Liaison Psychiatry Practitioner

We are looking for dedicated Registered Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists or Social Workers to join our Liaison Psychiatry Service. We have vacancies in the Hounslow Team, based in West Middlesex University Hospital.

The team has a mix of Consultant Liaison Psychiatrists, Trainee doctors, Foundation Year doctors, Liaison Psychiatry Practitioners and Team Administrators. Office spaces are within the acute hospitals site we serve and we have excellent working relationships already developed with both acute Trust clinicians and managers.

If you have good clinical skills and are motivated to further develop your knowledge and practice, this role will suit you. You will join a team where learning and professional development are promoted. You will have the opportunity to work autonomously as well as being supported by the team. Team wellbeing and cohesion are high on our agenda as they are essential to providing quality care and improving patient and carer experience. We pride ourselves on providing a standard of care that we would be happy for our loved ones and ourselves to receive. If this is your motivation as a practitioner, you will fit well in one of our teams and we will nurture your caring attitude.

Main duties of the job:

• You will undertake biopsychosocial assessments for patients who attend the Urgent Treatment Centre or Emergency Department or are admitted on medical wards and have mental health needs.
• You will work with patients presenting with psychosomatic disorder and a variety of psychological issues related to physical disorders.
• You will offer a person-centred approach to patients' treatment, recovery and well-being.
• You will be required to make clear autonomous decisions based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and will have access to clinical support and supervision from more senior colleagues in the team.
• You will promote carer/family involvement where required/appropriate and will liaise with colleagues from other areas of health and social care to coordinate and facilitate safe discharge plans.
• You will offer formal and informal training to your peers and acute trust colleagues to enhance patient care.
• As an integral part of the team, you will be encouraged to share your views and ideas to improve service delivery.

About us:

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing and Hounslow). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over 500m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'. The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Person Specification:

• Experience:
• Essential: Adequate post qualifying experience work in psychiatry, experience of supervising staff, experience of crisis work and undertaking assessments and formulating care plans, risk plans and risk management.
• Desirable: Audit and research experience, experience of teaching and training, Liaison Psychiatry experience.
• Knowledge and Skills:
• Essential: Knowledge of bio psychosocial interventions, assessment and treatment of patients who present with self-harm, risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills, excellent communication skills, ability to use de-escalation skills, ability to make clinically safe autonomous decisions, organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• Desirable: Specialist knowledge of relationship between mental health and physical disorders, the legal frameworks using the MCA.
• Qualifications and Training:
• Essential: Professional Qualification as RMN/RN (Mental Health) or Registered Occupational Therapist or Registered Social Worker with professional registration (HCPC), ENB 997 or 998 (Teaching & Assessing in Clinical Practice) or equivalent teaching qualification, Assisted Year In Practice (ASYE) if social work qualified.
• Desirable: Educated to degree or diploma level, evidence of recent professional development, other qualification in practice teaching or supervision of staff.
• Personal Qualities:
• Essential: Ability to work in a high pressure environment, ability to meet deadlines, commitment to equal opportunities, ability to accept constructive criticism, ability to develop based on reflection, awareness of own limitations.
• Desirable: Personal experience of mental health problems.

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.