Child and Adolescent Mental Health Liaison Clinical Nurse Specialist
NHS AfC: Band 7
Main area Children & Young People Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week Job ref 309-UCLH-8324
Site University College London Hospitals Town London Salary £58,133 – £65,261 per annum inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 25/08/2026 23:59
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Job overview
We are pleased to offer the opportunity for a Band 7 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Liaison Nurse to join the Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine service. You will be joining a vibrant multidisciplinary team providing clinical care to children and young people in a paediatric liaison setting.
The Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine service was developed to provide multidisciplinary consultation, assessment and treatment for paediatric and adolescent patients with psychological, emotional, behavioural and mental health clinical needs within the University College London Hospitals (UCLH) paediatric and adolescent division. This includes assessment and management of acute mental health crises presenting to the Emergency Department, occurring on wards / Day Care and in out-patient clinics. The number and complexity of these presentations has increased significantly over the last decade. These posts will predominantly work with this clinical group as a priority, though there is scope to work outside acute crises with UCLH patients requiring mental health interventions.
Main duties of the job
UCLH Paediatrics have inpatient beds based on the 11th and 12th floors of University College Hospital providing general paediatric and adolescent care. Children and young people (CYP) in mental health crisis may be admitted to these wards. The department is also responsible for local and national referrals for specialist assessment and treatment of children and adolescents in both inpatient and outpatient settings. These services include adolescents with complex comorbid medical and mental health difficulties and the Children, Teenage & Young Adult Cancer Service; a national quaternary diabetes team; a rheumatology and gastroenterology team; and a national adolescent rehabilitation service working with Functional / Medically Unexplained Disorders, Chronic Fatigue and other BodyMind or complex conditions.
The department includes the UCLH paediatric emergency department (ED), providing care for children and young people with urgent physical and mental health difficulties. The central London location of UCLH and the hospital’s proximity to international transport hubs results in a diverse range of presentations.
Working for our organisation
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
- University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
- University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
- Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
- University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
- The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
- University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women’s health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Clinical supervision will be provided by the Lead Nurse for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at UCLH trust and there is the opportunity to form a peer continuing professional development group with Band 7/Band 8A nursing colleagues at the Whittington, Royal Free Hospital and the North Central London sector-wide crisis service for children and young people. You will be supported by our three highly experienced Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and broad MDT including psychology, psychotherapy, social care, activity coordinators, education, and paediatric colleagues.
Ms Michaela Lydon, Lead Nurse for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, UCLH
Dr Mike Groszmann MB BS, BSc, MRCPsych, Clinical Lead Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, UCLH
This post presents the following opportunities:
- Providing psychosocial assessment, case management and treatment to CYP presenting in mental health crisis to UCLH ED, admitted to the wards and/or referred urgently to the Child & Adolescent Psychological Medicine Team.
- Clinical work with young people and their families in a collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary environment providing a wide range of clinical interventions including risk assessment, individual therapy, family work and safety planning.
- Liaison and co-working with community services to deliver effective and timely care for CYP including community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Children’s Social Care, education, Bright Futures and UCLH specialist services such as the Lighthouse and Brandon Centre.
- Potential for development of an outpatient caseload of CYP with co-morbid medical and mental health difficulties such as medically unexplained symptoms, diabetes, rheumatological conditions, cancer diagnoses or allergies.
- Co-working cases, with the opportunity to clinically and/or professionally supervise, advise, and manage junior psychiatry trainees within the team.
- Development of the department’s existing close collaboration with the North Central London sector-wide crisis service for children and young people (NCL CAMHS OOHs Crisis Service) who provide in-reach to the paediatric departments across the sector.
- Development of a peer CPD group for Paediatric Liaison Mental Health nurses with the NCL CAMHS OOHs Crisis service and peers in similar posts at Whittington and Royal Free Hospital.
- Audit and data collection projects meeting department, trust and regional goals including submissions to the NCL and NHS-E Mental Health Service Dataset (MHSDS) and improvement of the clinical pathway and patient journey of young people through the emergency department.
