We are looking for suitably qualifiedpractitioners with excellent interpersonal and organisational skills with theability to work under pressure. Experience of working with adults of workingage and older people is desirable but not essential. Liaison Psychiatry inDerriford provides a 24hr, 7 days a week provision and successful applicantswill be expected to work various shift patterns on a rotational basis.

Main duties of the job

The specialist function of the team is to provide bio-psychosocial assessments for individuals aged 18 years and above within the Derriford Hospital footprint, either attending via the Emergency Department or being an in-patient within the hospital. Patients seen may present with mental health difficulties eg. psychiatric crisis or an organic presentation such as a dementia /delirium.

Following assessment, patients may be signposted to services in their local area (be that Plymouth, Cornwall, Devon or further afield). The Team work with hospital staff to develop plans of care for those who may be staying in hospital for a little longer.

Its a challenging and rewarding service to work in, and we need the best quality of candidates to help us grow our service further.

We welcome applications from Registered Nurses (RMN and RGN), Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers who have relevant experience (NMC/HCPC registrations required). Please demonstrate in your application how you meet the essential criteria in order to be considered.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.

All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning socialenterprise delivering integrated health and social care services acrossPlymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts ofDevon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sportscentres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, andcollaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, whileempowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, inshaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the righttime and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people leadhealthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, trainingpathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the CareCertificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorshipprograms ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from allsections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mentalhealth, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during theapplication process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities

Based withinDerriford Hospital the Liaison Psychiatry service provides a mental healthservice to all wards and departments within the hospital where a person who hasmental health need is receiving care.

As a member of the Liaison PsychiatryTeam you will be expected to assess patients who are referred from the EmergencyDepartment and ward areas within the acute general hospital.

The specialist function of the team isto provide bio-psychosocial assessments for individuals aged 18 yrs. and abovewithin the Derriford Hospital footprint, either attending via the EmergencyDepartment or being an in-patient within the hospital. Patients seen maypresent with mental health difficulties eg. psychiatric crisis or an organicpresentation such as a dementia /delirium

You will be expected to be able to makeclear clinical decisions based on the analysis of, often complex, presentingproblems. This can include being the decision maker in terms of discharge ofpatients experiencing mental health needs. You will be required at times tomake clear autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presentingproblems and clinical judgement.

You will be able to demonstrate a highlevel of communication skills in terms of use of verbal, electronic and writtenformats.

You will be required to engage withpatients who can be challenging and /or acutely distressed.

You will have Freedom to Act as a loneworker. Some autonomous working is expected.The Liaison Psychiatry Service sustainsCore 24 complianceThe operational hours of this service,is currently 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, with different shift patterns to coverthe service delivery. Post holders will be expected to participate in the shiftpatterns over a 7 day period including weekends and bank holidays.In conjunction with other team membersscreen all referrals received by the team.Undertake holistic and comprehensivebio-psychosocial assessments incorporating assessment of mental state ofpatients referred to the service.Utilise a range of highly specialisedclinical skills appropriate to the needs of individual patients and theclinical setting in which they are seen.Conduct risk assessments on all patientspresenting to the service in line with policy. The post holder will havehighly developed risk assessment skills to manage complex presentations andchallenging behaviours .Advise ward nursing, medical and otherprofessional staff on the management of patients and contribute to careplanning to meet identified needs.Evaluate effectiveness of careinterventions with all disciplines of staff, adjusting care plans wherenecessary.Provide a consultation-liaison serviceto clinicians and clinical teams within the general hospital. This will includegiving specialist advice on care, treatment and patients management issues.Work in collaboration with colleagues inthe promotion of care delivery and strategic objectives and takingresponsibility/lead for specific areas of working e.g. liaison with police,drugs and alcohol, Safeguarding.Refer and signpost people to appropriatemental health services as required both within and outside of theorganisations area.Work collaboratively with social careteams, discharge planning teams, onward care teams, community liaison teams andcommunity mental health teams in devising appropriate discharge plans.Deliver care that is evidenced based andreflecting current best practice.Be accountable for own practice inaccordance with NMC Code of Professional practice or HCPC relevant codes ofpractice.Demonstrate sound understanding of theethical and legal issues in caring for all older adults attending the hospital.This will include Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act and Deprivationof Liberty Safeguarding (2005) issues as required.Raise awareness of mental health needsof older people in acute general hospital setting through discussion andcollaborative working with staff of all levels and disciplines. Raise awarenessof the mental health needs of the general population within the acute generalhospital.Provide support and advice for carersand families of people with mental health needs within the general hospitalsetting whenever possible. The Liaison Service is committed to theimplementation of the Triangle of Care as fully as possible.Work collaboratively with colleagues inthe development of the Liaison Psychiatry Service.Communicate effectively and sensitivelywith patients, families and carers.

