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Care home liaison team
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About the service
The care homes liaison team – which includes nurses, a dietitian, and access to a consultant psychiatrist – provides assessment and support to people with mental health problems who are permanent residents in care homes in Calderdale.
We work with individuals as well as supporting care staff in the care of people experiencing mental health problems, though most work involves people experiencing dementia.
We work with colleagues in social services and with the QUEST team (a team providing support to care homes) in the assessment and care of people in care homes.
Why would someone choose the service?
- Care home staff have indicated that they receive a timely and supportive service from the team.
- Members of the team won an award at the Trust’s internal recognition scheme, Excellence, for an education session for care home staff.
- The team is easily accessible through the Calderdale single point of access.
- The team offers specialist dietetic advice and training.
Staff you may meet
- Dietitians use the science of food to help people to make good choices about food and lifestyle. Nutrition is an important part of recovery and wellbeing. All service users admitted to a Trust ward have their nutritional state assessed.
- There are more than 60 different specialities that doctors work within the NHS. Each is unique but there are many characteristics which are common. Roles range from working in a hospital to being based in the community as a GP.
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- We have a range of specialist advisors working in our Trust – they give advice on a wide range of different things, depending on what service they work in. So it could be, for example, mental health, stopping smoking, healthy eating or diabetes.
- We have a range of health workers who all have different specialities. This could be in a certain condition, a therapy or the advice they can give you. Our specialists our highly skilled and trained professionals, ready to offer you help and advice whenever you need it.
Why a professional should choose the service
- The team can contribute to the health and wellbeing of people experiencing mental health problems who live in care homes and help to prevent inappropriate admissions to hospital.
- All non-urgent referrals for assessment are seen within 14 calendar days. This meets the regional CQUIN Indicator 2
- Staff trained/educated in the care of people with dementia (for example dementia care mapping)
- Advanced dietetic practitioner specialising in dementia care
- Access to mental health services for people in care home settings
Support offered
- Assessment and development of treatment plans for people experiencing mental health problems.
- Helping staff in care homes to develop care plans and medication reviews.
- Nursing reports to support placements in appropriate care settings.
- Joint working with other healthcare professionals (e.g. local authority, local health service) on issues involving care homes.
- Informal teaching and education sessions as identified in some care homes.
- Placements for student nurses and dietitians.
Outcomes
- Ensuring appropriately managed care in the right setting.
- Prevention of avoidable hospital admission.
- Ensuring that service users are prescribed appropriate medicines.
- Increase care staff confidence through support and education.
- Improvement in physical and mental health through improved nutrition.
- Maintaining wellbeing in the experience of dementia.
Referrals accepted from:
AHPs, Carers/family, CMHTs, Consultants, GP staff, GPs, Hospital staff, Local authority staff, Other NHS services, Other Trust services, Single Point of Access team, Voluntary services
Referral criteria:
People must be a permanent resident in a care home in Calderdale and registered with a Calderdale GP to receive support from the service.