Who Cares Wins - Royal College of Psychiatrists

15. Need to collaborate with mental health services to provide patient information systems to support
activity monitoring and audit.
16. Should consider including an older peoples mental health liaison lead in the appropriate
management forum, in order to encourage a coordinated response to identified needs, targets and
priorities.
Mental Health Services:
17. Need to ensure that the development of liaison mental health services for older people in acute
hospitals is clearly identified as a priority in business planning.
18. Should identify a consultant psychiatrist with responsibility for liaison mental health services for older
people with dedicated time to fulfil these duties written into their job plan.
19. Should identify a lead clinician for older peoples mental health liaison services with committed time
necessary to fulfil this responsibility included in the job plan.
20. Should ensure that the lead clinician takes a key active role in developing a strategy for the
provision of liaison mental health services for older people.
21. Need to move from consultation to liaison adopting one of the models described that best meet the
needs of the local population and services.
22. Must retain the principle that good mental health for older people is based in multidisciplinary team
working, which should be the aim for liaison mental health services for older people.
23. Must recognise that general hospital mental health is a specialised field and this should be reflected
in management structures.
24. Must ensure that all mental health professionals with liaison responsibilities receive proper induction,
clinical supervision and opportunities for personal development with access to relevant training.
25. Must ensure that time for education and training of general hospital staff is built into the description
of service and job plans.
26. Must collaborate with acute hospital trusts to provide patient information systems that support
activity monitoring and audit.
27. Need to work with acute hospitals to maximise the contribution that mental health interventions
make to achieving access and capacity targets.
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