We are looking for dedicated Registered Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists or Social Workers to join our Liaison Psychiatry Service. We have vacancies in the three boroughs covered by West London NHS Trust: Ealing (Ealing Hospital), Hounslow (West Middlesex University Hospital) and Hammersmith & Fulham (Charing Cross Hospital).

If you have good clinical skills and are motivated to further develop your knowledge and practice, this role will suit you. You will join a team where learning and professional development are promoted. You will have the opportunity to work autonomously as well as contributing to the team and being supported by the team.

You will offer a person-centred approach to service users' treatment, recovery and well-being and will involve their carers/family members in the care planning where appropriate. You will work closely with colleagues from the acute trust and from other parts of the health and social care system.

Main duties of the job

You will undertake biopsychosocial assessments for service users who attend the Urgent Treatment Centre or Emergency Department or are admitted on medical wards and have mental health needs. They may present with emotional problems, self-harm or in psychiatric crisis.

You will work with service users presenting with psychosomatic disorder and a variety of psychological issues related to physical disorders. You will be required to make clear autonomous decisions based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and will have access to clinical support and supervision from more senior colleagues in the team.

You will promote carer/family involvement where required and will liaise with colleagues from other areas of health and social care to coordinate and facilitate safe discharge plans.

You will offer formal and informal training to your peers and acute trust colleagues to enhance patient care. You will be encouraged to share your views and ideas to improve service delivery.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We are rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of physical health, community, social care, and mental health care in the UK.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

The regulations mandating vaccination for in-scope roles in the NHS have now been removed. The Trust does however continue to encourage and support staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19. Vaccination data will be collected by our recruitment team during your on-boarding if you are happy to provide a copy of your COVID pass.

Job description Job responsibilities

Clinical:

As a member of the team the post-holder will:

• Provide specialist bio-psycho-social assessment (usually working alone) of patients mental state (including the assessment of deliberate self-harm) and initial risk assessment and from this develop an appropriate immediate plan for care.
• Carry out robust risk assessments and care planning in a non-psychiatric environment.
• 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.
• Provide a broad range of specialist psychosocial interventions for individual patients and a specialist consultation-liaison service to referring clinicians and clinical teams, assisting them in decision making in difficult and complex cases.
• Provide expert advice regarding the pharmacological management of mental health patients to non-mental health professionals, seeking clinical guidance from medical members of the team in relation to any specific prescribing advice.
• Provide advice, support and signposting to telephone callers regarding mental health issues, documenting as required.
• Be required to make clear autonomous decisions, with close support and supervision from more senior clinical staff, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options. This will include decisions related to discharge of patients.
• Work alongside other Liaison Psychiatry team members and attend/contribute to ward round and team meetings, presenting complex cases for discussion within the team.
• Demonstrate a high standard of record keeping and documentation with adherence to Trust policy and an understanding of professional guidelines and application of confidentiality.
• Work with colleagues to develop and promote the services philosophy, framework of care delivery and strategic objectives, taking responsibility for specific areas of policy and strategy delivery.
• Work with colleagues to develop clinical expertise and high standards of practice, as defined by the relevant Professional Codes of Conduct.
• Deliver care that is evidence based, reflecting current best practice and research, demonstrating clinical excellence and high standards of practice to other staff.
• Participate in structured clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policies and procedures. You will also be expected to take responsibility for the supervision of other clinicians and others in non-mental health settings working with patients with mental health problems.
• Demonstrate sound understanding of the legal and ethical issues in caring for the mentally ill. In particular, demonstrating sound understanding of the Mental Health Act (1983) and Mental Capacity Act and its use in a non-mental health setting.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• oProfessional Qualification as RMN/RN (Mental Health) or Registered Occupational Therapist or Registered Social Worker with professional registration (HCPC)
• oENB 997 or 998 (Teaching & Assessing in Clinical Practice) or equivalent teaching qualification
• oAssisted Year In Practice (ASYE) if social work qualified

Desirable

• oEducated to degree or diploma level
• oEvidence of recent professional development
• oOther qualification in practice teaching or supervision of staff.

Experience Essential

• oadequate post qualifying experience work in psychiatry
• oExperience of supervising staff.
• oExperience of crisis work and undertaking assessments and formulating care plans, risk plans and risk management
• oSafeguarding
• oWorking in an MDT setting/ Team work

Desirable

• Audit and research experience
• Experience of teaching and training
• Liaison Psychiatry experience

Knowledge and Skills Essential

• oKnowledge of bio psychosocial interventions
• oAssessment and treatment of patients who present with self-harm
• oRisk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
• oExcellent communication skills
• oAbility to use de-escalation skills
• oAbility to make clinically safe autonomous decisions
• oOrganisational skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• oComputer literate

Desirable

• oSpecialist knowledge of relationship between mental health and physical disorders
• oThe legal frame works using the MCA

Personal Qualities Essential

• oAbility to work in a high pressure environment
• oAbility to meet deadlines
• oCommitment to equal opportunities
• oAbility to accept constructive criticism
• oAbility to develop based on reflection
• oAwareness of own limitations

Desirable

• oPersonal experience of mental health problems

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

222-LS-PMS-266