Liaison Mental Health Care – BSc

The overall aim of the course is to provide an inter-professional course which develops and/or enhances the knowledge and skills of those working or planning to work in the field of Liaison Health Care.

Course content includes:

• severe mental illness
• self-harm & suicide
• violence & aggression
• mental health care in relation to older adults
• mental health care in relation to the child & adolescent
• mental health care in relation to the antenatal & postnatal care
• mental health & physical illness
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• mental health in relation to substance misuse.

Who is it for?

This course is designed for third-year students who have had a placement in A&E, those working in practice in mental health or allied services, registered nurses working or planning to work in Psychiatric Liaison Services and/or any community service involved in extensive multi-agency working.

Timetable

Term 1

Sep: Thursday 29 September 2022
Oct: Thursday 13 and 27 October 2022
Nov: Thursday 10 and 24 November 2022
Dec: Thursday 8 December 2022 

Case Presentations (Day 1) - Thursday 12 January 2023
Case Presentations (Day 1) - Friday 13 January 2023

Essay Work - Thursday 19 January 2023

Benefits

The course is worth 15 credits and can be taken as part of the MSc Adult Mental Health (Advanced Practice in Health and Social Care) and as part of the MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Advanced Practice in Health and Social Care).

Content outline

• models of liaison care and team working
• introduction to literature critique
• current practice & care of the client with severe mental illness
• risk assessment & management of self-harm & suicide
• risk assessment & management of violence & aggression
• liaison mental health care in relation to older adults, the child & adolescent, antenatal & postnatal care, physical illness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and substance misuse
• legislation and liaison mental health care including capacity and consent
• evaluating liaison mental health care.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Identify and critically appraise legislation & mental health policy relevant to liaison mental health practice, evaluating the implications for service development and delivery.
• Have an awareness of how the liaison mental health work is systematically audited, including seeking service users’ and carers’ views.

Skills:

• Critically appraise research relevant to liaison mental health care, identifying best practice and the implications for the development of liaison mental health services.
• Demonstrate how to deliver effective needs assessment, including using assessment scales where appropriate.
• Manage liaison mental health care input, drawing on a comprehensive appraisal of the underlying theoretical knowledge base of liaison mental health care.
• Demonstrate the knowledge and ability to carry out a full risk assessment and develop a systematic risk-management plan.
• Identify service improvement based upon critical analysis of audit data, synthesising these findings with a critical analysis of the developing agenda and research regarding liaison mental health care provision and make recommendations for change.

Values and attitudes:

• Undertake liaison and consultation with both mental health and non-mental-health professionals, promoting mental health care within non-mental-health settings and supporting professionals to address inequality in service provision and development for those with mental health needs within primary and secondary care.

Teaching

The lectures are delivered by practicing clinicians in Liaison Mental Health Care.

Assessment

The assessment for this course comprises a 3000 word essay.

This assessment provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of liaison mental health care. Using a case study, participants will provide a critical analysis and synthesis of the relevant literature in relation to the client’s presenting problem and the process of liaison mental health care.

If you do not currently work in Liaison Mental Health Care, you can:

1. consider a previous client from a time when you did work in liaison
2. consider a client in your current care who has had interaction with multiple agencies (for example, a client who, in addition to receiving mental health services, is involved with social services and/or housing services, police/probation services and/or has attended ED and seen a Liaison Team when in crisis.

Course requirements include:

• having had a placement in A&E
• working or planning to work in Psychiatric Liaison Services and/or any community service involved in extensive multi-agency working
• working in practice in mental health or allied services.

Entry requirements:

Third-year undergraduate / professional training entry for MSc.

Non-EEA students can only apply as part of a programme, not as a stand-alone course.

English requirements

If your first language is not English, one of the following is required:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America.
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

Department of Health (2012) Suicide prevention strategy for England. London: Department of Health.

Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (2012) Guidance for Commissioners of Liaison Mental Health services to Acute Hospitals JCPMH.

Parsonage, M., Fossey, M. & Tutty, C. (2012) Liaison Psychaitry in the Modern NHS London, Centre for Mental Health