Older Persons Mental Health Liaison Service.
7 day a week service from 9-5pm with Three full - time nurses and x 2 part – time
psychiatrists. The service will see any patient aged 65 and over who is being
assessed and treated by the Emergency Department, or any inpatient age 65 and
over in Queen Alexandra Hospital, regardless of their home address. Patients aged
65 or above identified as having an unmet mental health need will be referred using
the standard referral form to a single fax number in Queen Alexandra Hospital. In
addition, for urgent referrals, the team can be phoned or bleeped.
Initial assessment and screening will be performed by a nursing member of the team.
All patients will be discussed with a consultant psychiatrist at regular supervision
meetings, and where necessary, a psychiatrist will review complex patients. An entry
will be made into the medical notes, and a full assessment will be recorded in the
mental health electronic record (RiO). Where necessary, patients will be followed up
on the ward by the OPMH liaison team until either they discharge the patient from
their care, or the patient is discharged from hospital.
The referral process is as follows:
 Standard referral form correctly and fully completed and sent
to OPMH Liaison team
 Where referral is urgent, team to be phoned or bleeped in
addition to referral form being sent
 Patients must be aged 65 or over (exceptions – see next
bullet point) and must have a mental health need
 Occasional patients under age 65 may be referred where
early-onset dementia is suspected
 Referrals will be accepted from the Emergency Department
and from any inpatient ward in Queen Alexandra Hospital
 Patients presenting with self-harm, who do not have
cognitive impairment, will be seen by the Mental Health
Liaison Team anywhere in the hospital
 Patients presenting in ED with purely functional mental
health problems will be seen by the Mental Health Liaison
team
PHONE NUMBERS:
02392286670 after 5pm this will go to Answer machine
FAX 02392286591
FOR URGENT REFERRALS OUTSIDE OF OPMH LIAISON HOURS PLEASE
TELEPHONE THE ON-CALL PSYCHIATRIST VIA
St James Hospital 02392894409