridge Wells Hospital with some cover at Maidstone Hospital also required. This is a fixed term contract until the end of September -24 whilst we await for decisions to be made for permanent funding but are expecting this role to be made permanent.
MTW has a newly established service for treating Tobacco Dependency for patients admitted to hospital suffering from tobacco withdrawal symptoms. The team will be helping medical, nursing and pharmacy teams assess and treat nicotine withdrawal symptoms for hospitalised patients and support patients willing to try to stop smoking long term. You would be a part of a small team seeing patients on the wards who smoke and need nicotine replacement therapy. You would help arrange suitable medication, support patients with withdrawal symptoms, discuss how stopping smoking would benefit their health, liaise with community stop smoking services and follow up patients already discharged with phone calls to see how they are getting on. We keep careful records of patient contacts and submit information to NHS Digital so ability to complete some admin tasks is essential. We hear regularly from patients how our support has helped to give up smoking and be healthier for longer and able to do things they enjoy!
These hours are to mainly cover Tunbridge Wells Hospital service but regular travel to Maidstone Hospital is also required. There is a free staff bus service between the sites.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital Trust in the county of Kent.
The Trust provides a full range of general hospital services and some areas of specialist complex care to around 760,000 people living in the south part of West Kent and the north part of East Sussex.
The Trust’s core catchment areas are Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and their surrounding boroughs. We work from two main clinical sites: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury. Tunbridge Wells Hospital opened in 2011 and provides single rooms with en-suites for all in-patients – the first of its kind in the country.
We employ more than 7,000 full and part-time staff in a huge range of clinical and non-clinical roles across both of our hospital sites.
Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.
Interview Date: 18th March 2024
