Mental Health Liaison Practitioner

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider for mental health services is looking for a Mental Health Liaison Practitioner to assess adult patients at University Hospital Southampton. The selected candidate will provide psychological support and oversee care for those facing mental health crises. Responsibilities include coordinating with multi-agency teams and advising on clinical management. Candidates should hold relevant nursing or social work qualifications and have experience in mental health assessments. Competitive salary offered with flexible working options.

Qualifications

• Registered professional with relevant qualifications in mental health.
• Experience in providing specialist mental health care assessments.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist mental health care assessments for adults.
• Coordinate and monitor delivery of person-centred healthcare.
• Negotiate patient transfers to mental health services when necessary.

Skills

Mental health assessment

Psychological support

Clinical management

Complex decision making

Education

Registered Mental Nurse (RMN), Social Worker, or Allied Health Professional (AHP)

Continuing professional development

Practice assessor/supervisor training

Job description

Mental Health Liaison Practitioner - Secondment

The closing date is 01 February 2026

We are looking for a Mental Health Liaison Practitioner to provide specialist mental health care assessments for adults within University Hospital Southampton such as: deliberate self harm assessment, mental health emergencies, complex psychosocial and behavioural assessments, capacity assessment and risk assessment.

In this role, you will effectively and efficiently provide psychological support to patients with mental health needs who are temporarily in crisis, or who have mental health needs as a result of their physical illness or as a result of being hospitalised.

You will advise non-psychiatry staff on outcome of assessment and formulate a care plan based on clinical intervention and risk management, providing time limited liaison follow up appointments when needed for those patients with more complex and enduring mental health needs. This role works positively and collaboratively as an integral part of the Specialist Adult Mental health services and effectively liaise with multi-agency colleagues, patients and their supporters.

This is a one year fixed term secondment commencing on the 14th March 2026 - 15th March 2027 working 22.5 hours a week.

Main duties of the job

To lead the clinical management of a designated group of service users

To allocate and support individuals with work and review progress as agreed outcomes

To coordinate and monitor the delivery of person-centred healthcare to a designated group of service users, using complex clinical decision making where appropriate

To effectively communicate complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to patients, their family and/or carers

Demonstrates advanced level of ability in evidence based mental health and risk assessments of older people with mental health problems in the General Hospital setting, involving assessing, planning, and evaluating care in collaboration with others

Operating independently in making complex clinical judgements, evaluating alternative courses of action, and managing and advising on complex clinical issues regarding the treatment and care of patients

Negotiating the transfer of patients to Mental Health Services or other services within the Southampton City Primary Care Trust or Hampshire Primary Care Trust when necessary

To work as a member of the MDT in assessing and planning care and responding to changes in service user's health

To act in a manner to respect the customs, individuality, values, sexuality, and spiritual beliefs, actively supporting the individual to fulfil these

To maintain active role in service development, evaluation, and integration within AMH services which includes working with working adults with Mental Health needs

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• *RMN, Social Worker or AHP.
• *Evidence of continuing professional development
• *Practice assessor/supervisor training

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.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a year. Please note for part time hours the salary will be pro rata