Fog of War:8 lessons

from the life of a liaison psychiatrist

(with apologies to Errol Morris)

How to get more of what you want and keep hold of the little you have…

Lesson 1.

Get with the

National Service Framework for Mental Health

Standard 3: any individual with a common mental health problem should be able to make contact around the clock with local services...

Lesson 2.

Find out who the real commissioners are …where’s the money?

North West London Strategic Health Authority

Westminster PCTBrent PCT

CNWL Mental Health NHS TrustSt Mary’s NHS Trust

Harrow PCT

Liaison Psychiatry at St Mary’s

Lesson 3.

It pays to

Lesson 4.

Get your patients on side...

Lesson 5.

Have all of those reports on the tip of your tongue...

• The Psychological Care of Medical Patients: Recognition of Need and Service Provision (1995) Royal College of Physicians & Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.

• The Psychological Care of Medical Patients: a practical guide (2003) Royal College of Physicians & Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.

• Report of the Working Party on the Psychological Care of Surgical Patients (1997) Royal College of Surgeons, London

• The General Hospital Management of Adult Deliberate Self-harm: A consensus statement on standards of service provision (1994). Royal College of Psychiatrists, London

• Self-harm: The short-term physical and psychological management and secondary prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care. NICE guideline

• Improving the management of patients with mental ill health in emergency care settings (2004) DoH checklist

Health services research

Cost-effectiveness studies

...are they worthwhile?

Lesson 6.

a little bit of teachingcan do you a lot of good...

Lesson 7.

Go forth and multiply…….

Lesson 8.

By any means necessary….

Serious

Untoward

Incident