Senior Mental Health Liaison Practitioner

Job Summary
The mental health liaison service offers a comprehensive range of mental health specialties within one multi-disciplinary team so that all patients with a suspected or actual mental health problem within the general hospital can be assessed, treated, signposted or referred appropriately regardless of age, presenting complaint, time of presentation or severity of condition.
The service puts an emphasis on the facilitation of early but effective discharge from the acute hospital site.
The service operates, 7 days a week and posts will be on rotational
shift basis. Mental Health Liaison is delivered from a Specialist Mental Health Trust with teams located within the Acute Hospital setting.
Main

**Responsibilities**:
Work as part of the multi-disciplinary Mental Health Liaison team to deliver an effective and efficient response to referrals from the acute trust, providing clinical assessments and interventions focusing on relapse prevention, early discharge and improved quality of life for patients referred.
Be expected to undertake mental health assessments for people attending the Emergency Department, offering highly developed clinical and risk assessments and managements plans
Provide a service to the wards within the general hospital, assessing individuals with a range of complex physical and mental health needs. This would include both functional and organic illnesses of later life in addition to younger people
Provide support and training to acute hospital staff regarding recognising mental health conditions and appropriate management and onward referral pathways
Provide information and clinical support to police and ambulance staff in order to help them make appropriate pathway decisions
Provide support and care for individuals brought to an identified Place of Safety under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and co-ordinate the assessment process.
We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.
Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We’re really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we’re a great place to work.
If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:
Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
Access to Continued Professional Development
Involvement in improvement and research activities
Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel
Clinical Assessment and Treatment
To provide in-reach into the Emergency Department and general hospital wards and competently undertake comprehensive mental health and risk assessments to identify the needs of individuals referred.
To have an understanding of physical health conditions and the impact they can have on mental health
To work in close liaison with staff within the Acute Trust and Health & Social Care Services in upholding and implementing clinical standards for the care of people with mental health needs within the Acute Trust.
To be able to engage and establish and empathic rapport with individuals with a wide spectrum of mental health conditions in difficult settings
To possess the knowledge of the different components of mental health
assessments for a range of conditions including robust risk assessments and
management of risk following assessment
To ensure the timely and comprehensive completion of specialist mental health assessments for individuals within the general hospital to support discharge planning and funding of ongoing care
To ensure appropriate patient and carer involvement in care
To support best interest meetings as required
To have an up to date knowledge of a range of clinical pathways within the
mental health and acute trust setting
To be able to competently make clinical decisions, particularly in relation to
referring patients on to other services, admitting for treatment and discharging individuals.
To possess a sound knowledge of issues surrounding the management of
violence and aggression and to be able to diffuse potentially difficult and volatile situations.
Be able to effectively support non-mental health colleagues from a range of
disciplines
Communication and Record Keeping
To have a high level of competency in relation to communication skills including the ability to negotiate and provide professional and assertive challenge in a difficult environment.
To be able to promote and develop communication, interpersonal and self
- awareness skills in non-mental health settings.
Create and maintain effective systems of written and v