Liaison mental health services operate across all three hospital sites in Nottingham, providing rapid assessment for people with mental health problems, those who have self-harmed or are suicidal, and those who have possible dementia or delirium in the context of a mental health crisis. There is a dedicated liaison team forall referrals to the ED for those aged over 16 years; there is also a working-age adult service offering some outpatient care.
Liaison mental health services operate across all three hospital sites in Nottingham, providing rapid assessment for people with mental health problems, those who have self-harmed or are suicidal, and those who have possible dementia or delirium in the context of a mental health crisis. There is a dedicated liaison team for
all referrals to the ED for those aged over 16 years; there is also a working-age adult service offering some outpatient care.
The service has two consultant clinics per week alongside nurse-led follow-up clinics; there is also a separate alcohol liaison service and a separate mental health liaison service for older people, which is provided by a team working Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm. A complex liaison child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) also operates during working hours from Monday to Friday. A breakdown of staff numbers is provided in Table 3.
The service therefore encompasses all of the models of liaison mental health and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The population size that the service covers is substantial: around 750,000 in greater Nottinghamshire.
Core training is provided to all staff, including an induction training programme and an additional fortnightly teaching programme. There is also a liaison mental health service for clinicians in those hospitals needing advice on the management of suspected mental health problems.
People are referred to the liaison mental health service through different routes. The majority of children and older adults are referred from the wards, while two-thirds of working-age adults are referred from the ED.
Biopsychosocial assessments are provided as brief interventions in the ED and all patients are offered a signed care plan, signposted to other available sources of help or are followed-up by the liaison mental health team on a case-by- case basis depending on need. Follow-up care is provided in the working-age adult team in two ways:
The liaison service uses patient-reported experience measurement (PREMs) and Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN) standards to answer questions about patient experience and ensure that standards are being met. In addition, patient feedback forms developed by the trust’s own patient group are used to monitor and improve
the service. The service is in the process of developing a method for routinely collecting PREM information using tablet technology. This will enable patients to provide feedback about their experience anonymously and efficiently. The service uses a standardised form for assessments that also collects information on patient experience and provides a space for feedback.
|
Age group |
Occupation/speciality |
Staff numbers (whole time equivalent – WTE) |
|
Working age adults |
Team leader |
1 |
|
Band 6 nurse(s) |
19 |
|
|
Consultant(s) |
2 |
|
|
Associate specialist |
0.9 |
|
|
Consultant CBT therapist |
0.5 |
|
|
Band 4 admin |
1 |
|
|
Band 3 admin |
2 |
|
|
Band 2 admin |
1 |
|
|
CAMHS |
Consultant(s) |
0.5 |
|
Family therapist |
0.5 |
|
|
Older adults |
Team leader |
1 |
|
Consultant(s) |
1 |
|
|
Band 6 nurse(s) |
5 |
|
|
Occupational therapists(s) |
1 |
|
|
Band 3 admin |
2 |
