Job overview

Please note, at this stage, the role is open only to internal staff (including NHSP and Agency staff currently on placement within our organisation) and staff substantively employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts and the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB). Any individual who is at risk of redundancy will be given priority, provided they meet the essential criteria.

Liaison Psychiatry is a challenging and rewarding service to work in, we need the best quality of candidates to help us grow our service further into a 24-hour service operating from the William Harvey Hospital and, when required, the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital.

Mental Health Nurses & Occupational Therapists encouraged to apply.

We are looking for a confident and experienced mental health clinician, who will work across the acute general hospital to provide mental health assessments, care, advice and training to both the Emergency Departments and in-patient wards.

You will be able to meet the assessment and formulation needs of both working age adults and older adults have a good insight into your training needs to fulfil this role and have excellent interpersonal skills that you will use to facilitate high quality mental health assessments and to build good working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

You will be committed to the parity of esteem agenda and work closely with both physical and mental health clinicians to ensure a seamless delivery of care.

Main duties of the job

Work as part of a psychiatric liaison team providing a liaison and assessment service 7 days per week, that will involve working unsocial hours and public holidays.

Offer an assessment service to patients aged 18+ (with no upper age limit) presenting at the general hospital with a broad range of mental health and psychological problems, and diagnosed psychiatric illnesses.

Provide a mental health consultation, liaison and advice service throughout the departments.

Deliver a range of evidence based psychosocial interventions to individual patients as required.

 Assist and support general hospital colleagues in making decisions about treatment and care in complex situations.

Provide formal and informal education and case consultation to registered and unregistered staff.

Represent mental health services within the Hospitals.

 Provide a communication structure between secondary mental health services, primary care and non-statutory services, as a means of ensuring the highest possible standards of patient care. 

In return for the above, we offer real commitment to your professional development, and regular supervision within a supportive working environment.

In return for the above, we offer real commitment to your professional development and regular supervision within a supportive working environment.

Working for our organisation

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.

Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It’s why we’re passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.

Take a look at our Community Nursing Video