A hospital service that supports patients experiencing mental health difficulties has been officially recognised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for delivering quality care with compassion, dignity, and respect.
The Mental Health Liaison Team based at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is jointly delivered with the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, the specialist NHS provider of mental health services in the region.
The skilled team provides round-the-clock support, including mental health assessments, advice and brief interventions to patients presenting at The QEH’s Emergency Department as well as inpatient areas and outpatient clinics.
Now their work has been accredited by the RCP’s Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN) and is the only service in Norfolk accredited for meeting core standards for psychiatric liaison services.
Liam Ashby, Lead Nurse for Mental Health at The QEH, said: “This is a wonderful achievement for the team and really demonstrates the high standard of care we deliver for our patients.”
Stephen Monsey-Cribb, Clinical Team Manager at NSFT, added: “This accreditation is important as it recognises the exceptional quality of care provided. I’m particularly proud that the assessors acknowledged the fantastic level of skill in the team, which enables them to work so well to support people’s needs with compassion, dignity and respect.”
The team went through a rigorous accreditation process which included a comprehensive peer-review, analysis of how the service is structured, the quality of staff training and the support available for families and carers.
PLAN assessors were impressed with the way in which the team engages with the family and carers of patients. They said: “Patient and carer feedback was very encouraging and highlighted many areas that staff excel at within the service, such as treating all with compassion, dignity and respect and providing information throughout each part of the referral.
“It is clear there is a fantastic amount of skill within the team across a range of specialisms such as occupational therapy, working with pain management, and delivering brief psychological interventions.”
PLAN was established in 2009 to support the quality improvement of psychiatric liaison teams in the UK and Ireland. Its Accreditation Committee is made up of mental health professionals, including nurses, psychiatrists and consultants, as well as service user representatives.
You can read more about the Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network by clicking here.
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