New animation aims to encourage mental health professionals to join an important and emerging area of healthcare in Oldham

Across Greater Manchester, liaison mental health services are helping people with their mental health and psychological needs whilst they are staying in hospital.

Now, a new animation film featuring five liaison mental health practitioners who each describe the important and vital role they play, hopes to encourage more people into these key roles based at hospitals in Oldham, Stockport, Bury, Tameside, Trafford, Bolton, Salford and the city of Manchester.

As two of the main mental health providers within Greater Manchester, Pennine Care and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trusts are recruiting for a range of healthcare professionals to join the liaison mental health team.

24/7 liaison services provide responsive mental health care in acute hospital and A&E settings to provide psychiatric assessment and treatment to those patients experiencing a wide range of mental health problems including; depression, anxiety, psychosis, dementia and delirium.

Liaison mental health manager Marc Donnellan from Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) shares the important role liaison mental health teams make.

He said: “Hospital can be difficult. Especially for patients with mental-health problems.

"Often everybody knows a bit of their story, but no one really knows them.

"It’s part of my job to know them, to advocate and translate jargon.”

Aliza Raja, senior liaison mental health practitioner at Pennine Care, describes the supportive culture of the liaison mental health teams.

She said: “There are really good benefits and a lot of support.

"It’s our culture here, to be like a family, so you should never feel like you’re out there alone.”

Both Pennine Care and GMMH are looking for dynamic, multi-skilled healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists, social workers and mental health nurses, with some experience of working in mental health and a relevant qualification.

Warren Heppolette, executive lead for strategy and system development at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We’re working together across Greater Manchester to make sure that people have access to a swift and compassionate assessment of their mental health needs when they come into A&E or an inpatient ward.

“Providing mental health care is vital and we need our mental health workforce now more than ever.

"The mental health sector is rapidly expanding and we are looking for more dedicated and talented people.”

You can watch the full animation film and find out more about careers in liaison mental health here

You can also search for current available vacancies at Pennine Care and Greater Manchester Mental Health.

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