Ward Base Mental Health Liaison Nurse Specialist inHampstead London inHampstead London PUBLISHED
THU 24 OCT 2024
The successful candidate will work primarily within the medical wards of the Royal Free Hospital, supporting the Mental Health Liaison Team and clinicians by managing referrals, performing face-to-face assessments, and facilitating discharge processes. The position operates on a standard weekday schedule from 9 am to 5 pm, significantly reducing the need for unsocial hours. Ideal applicants should have a background in mental health liaison, acute or crisis settings, and be prepared to engage in audit and research projects while maintaining high standards of clinical practice and documentation.
Be accountable and responsible for the full assessment of care needs and outcomes for patients presenting with a wide variety of clinical conditions. This will be as an individual and as part of the multi-professional team. This will include decisions to admit or discharge.
Provide a comprehensive consultation-liaison service toward teams and individual clinicians, particularly in assisting them to develop plans of care and make difficult decisions in cases where patients are exhibiting complex psychosocial needs and/or challenging behaviours.
You will be working alongside, trust wide Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service - which was set up during the height of the pandemic to help manage and support patient flow in and out of the three acute hospitals but will now be continuing into the new year.
Undertake risk assessments for service users and be responsible for communicating information about the risk to all relevant services and agencies. To work in partnership with the user, carer and these agencies and have an understanding and awareness of the differences in their values and cultures as well as priorities and objectives and how those differences can affect partnership strategies.
Take on a range of management duties at the request of and in the absence of Senior staff.
Initiate and participate in audit/research projects associated with the work of the service.
We are seeking to recruit 1 Band 6 Registered Nurse to work in our Mental Health Liaison Team at the RFH alongside the Psychiatrists and the Junior Doctors to assess patients in the general hospital.
This is a new post whereby the successful applicant will be responsible for providing mental health assessment and liaison in our medical wards in the Royal Free Hospital.
The post is specific to the medical wards only and the expectations are you will work closely with the Mental Health Liaison consultants and medical team - supporting the service through management of referrals, face to face assessments and clinical nursing reviews, assisting with discharge processes and following up with patient care in terms of family/social network contact.
The successful candidate will be expected to work to a 9-5pm working pattern only, there are no unsocial hours during the week. You would also expect to help the Mental Health Liaison Team in the Emergency Department if necessary.
We think this post will suit a Registered Mental Health Clinician currently working in liaison or acute/crisis team who is keen to move away from a shift-based working pattern or who may be working in the community mental health team and is looking for a new challenge.
About us
The post-holder will:
Have theoretical knowledge of mental health liaison emergency and ward-based work deploying a wide range of theoretical approaches and utilise a wide variety of clinical skills appropriate to the needs of individual patients and the clinical setting in which they are required to be seen.
Be accountable and take direct responsible for carrying out specialist assessments including risk assessments unsupervised. Develop, implement, evaluate and document specialist care.
Work closely with the NCL wide crisis services and maintain good working practices with all other CRTs as a means of ensuring least restrictive practice and outcomes.
Make autonomous decisions with regard to the admission and discharge of patients based on an analysis of complex presenting problems, and judgement about available options within agreed protocols. Direct and guide junior doctors on rotation with the service (including locums).
Provide a consultation-liaison and assessment service to clinicians and clinical teams within the general hospital. This will include giving specialist advice on a range of care, treatment and patient management issues.
Identify and be responsive to the diverse cultural social and spiritual needs of all.
Demonstrate a high standard of record keeping and documentation with adherence to acute general hospitals (RFH/UCLH/Whittington) and the North London Mental Health Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and local MHLT policies, and an understanding of professional guidelines and application of confidentiality.
**Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.
Please wait...this will take a moment...