Job Description

We are looking to recruit a Mental Health Liaison Nurse to join the Crisis Assessment Unit (CAU) which works alongside the well-established Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT) at St Thomas' Hospital.



We are keen to employ adaptable and motivated individuals who are willing to become actively involved in this fast-paced and progressive service and who have an interest in being part of a new service. The role offers an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to further their experience of liaison psychiatry and develop their skills in crisis assessments and physical healthcare.



The post holder will be expected to be an advocate for mental health within the hospital and support all staff in providing care for people presenting with complex and multifaceted difficulties. The team work alongside Mental Health for Older Adults, Perinatal Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry; the post holder will be expected to provide assessment and care to patients presenting from these specialist areas, out-of-hours.



The team operates on a 24 hour, 7 day a week basis and it is essential that the post holder is able to work unsocial hours, including night shifts and weekends on a pro rata basis.



In an effort to continually improve the quality of care individuals with acute mental health difficulties receive whilst in the acute hospital setting, the CAU was developed as a bespoke mental health assessment unit that is firmly embedded within the emergency department (ED) of STH.



St Thomas' Hospital (STH) is a large and highly regarded teaching hospital in the heart of central London, part of Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) and Kings Health Partners, one of only six academic science centres in the UK.



The CAU functions as a safe and therapeutic space for those experiencing an acute mental health crisis to be assessed and cared for by a multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians. The unit operates alongside the existing Core 24 MHLT establishment and is an integral part of the overall emergency pathway in STH.



The role of the mental health liaison nurse within the CAU will be to complete biopsychosocial assessments of adults in crisis, formulating robust and holistic risk management and care plans. The post holder will work alongside acute hospital colleagues and other partner agencies to develop plans of care alongside the patient and their carers, relatives or friends.



A sound, existing knowledge of the interface between physical and mental health is essential, as well as experience of working with those who use illicit substances and/ or misuse alcohol.



South London & Maudsley are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that's why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.



Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.



Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes



Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars.



Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites



NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

Counselling services



Wellbeing events



Long service awards



Cycle to work scheme



Season ticket loan



Childcare vouchers



Staff restaurants



We look forward to receiving your application.



Please see attached documents for detailed information about the job description.



The role of the mental health liaison nurse within the CAU will be to complete biopsychosocial assessments of adults in crisis, formulating robust and holistic risk management and care plans. The post holder will work alongside acute hospital colleagues and other partner agencies to develop plans of care alongside the patient and their carers, relatives or friends.