Job overview

An opportunity has arisen to work in the diverse and busy Mental Health Liaison team, alongside experienced Band 6 practitioners, working with both adults of working age and older adults.

We support service users who may be in an acute mental health crisis, have self-harmed, or present with suicidal ideation, delirium, or cognitive impairment, as well as those with substance or alcohol misuse.

We are looking for a candidate who would enjoy the challenges and diversity of assessing service users in different clinical environments, such as the emergency department, maternity, general medical wards, and maternity services in a large acute general hospital, alongside staff from a range of different specialties.

The Mental Health Liaison team operates from 8 a.m. to 10pm across a seven-day service, 365 days a year. We are a Band 6 nurse-led team, with one  Consultant Psychiatrist and a Band 7 senior practitioner, providing a comprehensive assessment service to patients/service users, carers, and clinical colleagues based within the Salisbury District Hospital.

Main duties of the job

Liaison and Consultation - Be responsible for the full assessment of care needs of patients presenting with a range of undifferentiated mental health and psychological problems. As a result of this assessment, you will be responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of programmes of care without direct supervision.

Clinical Practice - Utilise a range of clinical skills appropriate to the individual patient’s needs and the clinical setting in which they are being cared for, including interpretation of physical health investigations and treatment pathways.

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with AWP trust policy all newly qualified social workers (NQSW) will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding.  All NQSW’s are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be extended for a further 2 years.

If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful ASYE completion

Working for our organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire, and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to supporting and creating a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP, we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.