Job summary
1. This is an exciting opportunity to come and work a s a mental health liaison practitioner in the large modern state of the art Southmead hospital as part of the North Bristol NHS Trust.
2. The NBT Mental Health Liaison Team currently provides mental health assessment, advice, care and treatment to patients within the general hospital and emergency department who have a mental health element to their attendance/admission. The team currently operates a 7 day age-inclusive and needs led service.
3. We are would like to recruit an enthusiastic and dynamic Band 6 practitioners to join our team of medical, nursing and social work staff. We are looking for experienced mental health practitioners with the skills, confidence and flexibility to assess complex individuals and make appropriate plans for their support and care in collaboration with hospital staff.
4. You will have excellent assessment and communication skills, an ability to formulate clinical decisions and act on them promptly in a demanding, challenging but supportive environment. This is an ideal development opportunity for an experienced practitioner to gain skills in a new and vibrant environment.
Main duties of the job
5. As a team member you will be expected to undertake specialist psychosocial assessments and therapeutic interventions of patients, you will prioritise seeing patients in the ward bed base, but will also potentially work on referrals from wards.
6. Contribute to decisions based on an analysis of complex presenting problems, whilst utilising sound clinical judgements about the most appropriate treatment, discharge and follow up options.
7. Provide a mental health consultation/liaison and advice service.
8. Assist and support General Hospital colleagues in making decisions about treatment and care in complex situations.
9. Deliver a range of psychosocial interventions to individual patients and their families.
10. Provide advice, support and education to colleagues.
11. Work in close collaboration with colleagues internally and externally to ensure the delivery of high-quality evidence-based practice.
12. Engage and negotiate with acutely distressed individuals sometimes in potentially challenging and or antagonistic situations.
13. In near future provide weekend cover for complex inpatient cases.
14. In future work across emergency department certain cases as required
About us
Physical
Working in an environment, which is an emergency situation may require the post-holder to defuse threatening/aggressive behaviour/situations.
Working with patients whose mental state had been destabilised and who may respond in a verbally or physically aggressive manner.
Working with patients who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are causing problems to staff or others and pose a risk in the clinical environment.
Liaising with police/security staff to maintain a safe clinical environment.
Psychological
Making clinical decisions, including decisions to discharge high risk clients out of hospital care and into the community, often in isolation from other mental health specialists.
Managing verbally and physically aggressive patients, relatives and other visitors.
High stress levels when managing difficult or aggressive patients or patients with complex mental health care needs.
Multidisciplinary communication and inter-agency communication.
Varying day shift work pattern across the week which will involve unsocial hours.
Emotional
Managing and supporting patients and relatives in isolation from other mental health specialists, during times of distress such as after an act of self-harm or attempted suicide, or during a relapse of a mental illness.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To contribute towards a thorough psychosocial assessment and intervention service to people attending with a range of undifferentiated psychiatric illnesses and mental health problems, adhering to relevant national guidelines relating to psychosocial assessment after self-harm.
To provide a short-term intervention service in cases where clinical risk (suicide, self-harm, self-neglect and risk to others) is present but existing services are unable to provide a timely response.
To make independent referrals to relevant services across organisational boundaries, including where necessary recommendations for admission to mental health inpatient beds, and referral for assessment under the Mental Health Act.
To liaise professionally with colleagues form Mental Health Services.
To contribute with management of risk in clinical situations, in particular risk of further self-harm, suicide, self-neglect and risk to others, including children.
To provide general hospital staff with specialist mental health advice and support to enable them to deal more effectively with mental health problems in the hospital.
To maintain and develop professional knowledge and expertise.
To maintain effective administration standards and contribute with clinical audits.
To demonstrate innovative research based practice.
To respond to any change in a patients presentation or circumstances and organise appropriate intervention.
To respond effectively in situations of crisis to ensure safety of patients, visitors and staff. Such situations could include fire, resuscitation and Major Incidents.
To have the ability to direct other staff appropriately in psychiatric emergency situations to ensure they act effectively to minimise/eliminate risk.
Reports accidents/incidents, legal and ethical issues in nursing practice in order to protect self/patients and colleagues.
To update on professional issues and developments in order to maintain high standards and provide evidence based nursing practice.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
15. Minimum 2 years post qualification
Desirable
16. Assessment Experience