Mental Health Liaison Nurse

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We are pleased to be recruiting three Mental Health Liaison Nurses to join our expanding Crisis Assessment Unit (CAU), working alongside the Core 24 Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT) at St Thomas’ Hospital. This growth reflects increasing demand for high‑quality mental health care in A&E and across the acute hospital, as well as the significant service improvements achieved over the past six months.

We are seeking adaptable, motivated nurses who enjoy working in a fast‑paced environment and who are keen to be part of further service development. The role offers a valuable opportunity to gain and enhance skills in liaison psychiatry, crisis assessment, and the mental–physical health interface.

As a Mental Health Liaison Nurse, you will be an advocate for mental health within the hospital, supporting colleagues in managing patients presenting with complex needs and working closely with specialist services including Older Adults, Perinatal Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry. Out‑of‑hours work includes assessments for these pathways. The team operates 24/7, and applicants must be able to work a full shift pattern including nights and weekends.

If you are passionate about improving emergency mental health care and want to contribute to the development of a modern, responsive liaison service, we welcome your application.

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St Thomas’ Hospital is a major London teaching hospital within Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s Health Partners. The Crisis Assessment Unit (CAU) is a dedicated, therapeutic space within the Emergency Department for people experiencing an acute mental health crisis. It forms a key part of the hospital’s emergency pathway and works closely with the Core 24 Mental Health Liaison Team.

Within CAU, Mental Health Liaison Nurses complete specialist biopsychosocial assessments, develop person‑centred risk management and care plans, and work collaboratively with ED staff, acute medical teams and partner agencies to ensure safe, timely and effective patient care. The role includes coordinating patient flow through the mental health pathway and acting as nurse in charge, ensuring the safe running of the unit and maintaining high clinical standards.

The post holder will support holistic care planning with patients, families and carers; advocate for mental health across the hospital; and provide timely advice to colleagues managing complex presentations. Strong knowledge of the mental–physical health interface and experience supporting individuals affected by substance or alcohol misuse are essential.

Working for our organisation

South London & Maudsley are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It’s important to us that you valued and appreciated and that's why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars.
• Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites
• NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants

We look forward to receiving your application.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Mental Health Liaison Nurses working within CAU play a central role in the assessment, care and flow of patients presenting to the acute hospital with mental health needs. The post holder will:

• Deliver specialist biopsychosocial assessments for adults in crisis, developing robust, person‑centred formulations and evidence‑based risk management and care plans.

• Lead and coordinate the clinical activity within CAU, acting as the nurse in charge on shift. This includes ensuring safe day‑to‑day operation of the unit, overseeing patient flow, and maintaining adherence to quality and safety standards.

• Support efficient patient movement through the emergency pathway, working closely with acute hospital colleagues to prevent delays, avoid unnecessary admissions, and ensure mental health presentations are managed in a timely and clinically appropriate manner.

• Work collaboratively with ED teams, medical wards, partner agencies and community services to develop holistic plans of care alongside patients, their families, carers, or friends—ensuring continuity, safety and a positive patient experience.

• Advocate for mental health within the acute hospital, providing clinical advice, education and support to colleagues caring for patients with complex mental, physical, and social needs.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.

Welcome to your candidate journey.
Our Candidate Recruitment Information Pack is designed to help you learn more about our Trust, understand the recruitment process, and prepare a strong application. We encourage you to explore the pack and use the guidance, tips and resources available to help you feel informed, confident, and ready to showcase your best self:Recruitment Toolkit - Customer Success Test

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Person Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’.