Senior Liaison Nurse (Older Adults)

The North Middlesex Mental Health Liaison Service is under North London Foundation Trust (NLFT)provides rapid assessment and treatment of adult patients in the North Middlesex University Hospital (NMUH) who present with mental health difficulties. In addition, the service provides support and education to the staff of NMUH. The Service works according to the principles of the RAID (Rapid Assessment, Interface and Discharge) model.

The Mental Health Liaison Service delivers multidisciplinary specialist mental health input to both A&E and the wards of the North Middlesex University Hospital. The service is committed to providing timely and thoughtful input when invited, working closely together with our acute sector colleagues to support optimal, and patient-centred care. We seek to educate and empower the patients we work with and through both informal and formal training improve attitudes, knowledge, and skills among staff on mental health within the acute setting., The service model is based on timely assessment of all patients (age 16 and over) presenting to A&E with mental health problems or who are in-patients of NMUH, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All clinical staff have the generic skills to assess all referred patients. Staff members specialise in the key areas of dementia, self-harm, alcohol problems, mental capacity issues, and medically unexplained symptoms.

The team has a high profile both in A&E and on the inpatient wards and endeavours to identify patients as early as possible in the care pathway where appropriate working collaboratively with our acute sector colleagues. We explore alternatives to in-patient care where clinically appropriate.

The team has good links with community services so that patients can be accurately signposted and make the transition from hospital to community care with minimal disruption and delay.

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:

1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.

2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all

3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.

4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.