National accreditation awarded to NSFT and QEH psychiatry service | News and events

A service supporting patients experiencing mental health difficulties has been accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the quality of care they provide patients.  

The mental health liaison team, provided by the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), has been awarded accreditation for its commitment to meeting core standards for liaison psychiatry services, set out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN).

The team, based at QEH, is available 24/7 and provides clinical mental health assessments, advice and brief interventions to the Emergency Department, inpatient areas and outpatient clinics at the Trust. This mental health liaison team is part of the wider QEH Liaison Service including Change, Grow, Live (substance misuse) and Learning Difficulties.

NSFT works as the specialist provider of mental health services in West Norfolk.

The team had to go through a rigorous accreditation process which included a comprehensive peer-review. They also had to gather evidence which looked at all aspects of the service, from service provision and structure to staff training and support for families and carers.

The PLAN assessors were particularly impressed with the way in which the team engaged individuals and their family and carers in each step of the process. They said: “Patient and carer feedback was very encouraging and highlighted many areas that staff excel at within the service, such as treating all with compassion, dignity and respect and providing information throughout each part of the referral.”

The assessors added: “It is clear there is a fantastic amount of skill within the team across a range of specialisms such as occupational therapy, working with pain management, and delivering brief psychological interventions.”

The Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network was established in 2009 to support the quality improvement of psychiatric liaison teams in the UK and Ireland.

The Accreditation Committee is made up of mental health professionals, including mental health nurses, psychiatrists and consultants, as well as service user representatives.

Stephen Monsey-Cribb, Clinical Team Manager at NSFT, added: “This accreditation is important as it recognises the exceptional quality of care provided to our service users. I’m particularly proud that the assessors acknowledged the fantastic level of skill in the team, which enable them to work so well to support service users needs with compassion, dignity and respect.”

Liam Ashby, Lead Nurse for Mental Health at The QEH, said: “This is a wonderful achievement for the team and really demonstrates the high standard of care we deliver for our patients.”

You can read more about the Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network by clicking here.