JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Relief Staff Nurse – Detox Services

Location: St Francis Farm, Tullow, County Carlow

Responsible to:Head of Clinical Services through the Clinical Nurse Manager

Responsible for: Contributing to the day-to-day operation of the service and ensuring that it runs smoothly and in accordance with organisation procedure.

Reports to: Clinical Nurse Manager / Lead

Objective: To work directly with clients as part of a team and to provide a safe, secure environment for clients of St. Francis Farm, and in doing so to uphold the philosophy and working ethos of MQI.

Main Responsibilities include:

To perform all the nursing duties relating to admissions to ensure the immediate commencement, safe and regular monitoring of medical detox are carried out as per the admissions policy.
To deliver a comprehensive and safe nursing practice from admission through to discharge of service user.
To store, administer and control medical supplies in line with best practice and in keeping with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland Guidelines.
To assist the doctor when necessary with assessments and examinations in line with the policies of the unit.
To effectively liaise with a range of service providers both voluntary and statutory in order to assist in the assessment of referrals to the unit.
To liaise with, develop and maintain relationships with multidisciplinary teams, addiction services, internal DSC services at interagency and intra-agency level in order to enhance a range of service and programmes that promote health and social gain for clients.
To contribute actively to appropriate fora in identifying, planning and addressing needs of the homeless person in a holistic fashion.
To perform the practical tasks of caring for the service users including activities of daily living, health education and promotion, physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing.
To carry out Holistic Needs Assessments in conjunction with the project worker and project team, to review and regularly update care plans.
To contribute actively to policies and procedures and guidelines that relate to nursing duties and the detox unit.
Ensure that the day to day running of the house is maintained (e.g., standards of living, hygiene of the home, food preparation) at the highest possible level.
To work within the policies of Merchants Quay Ireland in order to ensure that a consistent delivery of service and quality standards are adhered to in an alcohol and drug free environment.
To perform as a full team member supporting colleagues, participating in effective handovers and being open to reasonable requests from Project Leader in order to ensure effective working relationships.
To facilitate groups through an effective health education and promotion programme in order to ensure that service users receive relevant information for making informed decisions about their future.
To encourage and contribute to the integration of learning and development programmes in the addiction services.
To contribute to ensuring the physical building at Detox is maintained to a safe standard.
To work closely with colleagues including fellow Nurses, Project workers and Volunteers to promote a healthy and safe environment for all residents, staff and visitors.
To work in accordance with relevant nursing legislation and fulfil the duty of care in the course of practice
To work within the scope of practice and competence as set by Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and consult with other health care professionals when service user problems fall outside the scope of nursing practice
To facilitate groups with service users around health issues.

Clients

To carry out comprehensive and Holistic Needs Assessments of service users using a theoretical framework in the process of assessment, analyse data and formulate nursing diagnoses.
To provide evidence-based nursing care service.
To formulate a plan of care in consultation with service user, project worker and visiting GP to establish nursing diagnoses, identify expected outcomes and document care, and implement planned nursing care.
To act to enhance the dignity and integrity of service users by applying strategies to promote self- esteem, including identifying and using appropriate support networks.
To engage in clinical support and supervision in accordance with good nursing practice.
To work as part of a team and actively encourage this ethos among the clients.

Administrative

To complete all administrative tasks such as report writing, maintenance of accurate nursing and medical records, up to date client case notes, relevant form filling in order to ensure that the unit runs smoothly, safely and effectively.
To ensure that accurate and up-to-date records are kept by recording accurate and relevant information onto any appropriate forms, daybooks, client files and computer-based client databases.
To comply with the Nurse Manager’s requirements in relation to all appropriate paperwork and filing of data relevant to the service.
To maintain appropriate records and to provide reports and other information as required.
To contribute to the collection of relevant statistics to inform key performance indicators.

Training

To attend all training sessions, workshops and courses as advised by the Nurse Manager
To actively engage with your Supervisor regarding ones own personal/ professional needs in the context of being an effective worker in the Residential Detox Service.

General

Ensure compliance with MQI policies and procedures to ensure consistent safe delivery of service and maintenance of quality standards.
Ensure compliance with all DSC policies, procedures and guidelines and review these regularly and implement improvements based on best practice.
To participate in supervision as per MQI guidelines.
To continuously keep updated on professional issues and to attend courses and conferences as appropriate to the service.
To assist with any other duties which the Manager might reasonably request.

The successful candidate for the role will have:

Registered nurse with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
A minimum of 1 years post qualification experience in a paid full-time capacity or part time equivalent.
Experience in a detox or similar setting an advantage but full training will be given.
A relevant qualification in the area of addiction studies / mental health would be an advantage.
Capacity to develop positive relationships with clients and detox team.
Must be able to demonstrate proficient IT skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and a good knowledge of CRM for reporting purposes.
Good communication skills.

Salary: €21.28 per hour

Hours: No set hours (if and when required)

Days: Monday to Sunday

Location: St. Francis Farm, Residential Services

The deadline for applications for this role is 9th November 2026.

MQI reserves the right to review and amend this job description as appropriate.

This Position is subject to Garda Clearance

Relief Staff Nurse - Detox Services

Job Description