Job Description

The Croydon Mental Health Liaison Service for Older Adults provides a Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm service to Croydon University Hospital. We offer assessment and intervention to patients admitted to the inpatient wards.



The successful candidates will be clinically confident in assessing mental health service users presenting to the Hospital, carrying out short term interventions and making independent decisions. You will thrive in a fast-paced environment, often working under pressure. You will possess excellent assessment, communication skills and interpersonal skills. You will work well with others and enjoy multidisciplinary work whilst maintaining the highest standard in the quality of care.



You will hold a sound working knowledge of common mental health disorders, the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act & DOLs. A sound knowledge of the interface between physical and mental health is essential as well as experience of working with older adults, in any setting



1. Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.



2. Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support:



Co-ordinating and evaluating collaborative patient centred care; getting feedback and improving plans with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Providing accurate information about care in an accessible format to patients and their relatives / carers. Liaising and working positively with members of the multi- disciplinary team and partner organisations. Administering, and monitoring the side-effects of, medication; monitoring service user compliance.

3. Leading and supporting/teaching junior staff on risk assessment and risk management that involves making decisions based on knowledge of the research evidence, knowledge of the individual service user and their social context, knowledge of the service user's own experience and clinical judgment.



4.



South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.



By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.



1. Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors. Supporting and teaching junior staff to develop understanding of mental health signs and symptoms and develop appropriate responses to these in practice.



2. Recognising and responding appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training. Leading and coordinating junior staff and the wider care team in the management of difficult situations and de-escalation and developing resilience and strategies to manage, including on leading staff and patient 'de-briefing' sessions.



3. Demonstrating a depth of knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice ensuring adherence to legislation at all times. Teaching junior staff to understand the legal frameworks that support their practice.

Communication:

4. Contributing to an effective communication process with appropriate and accurate information to patients, carers, family, friends and colleagues. Engaging and listening carefully and actively, and responding using appropriate language and accessible communication methods and skills. Developing communication skills to enable and support difficult conversations, acknowledging cultural differences and professional boundaries.



5. Demonstrating effective clinical communication and documentation to internal and external stakeholders ensuring: effective verbal and written handover of relevant and objective information. Demonstrating ability to determine key information, ability to recognise and describe effectively symptoms of mental illness, distress or of a deteriorating patient, and ability to escalate issues of concerns effectively and in a timely manner.



6. Contributing towards the on-going quality of service and care by managing the patient caseload, organising care including delegating tasks and duties appropriately to staff with relevant competency, identifying and mitigating any risk issues in relation to the service users' health and social care. Informing the relevant Health care professionals if there are any significant:



Changes in the service user's physical or mental state Factors relevant to the service user Incidents related to the service user

7. Maintaining timely and accurate service user written/electronic records in line with Trust policy. Use care plans, pathway documents and Information System progress notes appropriately and in a timely manner.



8. Reporting, without delay, any safety or security concerns to maintain the safety of service users, carers, staff and others in line with Trust policy.



9. Understanding and contributing to the Trust risk assessment policy, including being aware of the need to follow all safeguarding procedures; being aware of the necessity to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults at all times when working with service users. Supporting junior staff to respond appropriately if there are any significant factors, or incidents relating to the safeguarding service user.



10. Maintaining confidential information in accordance with Trust Policies.