Psychiatric Liaison Nurse

Oxleas; Woolwich; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust in Woolwich is recruiting an experienced Band 6 Mental Health Nurse to join the Greenwich Mental Health Liaison Team. You will work on bio-psycho-social assessments of patients from the Emergency Department and medical wards, including Sect 136 patients, with a focus on risk assessment and care planning.

The role requires NMC registration, at least 2 years post-qualification experience, and strong communication, leadership and collaboration skills.

Qualifications

• Qualified mental health nurse registered with the NMC.
• At least 2 years post-qualification mental health experience.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act (MHA) and Mental Capacity Act (MCA).
• Strong communication, interface and organisational skills; team work and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Outstanding assessment and clinical skills as an independent clinician.
• In-depth knowledge of mental health signs and symptoms and supporting frameworks.
• Good communication and ability to engage with people.
• Team working and professional development.
• Leadership and management skills.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Leadership

Risk assessment

Clinical leadership

Education

NMC registration as Mental Health Nurse

Job description

Main area Adult Acute & Crisis Mental Health Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Shift work, including nights and unsociable hours) Job ref 277-8375123-AAC

Site Brook House Town Woolwich Salary £45,953 - £54,254 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 08/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

We seek to appoint an experienced, confident mental health nurse, interested in working with comorbidities, to join the Greenwich Mental Health Liaison Team. The team is settled, experienced and held in high esteem for carrying out bio-psycho-social assessments on people who present with mental health difficulties, referred from the Emergency Department and the medical wards. The team also deals with Sect 136 patients who are brought to the Emergency Dept. by the police. As an emergency assessment team, the focus is on mental state- and risk- assessment and management. The work is interesting and varied and the team is well supported by the acute psychiatric wards, Home Treatment teams and other community mental health teams. This is a busy team in a stressful environment, but the team members are very supportive of colleagues. Good practice is encouraged by regular reflective team supervision, as well as individual supervision, and there are opportunities for personal and professional development and training.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be a qualified mental health nurse, registered with the NMC and with at least 2-yrs post-qualification relevant experience. Prior experience of work in a Home Treatment or other assessment team is highly recommended, as the post-holder will be expected to carry out independent assessments and formulate robust risk management plans. To be successful in this role the post-holder will need a good knowledge of both the MHA and the MCA. The job role further requires good communication and interface skills, good time-keeping and organisational skills, team work, and leadership qualities.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

We Listen

We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Psychiatric mental health liaisonrole is suitable for Registered Nurses who have successfully completed preceptorship and have registered as an approved NMC mentor.

The post holder will deliver, or advise on the delivery of, high quality safe nursing care, ensuring consistently high standards of practice and clinical excellence which comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of professional conduct.

You will promote and develop clinical leadership and clinical practice and be a positive role model to junior members of the team through the practice of evidence-based care. You will be expected to support professional development through clinical appraisal and supervision and contribute to the ongoing educational programme for staff, fostering a positive learning environment. Your professional and personal development will include further postgraduate study and you will be encouraged and supported by your line manager to undertake Master’s programmes.

As a senior nurse working within the South London Mental Health and Community Partnership you are required to encourage and foster collaborative and cross organisational working.

Main Responsibilities:

• Outstanding assessment and clinical skills as an independent clinician
• In depth knowledge of mental health signs and symptoms and the frameworks that support mental health practice
• Good communication skills and ability to easily engage with people
• Team working and professional development
• Leadership and Management skills

Person specification

Qualification & Registration

• NMC Registration
• 2-yr post-qualification mental health experience

Experience

• Experience in a mental health assessment team
• Experience in a liaison and/or HTT team

Knowledge & Skill

• Evidence of CPD / post-qualification training / education
• Supportive statement mentions interest in liaison work / transferable skills
• Good written and spoken English
• Evidence of leadership / projects / service development

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

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.