Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a new colleague as a Mental Health Liaison Practitioner with the service based at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.



If you are a registered mental health professional with experience in assessing and supporting individuals of any age and you would like to be part of a growing and developing service we would like to hear from you. We are particularly interested in colleagues with an experience of working with both working age and older adults to support our urgent pathway within the team and individuals with a background in crisis and acute care to support our emergency pathway.



As part of the Mental Health Liaison service you can expect professional support and development in this exciting and challenging area of work. You will be joining a friendly and supportive team at Stepping Hill Hospital and will receive regular management and clinical supervision and have opportunities to engage in CPD. As a valued member of the liaison team you will be fully involved in all service developments and given opportunities to support quality improvement.



The service runs 7 days a week to support wards and 24/7 to support the Emergency Department, so posts will be worked on a shift basis to include nights, weekends and bank holidays.



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.



All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.



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 have up to date knowledge of, and practice in a wide range of psychosocial and psychological interventions and be able to apply these to a varied patient group.

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.