- Joining trust and regional working groups dedicated to improving the care of young people and UCLH working practices including adolescent transition, UCLH Mental Health Operational Delivery & System Improvement Group, UCLH Mental Health Workforce Group and North Central London Children & Young People’s Mental Health Project board meetings.
- Providing teaching and training to paediatric colleagues and crisis services both within UCLH trust and regionally
- Organisation and delivery of staff support groups for paediatric nursing colleagues in general paediatrics, and teenage/young adult cancer services.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
* UCLH top trust to work at in England – In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff – To find out more, visit: Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Person specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
- a. NMC Registered Nurse with valid current registration.
- b. Relevant post graduate degree in behavioural treatment modality
- c. Masters level education or working towards a qualification related to child/ adolescent mental health.
- d. Hold non-medical prescribing qualification or working towards.
- e. Relevant post-graduate qualification in child and adolescent mental health.
- f. Qualification in other psychological therapy (systemic work/ CBT).
Experience
- a. Significant experience in CAMHS speciality at band 6 or above
- b. Evidence of leading a change management initiative which improved patient care
- c. Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of young people and adolescents across range of care settings
- d. Experience of independently managing own caseload and making independent decisions around treatment and discharge.
Values
- a. Demonstrate ability to meet Trust Values of safety, kindness, teamwork and improving
- b. Understands the importance of Trauma Informed Care and applies this to their work with adolescents
Communication
- b. Able to support, reassure and verbally deescalate patients/carers in distress
- c. Understands importance of maintaining confidentiality
Personal and People Development
- b. Experience of managing and sustaining change particularly in service development
- c. Experience of developing and implementing new policies and guidance
- e. Skilled in staff development and training
- f. Thorough understanding and knowledge of key indicators of excellent quality care
- g. Audit & research experience.
- h. Writing for publication.
Specific Requirements
- a. Articulates reasons for desire to work with young people with mental health needs
- b. Committed to providing safe, effective and timely patient-centred care in a trauma informed way
- c. Willingness to work with electronic patient records (EPR)
- d. Sound IT skills and ability to maintain and create existing spread sheets / databases.
- e. Ability to work 5 days per week (Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm)
At UCLH, we have a real ‘One Team’ ethos, and our values – safety, kindness, teamwork and improving, are central to the way we work. This is supported by our staff, who voted us as the #1 NHS Acute Trust to work for in the whole of England.
At UCLH we take equality of opportunity seriously and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer, with a culture that creates a real sense of belonging and trust. It is our fundamental aim, to recruit, retain and promote a diverse mix of people who are representative of our local communities. Applications are encouraged from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to support our world class research, innovation and creativity.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff and has a dedicated policy which allows staff to apply for flexible working right from the beginning of employment. For more information please go to: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/work-with-us/why-choose-uclh/flexible-working.
We offer our permanent staff an interest free season ticket loan for travel, all our staff have access to free independent and confidential support, large retail discounts, a staff discount platform, cycle to work scheme and on-site accommodation to name a few.
Additionally, UCLH Arts and Heritage’s staff wellbeing programme, Creative Comfort, offers a variety of ways to engage with the arts as a member of UCLH staff. You can try out the weekly choir, weekly art club and join the Culture Club for exclusive access to free and discounted tickets for opera, exhibitions, theatre and more.
We recognise, reward and thank colleagues by nominating them for our annual Celebrating Excellence Awards, which are funded by UCLH Charity.
We are also members of www.mytrustbenefits.co.uk/ which offers discounts on high street retail stores, offers on travel deals, and also to take advantage of cash back schemes.
You must already have the right to work in the United Kingdom or fully meet the eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. We welcome applications from candidates who require visa sponsorship; however, we can only consider these where all UKVI requirements are met. Before applying, please ensure that both you and the role satisfy the relevant UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) points‑based system criteria, as applications that do not meet these requirements cannot be progressed. For more information about the criteria, please click here
This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Ms Michaela Lydon Job title Lead Nurse for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Email address Michaela.lydon@nhs.net
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