Mental Health Liaison Nurse

Job overview

The Mental Health Clinical Assessment Unit (MHCAU) is a service created in response to the Covid-19 crisis and ongoing emergency department pressures for the local population of Croydon. The unit is staffed primarily by staff from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the SLaM psychiatric liaison team.

The service comprises a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and lived experience staff. The service has been established to alleviate pressure on the Emergency Department (ED) at Croydon University Hospital and to support the provision of capacity for a potential surge in emergency medical cases. This is achieved by providing a diversionary assessment space for patients with mental health problems who would otherwise have been seen in the ED but have no concurrent acute physical health concern.

This area will provide collaborative and timely care to patients requiring mental health care and treatment, in line with the National Emergency Care Access Standards.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidates will be clinically confident in assessing mental health service users presenting in emergencies, carrying out short term interventions and making independent decisions. You will thrive in a fast paced environment, often working under pressure. You will possess excellent assessment, communication skills and interpersonal skills. You will work well with others and enjoy multidisciplinary work whilst maintaining the highest standard in the quality of care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Education and Qualification

-Registered Adult Nurse and/or Registered Mental Health Nurse and/or Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse -Mentorship qualification

Experience and Knowledge

-Experience of research-based/reflective practice, e.g. understanding and ability to use supervision to reflect on skills, attitude and knowledge, and develop these by using evidence-based practice.

- Significant relevant clinical experience

-Evidence of continuing professional development

- Experience in providing psycho-social assessments

- Experience in supervising junior staff

Skills and Abilities

-Able to provide quality care that is responsive to the service user’s needs, without close supervision

-Resilient: able to cope with difficult interpersonal situations