26/10/2025
Mental Health Liaison Practitioner - Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust - Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.
Job overview
Band 7 All Age Mental Health Liaison Practitioner
37.5 hours a week on a rota basis
The mental health liaison team provides a comprehensive service to patients/service users over 16yrs, carers and clinical colleagues based within the Acute Hospital Trust. This involves:
Offering an assessment service to patients presenting with a range of mental health and psychological problems
Providing a mental health consultation-liaison and advice service
Delivering a range of nursing and psychosocial interventions to individual patients and their families, as appropriate
Assisting and supporting general hospital colleagues in making decisions about treatment and care in complex situations
Providing formal and informal education and clinical supervision to registered and unregistered staff
Representing mental health services within the general hospital
Providing a communication structure between the general hospital, secondary mental health services, primary care and non-statutory services, as a means of ensuring the highest possible standards of patient care
Co-ordinate 136 MHA presentations in the A&E Department and support Section 136 suites co-located.
As a member of the mental health liaison team the post holder will be expected to assess and treat patients who are referred from a variety of sources, which will include:
• Emergency Department
• Urgent Care Centres
• Medical assessment areas
• All wards, departments and clinical teams across the hospital
Advert
Patients may present with a wide range of mental health and psychological problems, including following an episode of self-harm, psychiatric emergency and as a consequence of physical illness. You will be expected to work with individuals experiencing psychosomatic disorders and a variety of psychological and adjustment issues resulting from physical illness. You will be required to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems, while utilising effective clinical judgments about the most appropriate treatment, discharge and follow-up options. You will use higher-level communication skills, both written and oral and have an ability to engage with challenging and/or acutely distressed individuals, sometimes in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations.
You will have experience of working with service users who present with complex mental health needs.
You should be able to demonstrate evidence of Leadership and care that facilitates a positive culture of patient engagement, a commitment to enhancing the service user and carer experience and of on-going professional development.
You must have the ability to positively influence and adapt to a rapidly developing service that is able to meet the needs of mental health services in Lancashire.
If you would like to discuss this post further or to arrange an informal visit please contact us using the details provided
Working for our organisation
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Please be aware, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. Failure to do so, may result in your application being withdrawn.
We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences.
We are looking for you to demonstrate personal experiences of how you meet the essential criteria and as an NHS Employer, we value authenticity and honesty.
Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information.
Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document.
Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.
For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).
You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.
LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.
https://prestonjobs.com/jobs/mental-health-liaison-practitioner-df221802
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve. As an integrated mental