OUR VALUES IN ACTION
• Care and Compassion • Quality and Teamwork • Dignity and Respect • Openness, honesty and responsibility
Job Opportunity: Addiction Nurse (Band 5)
NHS Borders Addiction Service
Full Time | Permanent
Are you a motivated and compassionate Registered Nurse looking to develop your skills in a specialist addiction setting? We’re recruiting a Band 5 Addiction Nurse to join our dedicated and supportive NHS Borders Addiction Service (BAS).
This is a rewarding opportunity to work with individuals and families affected by drug and/or alcohol use, supporting recovery and improving lives across our communities.
💡 About the Role
As a Band 5 Addiction Nurse, you will work as part of a multi‑professional team, providing high‑quality, person‑centred care to people experiencing substance misuse difficulties.
You’ll undertake assessments, deliver harm‑reduction interventions, support prescribing/titration clinics, and play an active part in helping patients improve their health, wellbeing and recovery.
You will be supported by Senior Addiction Nurses but will also be expected to work with increasing autonomy, manage a defined workload and contribute to service development.
🔧 What You’ll Be Doing
Clinical Responsibilities
- Undertake initial assessments and ongoing reviews as delegated by the Senior Addiction Nurse
- Develop, implement and evaluate person‑centred care plans
- Support titration and prescribing clinics, including tolerance testing
- Provide harm‑reduction advice: safer injecting, safer drug use, sexual health, BBV awareness
- Support the BBV clinic: testing, vaccination and data recording
- Deliver naloxone training and provision under PGD
- Collect, analyse and record urine/oral fluid specimens
- Refer to other agencies and promote shared‑care approaches
- Maintain clear, accurate and professional nursing records in line with NMC standards
Teamwork & Service Delivery
- Support leadership within the nursing team and contribute to staff induction
- Provide mentorship and support to students and learners
- Carry out delegated clinical supervisory duties for Support Workers
- Assist in clinical audits, research projects and service improvement activities
- Ensure safe use of equipment and compliance with risk management processes
- Represent the service professionally when communicating with partner agencies
Education & Communication
- Deliver training sessions as part of induction or service learning
- Communicate sensitively and effectively with patients, families, colleagues and partner organisations
- Provide reassurance, motivation and negotiation when supporting treatment engagement
- Promote health, wellbeing and recovery across all interactions
What We’re Looking For
Essential
- NMC 1st Level Registered Nurse
- Post‑registration experience
- Excellent assessment, communication and documentation skills
- Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload
- A respectful, inclusive and person‑centred approach to care
- Ability to travel across the Borders area
- Calm, professional manner when dealing with challenging situations
Desirable
- Experience working with people affected by addiction
- Community nursing experience
- Knowledge of BBVs, harm reduction and health promotion
- Interest in research, teaching or training
- Non‑medical prescribing qualification (or interest in pursuing)
Why Join Us?
NHS Borders Addiction Service is a friendly, supportive and experienced team committed to delivering high‑quality, evidence‑based care.
You’ll have opportunities to:
- Develop specialist skills in addiction nursing
- Work alongside experienced clinicians and partner agencies
- Access ongoing training, supervision and professional development
- Make a meaningful difference every day in the lives of people facing significant challenges
Your work will reflect NHS Borders values of:
Care & Compassion | Quality & Teamwork | Dignity & Respect | Openness, Honesty & Responsibility
As from 1st April 2026, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.
Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.
As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.
For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
**PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early***
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
