Overview
1.0 W senior mental health liaison nurse position within the Lambeth Mental Health Liaison Service. The role involves front of house specialist assessments (front door triage) in the Emergency Department (ED) as part of the Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT). The Psychiatric Nurse in Charge (PNIC) ensures that patients presenting to the ED with acute mental health needs receive timely and appropriate care, in the right place, at the right time, by the right person.
The PNIC will identify and triage patients with urgent or emergent mental health needs, support psychological and substance misuse care, and work with the ED team to ensure appropriate medical clearance where needed. The PNIC acts as shift coordinator to prioritise patients and allocate them to the appropriate team based on need and shift skill mix.
Main duties
* Be based on the emergency floor for much of the shift, providing direct formal and informal support to the ED teams and visiting agencies.
* Offer face-to-face support and direct referrals to the most appropriate assessment pathways (front door triage model, full PLN assessment, or determining if further medical assessments are required).
* Work with the enhanced care team (ECT) to determine enhanced observations for mental health patients.
* Act as part of the ED response team for patients detained under S136 or via police referrals; ensure timely throughput in line with GSTT CODE10 protocol.
* Collaborate with ED triage teams to evaluate fitness for assessment and support parallel working.
* Assist referrers via front door triage and act as a visible, approachable point of contact signposting to other services (UCC, GP, IAPT, etc.).
* Assist the PLN assessment team as the Psychiatric Nurse in Charge; lead within the liaison service and provide guidance in specialist lead areas (e.g., safeguarding).
* Provide clinical supervision to the band 6 (assessing) psychiatric liaison nursing team.
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provides a wide range of NHS mental health and substance misuse services. We work with IoPPN, King’s College London, and are part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Our core philosophy in Core24 Mental Health Liaison is to be professional, honest, caring and open-minded; supporting choice and collaboration, and respecting differences.
We employ around 5,000 staff serving a local population of 1.1 million, with over 230 services including inpatient, outpatient and community teams. We offer professional development and opportunities to work with leaders in the field.
Details
Date posted: 23 September 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £56,276 to £63,176 per year inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 334-NUR-7435904-LF
Location: St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
Job responsibilities
* Provide a senior single point of access for staff to refer to the MHLT from the ED, ensuring timely allocation for assessment.
* Provide specialist, face-to-face screening at referral for ED self-presenters with acute mental health needs.
* Provide initial response to police and ambulance arrivals; lead on coordinating the patient’s ED journey.
* Conduct a brief risk and mental state examination; make autonomous decisions on discharge, onward referral, and signposting to primary care/mental health services/third-sector organisations; provide brief psychoeducation and intervention where appropriate.
* Act as a senior clinician within both ED and MHLT; provide advice, clinical support, supervision and senior review as needed.
* Develop risk management and admission plans for patients transferred from ED to ward.
* Maintain oversight of demand and acuity across the ED, managing patient flow proactively.
* Provide senior clinical support in managing challenging behaviour in the ED related to mental health/illness.
* Liaise with services inside and outside the organisation (including CMHTs, Police, Ambulance, Social Services, GPs, acute trust staff).
* Participate in teaching and training of ED and other staff within GSTT, in line with the Trust’s Mental Health Strategy.
Qualifications and experience
Essential: Registered Mental Health Nurse; evidence of continuing professional development; postgraduate/master’s level education.
Desirable: Registered General Adult/Learning Disabilities Nurse; formal training or education in physical health; evidence of advanced education related to Liaison Psychiatry.
Experience Essential: significant post-qualification experience in mental health services (inpatient and community); crisis mental health care experience; autonomous discharge decisions; experience with substance misuse; ability to signpost and discharge after risk assessment.
Desirable: experience of assessing and risk-managing violent self-harm; service development, Quality Improvement, leading change; leadership experience; band 6+ or band 7 in crisis or liaison psychiatry; experience teaching or delivering training.
Knowledge Essential: sound knowledge of risk assessment and risk management in mental health and acute care; knowledge of restrictive practice and interventions; ability to reduce restrictive practice.
Desirable: knowledge of brief psychological interventions in ED; knowledge of ED policies, national targets and frameworks; knowledge of Core24 models and RCPsych guidance.
Skills Essential: ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for ED patients.
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check: This post requires disclosure as per the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from skilled worker visa applicants are welcome; see UK Visas and Immigration guidance. UK salary and overseas checks guidance information is available in linked documents.
UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Employer details
Employer: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address: St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
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