Job summary

The established mental health liaison team at Salisbury Hospital is made up of a team manager, senior practitioner, band 6 nurses, and our consultant psychiatrist.

What makes mental health liaison an exciting practice area is the unique interplay between physical and mental health which is rarely seen in other settings.

In Salisbury Hospital, the regional specialties include plastics and burns and the supra-regional specialty of spinal. This gives unique insight into patients who can attend from other counties with significant self harm or mental health issues arising from life changing conditions.

As an ageless mental health liaison team (18+), we support the hospital and their patients across the lifespan giving practitioners the chance to broaden their knowledge in all areas of mental health including acute, later life and organic and specialized pathways such as perinatal, eating disorder, and somatoform and medically unexplained symptoms. We see patients at all points of their journey- first point of contact needing primary care input to the most complex and challenging presentations.

Main duties of the job

Our liaison team tends to receive referrals from A&E as well as the wards (roughly 50% split) which can provide the 'best of both worlds' - a proportion of patients we see for 'one off' assessments and another proportion who we can see as an inpatient for longer and benefit from the rapport building and continuity that this can give.

We are a very supportive team who enjoy the complexity this job can offer and see new challenges as obstacles to overcome creatively. Risk is a large part of our role, but we take this on with shared enthusiasm and support. We also act as advocates for our patients and general colleagues as needed. Come to a job where you will keep learning and no two days are quite the same!

Conducting Full Psychosocial assessments for patients referred to the service.

Liaise with medical and nursing staff and families and carers.

Refer on to other services as necessary.

Educational support for general hospital staff.

Mentoring students.

Skills required include :

Assessment of risk.

Clinical Formulation skills.

Discharge planning skills and knowledge.

Co ordinating and organising ability.

Good communication skills.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Liaison and Consultation

Be responsible for the full assessment of care needs of patients presenting with a range of undifferentiated mental health and psychological problems. As a result of this assessment, you will be responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care, without direct supervision.

Provide a comprehensive consultation-liaison service to clinical teams, assisting them to formulate appropriate plans of care and make decisions in cases where patients may be exhibiting complex needs and / or challenging behaviours.

Initiate and participate in the teaching and educational programmes of all grades of nursing and non-nursing staff. You will also provide teaching and develop learning opportunities for pre and post-registration nursing students.

When appropriate, maintain a small caseload of patients, providing a broad range of treatments and clinical interventions, as appropriate to the individuals needs.

Be responsible for participating in specific clinical projects and undertake all the necessary work to complete these, including facilitating meetings, liaising and / or negotiating with other staff.

Participate fully in appropriate quality assurance initiatives, with the emphasis on developing patient / service user-focused services.

Promote a positive attitude and encourage a supportive culture in relation to mental health and psychiatric illness across the general hospital.

2. Clinical Practice

Utilise a range of clinical skills appropriate to the individual patient's needs and the clinical setting in which they are being cared for.

Undertake specialist psychosocial assessments with patients presenting following an episode of self-harm.

Prompt referral on to secondary mental health services, social services and voluntary groups, as appropriate.

Flexible, needs-based follow-up of individuals who require assessment following an earlier attendance after an episode of self-harm.

Concise, effective liaison and feedback to clinical staff within the general hospital regarding advice on appropriate management strategies for individuals referred.

Utilise a range of follow-up options and sources of help and support for patients, as appropriate.

Effective liaison and communication with patients, relatives, carers, primary health care and secondary mental health services.

Role model clinical excellence and high standards of nursing practice to other staff.

Demonstrate and apply a sound understanding of the legal and ethical issues in caring for people with mental health problems. In particular, demonstrate a sound understanding of the application of the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act and their use within a non-mental health setting.

3. Management

Following negotiation, take responsibility for agreed clinical and managerial projects associated with the provision of the Mental Health Liaison Service.

In the absence of the clinical team leader, take responsibility for the overall management of the service, to the agreed local and professional standards.

Ensure the promotion of the health and safety, well-being and interests of patients, staff and visitors that come into contact with the service and its environs.

At all times practice within the boundaries of the NMC The Code : Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives.

Supervise, monitor and appraise the performance of registered and unregistered staff within sphere of responsibility.

The post-holder will be designated to regularly take charge of the clinical service in the absence of the person who has continuing responsibility.

You may also be required to undertake a range of management duties in the absence of, or at the request of, the designated team leader.

4. Audit and evaluation

Participate in appropriate audit projects, including data collection, as a means of contributing to the ongoing evaluation and audit of the Mental Health Liaison Service.

5. Education

Actively participate in the identification of own learning and education needs and demonstrate achievement against personal development plans (PDPs).

Participate in the mentoring and education of a range of students placed with the team.

Act as a mentor and preceptor, when appropriate.

Participate in the planning, development and delivery of multi-professional education programmes and training sessions for a range of clinical and managerial staff.

Provide clinical supervision to colleagues and students, as required.

6. Clinical governance

Promote and encourage user and carer feedback regarding the service.

Participate in and undertake appraisal and clinical supervision.

Adhere to relevant trust health and safety and clinical policies as appropriate.

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with AWP trust policy all newly qualified social workers (NQSW) will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSWs are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be extended for a further 2 years.

If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful ASYE completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 post you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy upon successful ASYE completion.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of assessing, planning and evaluating mental health nursing interventions.
• Experience of delivering psychiatric interventions to individuals who are acutely unwell
• Evidence of professional updating and development in the nursing care of patients in an acute or community setting.

Qualifications

Essential