Social Worker | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

The Mental Health Team is a Core24 Liaison Service providing round the clock (24-hour) service and offers urgent assessment and intervention to patients attending the Emergency Department and also within the in-patient wards.

The primary function of this role is to work as a highly experienced mental health practitioner providing specialist assessments and crisis risk management plans within the Emergency Department (ED) as part of the Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT).

The work will include response to referrals and effective triage assessments and advising the referring acute trust team on expert, evidence-based, safe and effective models of care and treatment for people presenting with mental health problems.

The work will involve setting up collaborations and interventions throughout the care pathway, from acute presentation onward, to promote timely discharge of patients, reduce prolonged lengths of stay, and to reduce the risk of inappropriate readmission following discharge.

The postholder will actively identify and triage patients presenting to the Emergency Department of University Hospital Lewisham with emergency or urgent need for management of mental health, psychological and substance misuse problems.

The postholder will ensure the rapid screening of individuals with complex social care needs and those who may need assessment under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The postholder will provide evidence–based interventions for the care pathway in University Hospital Lewisham with the aim of reducing length of stay and frequent attendances to the hospital.

The postholder will undertake strength-based assessments and will put in place robust and least-restrictive care plans, signposting and referring individuals to relevant community services. The postholder will be warranted by Lewisham Council to undertake assessment under the Mental Health Act 1983 for individuals in University Hospital Lewisham.

Organisation

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN),King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.

Role responsibilities

The B7 senior social worker will work closely with the team leaders, the MDT & the Ladywell safeguarding social work team. You will work with the Lewisham safeguarding lead to provide adult social work provision for the service.

• To lead as a senior psychiatric liaison practitioner in A&E in triage decision making for the service and within the MDT and acting as a specialist social care resource for the MDT
• To be located in an office at the ED and serve as a point of contact for ED referrals and to proactively screen and receive referrals from ED and respond in a timely manner
• To work autonomously using sound decision-making skills within the clinical setting in relation to the assessment of mental health and social care needs of designated patients in the ED
• To undertake and record comprehensive risk assessment, devise and implement risk assessment plans for patients at risk of abuse, vulnerability, self-harm, self-neglect, or risk of physical, sexual, emotional harm to others, using the agreed risk assessment documentation for the service
• To liaise and negotiate with the Lewisham AMHP Service and Emergency Duty Team in order to minimise delays in assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983, undertaking pre-assessments and MHAA of identified individuals as appropriate
• Be an active member of the team using knowledge & skills to support colleagues in the delivery of care, assessment & treatment to patients with a range of mental health diagnoses.
• Embrace & promote a strengths-based approach to assessment interventions. Liaise with, advise & support a range of external partnership agencies both voluntary & statutory.

This advert closes on Monday 22 Sep 2025

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