Senior Mental Health Liaison Worker Older Adult Mental Health NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

The Mental Health Nurse Older Adults role involves managing a caseload and providing specialist support, guidance, and supervision to neighbourhood teams working with older people experiencing mental health difficulties.

The post holder will work closely with other mental health professionals, GPs, Primary Care Networks, and voluntary sector staff. The role focuses on promoting awareness and best practice in supporting older adults with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, as well as those with more severe conditions.

The successful candidate will encourage positive attitudes and a consistent approach to the assessment, treatment, and ongoing support of older adults with mental health needs.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will oversee a defined area of Neighbourhood Services and Primary Care Networks, ensuring effective support for older people experiencing mental health challenges.

The role requires close collaboration with existing services and the development of strong connections with relevant community resources. Experience in an Older Adults Community Mental Health setting is essential, as the position involves providing guidance and support to colleagues working with this patient group.

Key duties include participating in neighbourhood referral meetings and acting as a link between neighbourhood teams and specialist older adult mental health services, including the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), Integrated Care services, and the Diagnostic Memory Clinic.

The post holder will undertake assessments and interventions while offering structured advice and guidance to mental health professionals, GPs, and voluntary sector staff supporting older adults.

The role also involves promoting awareness and best practices for older adults experiencing mild, moderate, or severe mental health difficulties and encouraging a consistent approach to their assessment and treatment.

Key responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Screen referrals from GPs and other professionals for individual assessments and participate in daily referral meetings.
• Conduct mental health assessments for older adults who do not meet the criteria for support from the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).
• Act as a liaison between Primary Care Services, Adult Social Care (ASC), and Neighbourhood teams.
• Escalate cases to specialist older adult CMHT services, Integrated Care teams, or the Diagnostic Memory Clinic when another service is better suited to the patient’s needs.
• Ensure adult safeguarding concerns are identified, raised, and managed in line with ELFT and ASC policies and Section 42 of the Care Act.
• Work independently and exercise clinical judgement when assessing cases and determining appropriate clinical actions.
• Provide clinical advice regarding older adult patients and individuals with comorbidities.
• Offer guidance and support to neighbourhood teams on meeting the needs of older adults.
• Promote the appropriate use of the Mental Capacity Act, including assessments and documentation within care home settings.
• Provide advice and direct support using relevant case examples where required.
• Lead the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of interventions and treatments for individuals aged 18 and over experiencing mental health difficulties.
• Apply evidence-based practice consistently within a designated geographical area or according to service requirements.
• Assess individuals with complex needs and comorbidities associated with older age.
• Work with relevant professionals to identify individual needs and develop comprehensive treatment plans.

Education and qualifications

Essential criteria

Candidates must have:

• Registration as a Nurse or Allied Health Professional.
• Substantial post-registration experience in older adults’ mental health within community settings.

Desirable criteria

The following qualifications are desirable:

• Postgraduate diploma-level or equivalent training in a relevant area.
• Specialist short courses relating to dementia and/or older adult mental health.
• Student Educator Training.
• Non-medical prescribing qualification or currently working towards one.

Experience

Essential criteria

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Experience managing an autonomous caseload, including assessment, intervention planning, and evaluation.
• Experience assessing older adults with dementia and/or mental health conditions and planning appropriate interventions.
• Understanding of comorbidities that may affect mental health in older age.
• Experience contributing to a service improvement or quality improvement project.
• Experience delivering training, education, or presentations.
• Documented evidence of continuing professional development (CPD).
• Demonstrable experience receiving and engaging with clinical supervision.

Desirable criteria

• Experience supervising staff and/or students.

Knowledge and skills

Candidates should possess:

• The ability to work autonomously and manage a complex caseload with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a broad range of professionals.
• The ability to prioritise workload effectively.
• The ability to gather biopsychosocial information from different sources and independently make clinical judgements.
• The ability to develop care plans based on the analysis of available information.
• An understanding of biopsychosocial factors that affect the health and wellbeing of older people.
• Knowledge of legislation and policies relevant to older adult mental health and dementia.
• Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• An understanding of team dynamics and the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge of word-processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheet applications, and electronic record systems.

Quality improvement

Quality Improvement plays an important role in improving services and refining working practices. The organisation has developed a global reputation for its quality improvement work and provides staff with opportunities to learn, lead, and contribute to service improvement.

The Five Year Strategy, launched in April 2018, identified four strategic outcomes for improvement:

• Population health outcomes.
• Experience of care.
• Staff experience.
• Improved value.

This strategy complements the NHS Long Term Strategy and outlines the organisation’s direction and priorities.

Our community services

The organisation provides a broad range of community health and mental health inpatient services to children, young people, working-age adults, and older adults across:

• The City of London.
• Hackney.
• Newham.
• Tower Hamlets.
• Bedfordshire.
• Luton.

Forensic services are provided across the whole of North East London.

Services operate across both urban and rural settings. While some care is delivered through inpatient units, much of the work takes place within communities close to where people live. Integrated care remains central to making effective use of resources and delivering appropriate care.

Aiming high

East London NHS Foundation Trust has received its third consecutive Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission and became the first Community and Mental Health Trust to achieve this rating three times consecutively.

The Trust was also named among HSJ’s Top 10 best places to work in healthcare and was voted Provider Trust of the Year in 2018.

Staff and service users

The Trust aims to ensure that staff feel valued, recognising their important contribution to improving outcomes for patients and service users.

ELFT is a clinician-led Trust that provides clinical expertise across its services and places significant value on service user involvement. Candidates invited to an assessment centre or interview panel may meet a service user as part of the recruitment process.

Applications are particularly welcomed from people with lived experience of health difficulties and those with an understanding of the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles represented within the population served. These experiences can contribute to delivering a high standard of care.

Diversity and inclusion

ELFT is committed to maintaining a diverse organisation and workforce that reflects the communities and populations it serves.

The Trust recognises that colleagues with different backgrounds and life experiences contribute valuable perspectives and strengthen service outcomes. Through partnerships with organisations specialising in equality and diversity, ELFT works to maintain inclusive standards throughout recruitment and across the employee career journey.

The Trust supports accessibility, fair and inclusive practices, and staff networks that help support, nurture, and recognise employees in the workplace.

Flexible working and relocation support

As a flexible working-friendly organisation, the Trust recognises the importance of working arrangements that support both patients and employees.

Flexible working options may include:

• Job sharing.
• Part-time work.
• Other flexible working patterns.

Candidates can discuss possible arrangements with the Trust.

Under the current relocation scheme, the Trust may provide support of up to £8,000 towards removal and associated expenses. This support is subject to change, terms, and conditions.

Guidance on AI and job applications

Applicants who use AI or other tools to assist with writing their job applications should ensure that their supporting information reflects their own experience and understanding.

AI tools may assist with writing but may not fully understand the role and can generate inaccurate or misleading information. Applications written entirely using AI may appear generic and may not accurately demonstrate an applicant’s skills, knowledge, or experience.

Applicants are encouraged to write their supporting statements in their own words. East London NHS Foundation Trust does not recommend relying entirely on AI, as this may negatively affect the likelihood of success during the application process.

Applications are reviewed carefully to ensure fairness, and all references are verified. Candidates invited to interview will be asked about their experience and should ensure that all information provided in their application is accurate and honest.

Please note that the use of AI during an interview is not permitted.