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6 - The role of the nurse in liaison psychiatry

from Part I - Basic skills

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2009

By
Anthony Harrison
Edited by
Geoffrey Lloyd  and
Elspeth Guthrie
Geoffrey Lloyd
Affiliation:
Priory Hospital, London
Elspeth Guthrie
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Summary

Introduction

This chapter:

  • outlines the development of mental health liaison nursing

  • identifies the core skills and competencies required for effective practice within the liaison setting

  • outlines the role of the mental health liaison nurse

  • outlines the role of the mental health liaison nurse in the care and treatment of individuals with specific mental health needs in the general hospital.

The role of the nurse within liaison psychiatry developed significantly throughout the 1990s, with many health service trusts employing mental health nurses to practise within the general hospital. The nursing role is closely linked to that of doctors and psychologists practising in this area, and is primarily concerned with the provision of specialist mental health nursing assessment and intervention in the general hospital. Nurses working within liaison psychiatry use the skills of consultation, liaison and collaborative working, providing a service that transcends traditional professional, departmental and organizational boundaries. Mental health liaison nurses (MHLNs) can be seen as working at the interface between psychiatry and general hospital services. This chapter provides an overview of:

  • the development of mental health liaison nursing

  • core skills and competencies for MHLNs

  • the role of the MHLN in relation to self-harm and the care of people with physical illness.

The development of mental health liaison nursing

The term ‘liaison nursing’ within the general hospital context is not new, having been used in the United States throughout the 1960s and 1970s (Jones 1989; Roberts 1997).

Keywords

liaison psychiatrymental health liaison nursingnursephysial illnesssomatic complaints
Type
Chapter
Information
Handbook of Liaison Psychiatry , pp. 102 - 122
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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