Information for patients and carers

A psychiatric liaison team works within a general hospital and provides mental health assessment and treatment for people in A&E or on an in-patient ward. The liaison team work with a number of different people including:

• Older people who suffer from dementia or delirium.
• Individuals who have self-harmed and are being seen in A&E.
• People who have an existing mental health problem and are currently in hospital with a physical illness.
• Those who have been diagnosed with a physical illness and need some emotional support to adjust to this.

Liaison teams will vary from hospital-to-hospital and the roles they carry out will depend on what services the general hospital have asked them to provide.

What are my rights when seeing a liaison team?

When seeing a liaison professional for an assessment you have the right to:

• Be seen in a private area.
• Choose whether or not a relative, friend or advocate will accompany you for the assessment. You may wish for them to be included in your assessment or excluded (i.e. not at the assessment), it is your decision.   
• Be involved in decisions about your problems and any treatment being offered.
• Be provided with information about what has been discussed in your assessment.
• Be kept informed of your care plan and any on-going treatment available.

We all know the importance of keeping fit and looking after ourselves, but in reality this can be easier said than done.

There are strong links between mental and physical health and it is important that we look after both sides of our health.

There is an urgent need to strengthen both the provision of mental health care to people with physical illness and the quality of physical health care provided to people with mental health problems in general hospitals and primary care. This is why we believe there is "No Health without Mental Health"

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has complied a number of resources and information on various mental health problems.