Mental Health Liaison Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Harrogate Acute Hospital Liaison Service (AHLS) is multi-disciplinary team of skilled mental health professionals who work in partnership with the Departments, wards, and Multidisciplinary teams of the Harrogate District Foundation trust (HDFT)

The Acute Hospital Liaison team is the single point of access for all referrals from Harrogate District Foundation Trust for persons above the age of 16-years - attending Emergency and Urgent Care Departments and/or admitted to Acute trust inpatient wards.

The Harrogate AHLS provides mental health assessment, advice, signposting, and intervention to any person over the age of 16 years who are felt to be presenting with:

• Suspected symptoms of mental health illness/disorder or distress
• Actual diagnosed mental health illness either as a stand-alone presentation or in conjunction with a medical need
• Complex and multiple comorbid conditions involving physical, mental, emotional, social, or psychological needs.

The service provides and all age pathway for psychiatric care in urgent care settings and acute hospital wards.

The liaison team act to facilitate prompt access to mental health assessment and intervention for those individuals who have an identified mental illness, working closely with the acute care pathway to access inpatient psychiatric admission or intensive home treatment and community response.

The team will also facilitate, where required, prompt medical assessment and intervention for physical needs of a person that have arisen because of an ongoing mental health disorder or behaviours in the context of such that has led to a compromise of that persons health.

Staff will liaise with other community services in the primary, secondary, and tertiary setting as well as with addiction services and third sector partners.

The team provide a resource to Acute hospital colleagues for information, advice and education on mental health issues and collaborate with the Acute hospital staff to support adherence to the Emergency care standards and auditing outcomes against targets.

Harrogate Acute Hospital Liaison team operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The team is located on site at Harrogate district Hospital

Team Objectives:

To identify early the emergence of, or existence of mental health symptoms, that may require timely treatment and management to improve patient outcomes and recovery - reducing risks associated with prolonged hospital stays.

To identify persons presenting with multiple medical needs in which a medical causation cannot be found, and psychological formulation is required to assess and promote recovery in persons presenting with medically unexplained symptoms or significant health adjustment.

Patients and carers mental health needs will be advocated by the liaison team to promote patient experience and care outcomes. The Acute hospital liaison team strive to promote a good understanding and positive attitude of mental health across the Acute Hospital trust.

The Acute hospital liaison team perform several outpatient pathways and processes to support discharge, transition, and access to the right care at the right time by the right team.

Outreach work includes the opportunity for discovery work and assessment of a persons needs as an alternative to repeat attendances at Emergency departments for help and assistance. They also promote stability in patients who are discharged from hospital with needs not otherwise met by existing community services to reduce the risk of readmission.

Our success depends upon working in partnership with patients and the people who support them, and in collaboration with staff of the acute services, other mental health, and mainstream health teams, and voluntary, private, and not for profit health and social care providers.

Qualifications

Essential

• RNMH, AHP or SCW with current professional registration with NMC/ HCPC/ Social Work England
• MIP, FLIP, ENB 998 Teaching & Assessing in Clinical Practice or City & Guilds 730 Teaching in Adult Education (or must be achieved within agreed timescale).
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Clinical Supervisor (within agreed timescale).
• Recognised sign-off mentor (or must be achieved within agreed timescale).
• Key skills in literacy, numeracy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)

Desirable

• Leadership or management qualification
• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant area e.g. older people's nursing, physical health conditions etc.
• Non-medical prescriber

Experience

Essential

• Recent and significant experience in the assessment and care of adults and older people with mental ill health.
• 18 months post qualifying experience including sign off of appropriate preceptorship or competency framework
• Experience working with people with dementia.
• Experience managing own caseload
• Working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers.
• Supporting/mentoring students on practice placement experience.
• Working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Quality improvement activities

Desirable

• Recent experience nursing across a range of settings e.g. acute hospitals, mental health units, care homes etc and including adults and older people.
• Recent experience in assessing and caring for older people with dementia..
• Leadership or management experience
• Providing clinical supervision

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge to post-graduate level of evidence-based practice in caring for patients in the designated field including specialist knowledge of co-morbidity (physical and mental health) in relation to acute and chronic conditions.
• Detailed understanding of the relationship between physical and mental health conditions and associated patient needs
• Understanding of relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act).
• Detailed understanding of adult/child Safeguarding and its application in practice.
• Clinical Risk Assessment and Management and its application in practice

Desirable

• Palliative care
• The Trust's Quality Improvement System (QIS)

Skills

Essential

• Interpret complex clinical information from a variety of sources and make clear and prompt clinical decisions.
• Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients, carers/families and all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Provide leadership and monitor, co-ordinate and prioritise the activities of a team.
• Provide effective supervision, teaching, training and assessing in clinical practice
• Able to engage with vulnerable people and work effectively in distressing and challenging circumstances

Personal attributes

Essential

• Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
• Self-aware and committed to professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision
• Committed to promoting a positive image of people with mental health conditions.
• Committed to promoting a positive image of the Liaison Service.
• Able to work in accordance with the Staff Compact and Trust Values and Behaviours.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).