Work positively and sensitively withchallenging and hostile behaviours to enable therapeutic and productiveoutcome.

Have highly developed interpersonalskills, self awareness and empathy to engage with others and provide aneffective outcome.

Demonstrate the ability to negotiate andproblem solve in complex situations where agreement is required, or communicateclear decision making and rationale when agreement cannot be reached.

Provide comprehensive information basedon assessment to inform the care, treatment or discharge planning process ofpatients within the acute general hospital.

Demonstrate the ability to develop andmaintain good working relationships with colleagues within the LiaisonPsychiatry Team and across other statutory and non-statutory organisations.

Maintain confidentiality of the patientsas per policy whilst sharing information when appropriate to do so

Keep accurate and contemporaneouselectronic/written patient records and comply with professional and Trustrecord keeping policies including CPA.

Comply with Local and National policiesin relation to confidentiality and information sharing protocols.

Liaise with existing community MH teams regarding the status and progress of patients who are under their care in theacute general hospital setting.Demonstrate the ability to adaptcommunication to take account of others needs.Maintain high standards of integritywhen communicating with patients and others.Demonstrate ability to use IT systemseffectively including email, clinical systems used by the team.Represent the team by attendance atmeetings as delegated by Team Manager.Act as a role model in providing aservice for people with mental health problems for all staff within the acutegeneral hospital.

Person Specification

Experience

• Recent experience as a Band 5 Nurse or AHP equivalent either working with older adults or within dementia/complex care environments or with functional mental health issues.
• Ability to demonstrate transferable skills.
• Either experience of working with older adults with Depression and older adults with dementia.
• Or experience of working with adults with functional mental health problems.
• Suitable Candidates will show a clear willingness to develop skills in the areas of both functional mental health problems and older peoples/complex care mental health needs.
• Previous experience of working in a community mental health setting.
• Evidence of developing and contributing to service development.
• Experience of change in health care.

Disposition

• Autonomous practitioner with ability to work unsupervised.
• Facilitative and Influencing skills.
• Flexible and adaptable.
• Tact, diplomacy and self-confident.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritise and reprioritise work to meet clinical demand.

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse/Registered General Nurse or Allied Health Professional such as Physiotherapist, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist (on relevant register e.g. NMC or HCPC).
• Mentorship qualification or equivalent experience.
• Up to date knowledge of current practice with emphasis on Liaison Psychiatry.
• Evidence of post registration development.
• Understanding about how a persons physical health can affect their mental state.
• Specialist knowledge of mental disorders and their impact on physical health.
• Understanding of National guidelines and initiatives related to provision of mental health services in an acute general hospital.
• Understanding of services and their role in the provision of mental health care in the community.
• General understanding of Continuing Healthcare and the assessment process for this.
• Sound working knowledge of Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (2005).
• Protection of Vulnerable Adults Policies and Procedures.
• Time management.
• Ability to manage environmental stress.
• Ability to work in a changing team.
• Articulate with a high level of communication skills.
• Ability to deal with high levels of emotional stress.
• Ability to sustain high levels of concentration.
• Motivated and committed to developing new ideas and improving patient care.
• Ability to function as an autonomous practitioner.
• Post qualification experience/training in mental health and related issues.
• Teaching Qualification.
• Non Medical Prescribing.
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy skills.
• Solution focussed therapy skills.
• Physical healthcare skills.
• Motivational interviewing skills.
• Experience of working in both acute mental health and in complex care and dementia care.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working