Mental Health Practitioner

The Mental Health Liaison team (MHLT) service is a mentalhealth service based within Ipswich Hospital. The teamconsists of psychiatrists, mental health nurses, social workers,assistant practitioners and nurse prescribers. We are an age-inclusive assessment service who see patientsonly within Ipswich Hospital in the Emergency Departmentand the inpatients areas. The MHLT work across twoorganisations, the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust(NSFT) and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS FoundationTrust (ESNEFT). In the Emergency Department, the MHLTworks closely with emergency medicine and other cliniciansto assess and signpost patients who have presented withmental health difficulties. These range from acute psychosisto self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and drugand alcohol related problems. Within the hospital inpatient wards, the MHLT see patientswith a wide range of mental health difficulties. The MHLTmay provide individual assessment and treatment or mayadvise medical and nursing staff on the management of riskand individual mental health plans. Our aim is to improve patient and carer experience forpatients with mental health difficulties within the hospitaland aid safe discharge, along with multidisciplinary workingwith other services involved in health and social care., The Mental Health Liaison Service offers a single point of access for referrals from Ipswich Hospital and provides a range of mental health specialities within one multidisciplinary team. Our team responds to a diverse range of referrals, covering both liaison psychiatry and emergency assessment functions for all ages.

We are looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic mental health practitioners, who are looking to expand their skills and knowledge base, within the acute hospital setting., You will be an excellent communicator, self-motivating and committed to delivering high quality standards of care. You will be a confident and experienced practitioner with excellent assessment skills and the ability to formulate clinical decisions and management plans and act on them quickly whilst working in a demanding and challenging environment. A flexible 'can do' attitude, with a willingness to build links with general hospital colleagues is essential to ensure that a proactive interface is created between mental health and medicine. You will have the relevant post qualification experience, including acute mental health and crisis management and be able to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the differing needs of people within the general hospital.

Benefits included with this role are:-

• NHS pension
• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• career progression
• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• staff physio service
• NHS discounts and many more.