Mental Health Practitioner

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Mental Health Liaison Nurse for Royal Blackburn Hospital. You will work in a busy A&E and acute wards, providing evidence-based mental health input and 1:1 support to patients awaiting admission.

The role requires MH nursing registration, post-registration MH experience, and ability to engage with distressed individuals. A commitment to professional development and working in a multi-cultural environment is expected.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (Mental Health) – current NMC Registration or equivalent professional health care qualification.
• Evidence of professional updating and development in the care of patients in an acute or community setting.
• Diploma in Professional Studies (Nursing) - or equivalent.
• Teaching & Assessing qualification (or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Assist in providing quality evidence-based practice within a busy A&E department and Acute wards, liaising with other agencies under supervision.
• Complete physical health tools to improve physical health of service users with mental illness.
• Provide 1:1 support to service users waiting psychiatric admission in A&E.

Skills

Assessing & planning

Therapeutic interactions

Individual interventions

Education

NMC Registered Nurse (Mental Health)

Diploma in Professional Studies (Nursing)

Teaching & Assessing qualification

Job description

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive 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, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well‑being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long‑term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

Patients may present with a wide range of mental health and psychological problems, including following an episode of self‑injury, 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 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.

Main duties of the job

The Mental Health Liaison team provides a comprehensive service to patients/service users, carers and clinical colleagues based within our acute trust at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

This involves:

• To assist in the provision of quality evidence‑based practice, within a busy A& E department and Acute wards. Providing advice; support and care, liaising with other agencies under the guidance of the Mental Health Liaison Nurses for Service Users and their families who present often in a distressed state with complex mental health needs and social difficulties.
• Completion of physical health tools to improve the physical health of service users with mental illness.
• Provide 1:1 support to service users waiting psychiatric admission in A&E

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under‑represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support 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 and flexi‑time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further details on the role. When completing the supporting information section of your application, please ensure you show how you meet each of the criteria of the person specification providing illustrative examples where possible; as this is what you will be shortlisted against.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (Mental Health) – current NMC Registration or equivalent professional health care qualification
• Evidence of professional updating and development in the care of patients in an acute or community setting.
• Diploma in Professional Studies (Nursing) - or equivalent.
• Teaching & Assessing qualification (or equivalent).

Experience

• Post‑registration mental health experience.
• Involvement in innovative practice and multi‑cultural environments

Skills

• Skills in assessing, planning and evaluating mental health interventions.
• Skills in interacting therapeutically with distressed and/or disturbed individuals.
• Skills in individual interventions.

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the various approaches to mental health assessment.
• Knowledge of key areas of liaison psychiatric practice, including the psychological effects of physical illness.
• Knowledge of psychiatric interventions with patients in an acute phase of mental illness/distress.

Skills

• Ability to assimilate new concepts and approaches to care.
• Ability to respond positively to constructive criticism.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

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 has been received. If you are not invited to interview within four 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.

Please note that further communication from 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.

Please ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.

If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.

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).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.