Health Care Support Worker

The mental health liaison team provides a comprehensive service to patients/service users over 16yrs, carers and clinical colleagues based within the Acute Hospital Trust. This involves: + Offering an assessment service to patients presenting with a range of mental health and psychological problems. + Providing a mental health consultation-liaison and advice service. + Delivering a range of nursing and psychosocial interventions to individual patients and their families, as appropriate. + Providing formal and informal education and clinical supervision to registered and unregistered staff. + Providing a communication structure between the general hospital, secondary mental health services, primary care and non-statutory services, as a means of ensuring the highest possible standards of patient care. Patients may present with a range of mental health and psychological problems, including following an episode of self-harm, psychiatric emergency and as a consequence of physical illness. You will be expected to work with individuals experiencing psychosomatic disorders and a variety of psychological and adjustment issues resulting from physical illness. You will use higher-level communication skills, both written and oral and have an ability to engage with challenging and/or acutely distressed individuals, sometimes in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations., + To assist in the provision of quality evidence-based practice, within a busy A& E department and Acute wards. Providing advice; support and care, liaising with other agencies under the guidance of the Mental Health Liaison Nurses for Service Users and their families who present often in a distressed state with complex mental health needs and social difficulties. + Completion of physical health tools to improve the physical health of service users with mental illness. As a member of the Mental Health Liaison team the post holder will be expected to support service users who are referred from a variety of sources, which will include: + Emergency Department + Urgent Care Centres + Medical assessment areas + All wards, departments and clinical teams across the hospital Patients may present with a wide range of mental health and psychological problems, including following an episode of self-injury, psychiatric emergency and as a consequence of physical illness. You will be expected to work with individuals experiencing psychosomatic disorders and a variety of psychological and adjustment issues resulting from physical illness. You will use higher- level communication skills, both written and oral and have an ability to engage with challenging and/or acutely distressed individuals, sometimes in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations.

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve. As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time. For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area. Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview. For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT