Mental Health Liaison Nurse

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS Trust in Greater London is searching for a Mental Health Liaison Nurse to join its Crisis Assessment Unit. This role involves providing crisis assessments, developing care plans, and supporting patients with complex needs. The ideal candidate will be a Registered Mental Health Nurse with experience in crisis intervention and reflective practice. A commitment to flexible working patterns including nights and weekends is necessary. The position offers a competitive salary and an extensive benefits package.

Benefits

Generous pay and pensions

Flexible working options

Career development opportunities

Car lease benefits

Keyworker housing

NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Experience of undertaking biopsychosocial assessments.
• Significant clinical experience required.
• Experience as a preceptor/mentor preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide holistic risk management and care plans for patients in crisis.
• Conduct biopsychosocial assessments.
• Collaborate with acute hospital colleagues.

Skills

Quality care responsiveness

Crisis intervention

Reflective practice

Advocacy for diversity

Problem solving

Resilience

Education

Registered Mental Health Nurse

Master's Degree or Post-Graduate study

Job description

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Mental Health Liaison Nurse

The closing date is 23 December 2025

We are looking to recruit a Mental Health Liaison Nurse to join the Crisis Assessment Unit (CAU) which works alongside the well‑established Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT) at St Thomas' Hospital.

We are keen to employ adaptable and motivated individuals who are willing to become actively involved in this fast‑paced and progressive service and who have an interest in being part of a new service. The role offers an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to further their experience of liaison psychiatry and develop their skills in crisis assessments and physical healthcare.

The post holder will be expected to be an advocate for mental health within the hospital and support all staff in providing care for people presenting with complex and multifaceted difficulties. The team work alongside Mental Health for Older Adults, Perinatal Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry; the post holder will be expected to provide assessment and care to patients presenting from these specialist areas, out‑of‑hours.

The team operates on a 24 hour, 7 day a week basis and it is essential that the post holder is able to work unsocial hours, including night shifts and weekends on a pro rata basis.

In an effort to continually improve the quality of care individuals with acute mental health difficulties receive whilst in the acute hospital setting, the CAU was developed as a bespoke mental health assessment unit that is firmly embedded within the emergency department (ED) of STH.

Main duties of the job

St Thomas' Hospital (STH) is a large and highly regarded teaching hospital in the heart of central London, part of Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) and Kings Health Partners, one of only six academic science centres in the UK.

The CAU functions as a safe and therapeutic space for those experiencing an acute mental health crisis to be assessed and cared for by a multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians. The unit operates alongside the existing Core 24 MHLT establishment and is an integral part of the overall emergency pathway in STH.

The role of the mental health liaison nurse within the CAU will be to complete biopsychosocial assessments of adults in crisis, formulating robust and holistic risk management and care plans. The post holder will work alongside acute hospital colleagues and other partner agencies to develop plans of care alongside the patient and their carers, relatives or friends.

A sound, existing knowledge of the interface between physical and mental health is essential, as well as experience of working with those who use illicit substances and/or misuse alcohol.

About us

South London & Maudsley are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that's why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part‑time working and job sharing.
• Career development, there are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars.
• Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites.
• NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well‑known retail brands through the Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include

• Counselling services
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Staff restaurants

We look forward to receiving your application.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached documents for detailed information about the job description.

The role of the mental health liaison nurse within the CAU will be to complete biopsychosocial assessments of adults in crisis, formulating robust and holistic risk management and care plans. The post holder will work alongside acute hospital colleagues and other partner agencies to develop plans of care alongside the patient and their carers, relatives or friends.

Person Specification

Education and Qualification

• Registered Mental Health Nurse and/or Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse
• Master's Degree or Post‑Graduate study

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of research‑based/reflective practice, e.g. understanding and ability to use supervision to reflect on skills, attitude and knowledge and develop these by using evidence‑based practice
• Significant relevant clinical experience.
• Experience as a preceptor / mentor
• Knowledge of relevant Professional and Clinical legislation
• Experience undertaking biopsychosocial assessments
• Experience of taking responsibility for a ward / clinical unit
• Experience engaging in quality improvement
• Experience in crisis intervention

Skills

• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, without close supervision
• Resilient: able to cope with difficult interpersonal situations.
• Self‑aware, self‑confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others
• Advocates for all individuals, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity
• Forms very effective working relationships with colleagues
• Problem solving, ability to identify problems, review options and take appropriate action without a predetermined framework

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£46,419 to £55,046 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS