Mental health liaison teams

We provide support for people aged over 17 with mental health needs who access A&E or who are inpatients on other wards within the hospitals.

People aged 17 to 64

We see anyone who has been admitted to or is within A&E, aged 17 to 64 years old, that is in need of mental health support, assessment or treatment.

We see patients for assessment of mood disorders, psychotic illness, cognitive impairment, risk assessment and discharge planning. We also  organise Mental Health Act assessments and transfer people to inpatient mental health services, if it is deemed necessary.

The service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is led by a consultant liaison psychiatrist or senior registrar on most days of the week, and is run overnight by senior mental health nurses.

People aged 65 and over

We see patients aged 65 and over who have been admitted to an acute hospital service and are presenting with an indication for mental health assessment.  

We see patients for assessment of mood disorders, psychotic illness, cognitive impairment, risk assessment and discharge planning. 

We work Monday to Saturday 8am – 6pm and are a nurse-led team with consultant input for two sessions a week.

Referrals are made internally within the hospital A&E department or from other wards within the hospital.

The team provides:

• Risk assessments
• Risk management
• One point of contact and access to the acute hospital
• Advice for patients who have more than one diagnosis
• Every referral in A&E to be seen within one hour and all hospital ward referrals to be seen within 24 hours (72 hours for people aged 65 and over)
• Early detection of mental health problems to facilitate rapid and appropriate intervention
• Continuity of care for people already known to mental health services
• Advice on medication/treatments
• Diagnosis of mental health patients
• Help with discharge planning, general advice and support
• Sign post to the adult treatment service, prenatal psychiatric care and HIV mental health.

We have a number of different specialists in our team, a consultant psychiatrist a senior registrar psychiatrist, junior doctors and a number of specialist mental health nurses.

If you require support or advice in the community, please follow the links below and see what help is available in Brighton, Hove and East Sussex.

Mental health

• Urgent help in a crisis
• Brighton and Hove Mind

Substance misuse

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Recovery Lighthouse
• NHS - getting help for drug addiction

Other support

• Rise - freedom from abuse and violence
• Brighton Housing Trust Mental Health and Wellbeing services
• Survivors' Network - supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse

Support for older people

• East Sussex Age UK 
• Alzheimer's Society