Overview

The Durham and Darlington Liaison service is one of the largest liaison services in the North East and Cumbria, covering acute hospital services in Durham and Darlington. It offers a single seamless service across Adult Mental Health, Mental Health Services for Older People, and provides mental health support to patients in Emergency Departments and on wards.

Operating on a 24/7 basis, the service works to national targets of seeing ED referrals within 1 hour and ward referrals within 24 hours.

Responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Work with the acute hospital liaison team to provide specialist clinical input and teaching for acute Trust colleagues in older people’s mental health.
• Follow up with patients previously assessed in the ED, and collaborate with ward-based teams for assessment, treatment and discharge planning.
• Provide specialised advice on capacity and risk issues, and support acute hospital teams in recognising and managing mental health needs.
• Support community work around short‑term follow‑up for patients with delirium post‑discharge and hold a small caseload of such patients.
• Work closely with local community and inpatient mental health services to ensure appropriate follow‑up and support for patients leaving the acute hospital.
• Participate in mental health act assessments within the acute trust and act as Responsible Clinician for detained patients.
• Collaborate with the Liaison Operational Service Manager and other clinical leads to plan and develop services in line with the Trust Integrated Business Plan.
• Assist the acute trust in delivering the Treat as One agenda to ensure parity for patients with physical and mental health conditions.

Beneficial Context

The Trust is a large specialist mental health and learning disabilities provider, employing around 6,700 staff across multiple sites. It supports staff development and encourages flexible working arrangements.