Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T10:29:10.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

28 - Developing liaison psychiatry services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Janet Butler
Affiliation:
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Department of Pyschological Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, UK
Melanie Temple
Affiliation:
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, County Durham ' Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, Darlington Memorial Hospital, Darlington, UK
Get access

Summary

Developing clinical services is challenging. This is especially the case for liaison psychiatry where, at the time of writing, there are no direct requirements for services to exist, knowledge about the functions of liaison psychiatry is generally limited among both managers and other clinicians, and service models vary significantly. However, there have been many successful developments. This chapter aims to give an outline of how such developments may be achieved.

The chapter is based on the expansion of an existing liaison psychiatry service in an acute hospital for adults over 18 years of age in England that takes referrals from all areas of the hospital. However, the principles should apply to services in other countries, covering other ages or service models and be applicable even if there are changes in specific drivers for service development. The chapter also applies to setting up a service from scratch, although this is generally harder unless there is already considerable local demand. It should also be valuable for those needing to defend the service against cuts, although in this case it would be especially important to identify local support and areas of resistance to, or concerns about, the service and to address these in a final report.

Summaries of relevant data and successful business cases are available on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website established to support liaison psychiatry service development (www.rcpsych.ac.uk/specialties/faculties/ liaison/members/servicedevelopment.aspx). In addition, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges document No Health without Mental Health (2009) provides the case on need and also gives specific illustrated examples of improved outcomes.

General principles of service development and stakeholder involvement

Service development is generally not a linear process and involves a series of discussions and repeated work over several years. However, for clarity, the principles will be described as if they are sequential.

The first task of service development involves engaging stakeholders by increasing their awareness and knowledge of what a liaison psychiatry service does, what clinical areas it addresses, what skills are needed in the team and how should it lead to clinical, financial or other benefits. It is important not to underestimate this work. Personal relationships and, if present, the reputation of your team's existing work are likely to be as crucial as more factual evidence in determining successful development.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×