Sunderland Psychiatric Liaison Service – personalised patient information

The Psychiatric Liaison Team provides assessment of mental health, and treatment of any mental health problems, to people attending a general hospital.

Although we are employed by the mental health trust and not the general hospital, we work very closely with the general hospital team.

We are mental health professionals: specialist medical doctors (called ‘psychiatrists’), registered mental health nurses, clinical psychologists, other specialist mental health professionals, and administrative staff.

We are a 24 hour service based at Sunderland Royal Hospital. The hospitals we cover are:

• Sunderland Royal Hospital
• Sunderland Eye Infirmary
• ICAR (Intermediate Care and Rehabilitation – Houghton le Spring)
• St Benedict’s Hospice

We have been asked to see you by your general hospital team, who remain the team responsible for your overall care.

• Take part in your assessment, so that we can agree with you what needs you may have and how we might help them be met.
• Give permission to us to speak to others (for example, your family).
• Give permission for us to share information with others concerned with your care.

People who know you well, such as your family, can always speak to us; we will listen to them but will not normally share any information with them about you without your consent.

If you require an interpreter, please let your referrer know so that one can be arranged for you.

When you are seen we will always try to do the utmost possible to respect your privacy and dignity

• You can be seen in a private area, if one is available.
• You can choose whether or not a relative, friend or advocate accompanies you.
• We will encourage you to be involved in decisions about any treatment offered.

We will usually only see you if you have given your explicit consent. Similarly, you are free to opt out of seeing us at any time.

Anything you say is treated in strictest confidence and will only be shared with other members of the team and with other people involved in your health care, such as your GP.

Members of the team work within professional Codes of Conduct and follow NHS Policies that ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.

The only exception to this would be if the Team believed that there was a significant risk you would seriously harm yourself or others, or information was obtained about possible harm to vulnerable people such as children.

If you have any concerns at all about confidentiality please speak to any member of the team.

• An appointment to see us again, in the near future.
• Information and a choice of possible interventions by agencies that will be able to support any plan agreed with you.

• The plan is written in this leaflet; this may be called a care plan when it is in your medical notes.
• Relevant information you gave to the psychiatric liaison staff will be given to the hospital team looking after you.
• You have the right to receive copies of any letters written to your GP.

Our postal address is: Sunderland Psychiatric Liaison Team, B floor, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Kayll Road, Sunderland, SR4 7TP.

Our telephone number is: 0191 541 0145.

• Contributors to safety plan:
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• Triggers/warning signs of a crisis
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• Individual coping strategies
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• Connecting with friends and family
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• Social prescribing options/peer networks
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• Professional/emergency supports
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• Reducing access to means/ making your environment safer
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• PLT Discharge Plan
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• Initial Response Service/Crisis Team (all ages crisis team) – 0800 652 2867
• Together in a Crisis (crisis support) – 0300 131 0333
• Sunderland Psychological Wellbeing Service – 0191 566 5450
• WEAR Recovery (Change, Grow, Live: drug and alcohol support) – 0800 234 6798
• Wearside Women in Need (domestic abuse support) – 0800 066 5555
• Shout! (crisis text service) – TEXT 85258
• Andy’s Man Club (mens’ mental health)  – www.andysmanclub.co.uk
• Sexual Assault Referral Centre (24 hour support for 16+) – 0330 223 0099
• Samaritans – 116 123
• Saneline (out of hours mental health helpline, 7 days a week, 4.30pm to 10.30pm) – 0300 304 7000
• MindOut (LGBTQ) – www.mindout.org.uk
• Switchboard (LGBT+ helpline) – 0300 330 0630
• Sunderland Council – 0191 520 5555
• Citizens Advice – 0800 144 8848
• Cruise (Bereavement Support): 0808 808 1677
• Sunderland Carers Centre – 0191 549 3768
• If You Care, Share (suicide bereavement support) – 0191 387 5661
• Age UK – 0191 514 1131
• Alzheimer’s Society – 07585 381 336
• BASIS Sunderland (Homeless Drop In) – 0191 567 0033
• Combat Stress (veterans) – 0800 138 1619
• Autism in Mind – 0191 570 0047

• Calm Harm – free app – age 12+
  App that helps to resist or manage the urge to self-harm. You can choose a range of activities to help manage the urge to self-harm.
• Feeling Good – offers in app purchases – age 12+
  Adapted from mind coaching used in Olympic sports to develop and guide your vision of a better future.
• Thrive – free app – age 12+
  Build resilience to stress, anxiety and depression.
• Stay Alive – free app – all ages
  This app is full of useful information to help you stay safe. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else.
• Virtual Hope Box – free app – all ages
  Simple tools for helping with coping, relaxation, distraction and positive thinking.
• Smiling Minds – free app – all ages
  Free mindfulness and meditation app for guided meditation.
• SAM – self-help app for the mind – free app – age 12+
  Provides a range of self-help techniques organised into several main wellbeing themes.
• Worry Tree – offers in app purchases – all ages
  This app helps you to record manage and problem solve your worries and anxiety based on cognitive behaviour therapy techniques.
• Daylio – offers in app purchases – all ages
  Self care journal with goal mood and happiness tracker, enables you to keep a private diary without having to type a single line.
• Kooth – website only aimed at young people
  www.kooth.com – A confidential emotional wellbeing platform for young people.
• Family Lives – website only
  www.familylives.org.uk – Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families.
• Clear Fear – Free App – Ages 11-19
  Provides a range of ways to manage anxiety.
• Head Space – Free App – All ages
  Learn meditation skills to help reduce stress and improve sleep.

There is a range of patient and carer information on the Trust’s website:

Self Help Guides – www.cntw.nhs.uk/selfhelp
23 guides written by NHS clinical psychologists with contributions from service users and healthcare staff. Titles cover Depression and Low Mood, Stress, Controlling Anger, Panic, Sleeping Problems, Anxiety and many more.

Mental Health Act – www.cntw.nhs.uk/resource-library
A series of Mental Health Act information leaflets in 28 languages.

Resources Search – www.cntw.nhs.uk/resource-library
Search our resources library for self-help guides, patient information, mental health and wellbeing guidance and other literature that you may find useful.

Medication – www.choiceandmedication.org/cntw
A range of patient information leaflets which provide information about medicines, side-effects and how to manage them.

A Medicines Helpline for CNTW service users and carers is available on 0191 245 6604 or by email at [email protected] (available 9am to 5pm)

If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can:

• talk to the people directly involved in your care
• ask a member of staff for a feedback form, or complete a form on the Trust website
• telephone the Complaints Department on 0191 245 6672
• email [email protected]. Please note that information sent to the Trust via email is sent at your own risk

We are always looking at ways to improve services. Your feedback allows us to monitor the quality of our services and act upon issues that you bring to our attention. You can provide feedback in the following ways:

• the quickest way for you to do this is to complete our short online survey at www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourvoice
• complete a Your Voice survey, available on wards, reception areas or from staff
• other options for sharing your feedback and experience www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourfeedback

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns that you may have about any aspect of your or your loved ones care.

We act independently when handling patient and family concerns, liaising with staff, managers and, where appropriate, relevant organisations, to negotiate prompt solutions. If necessary, we can also refer patients and families to specific local or national-based support agencies.

North of Tyne
Telephone: 0800 032 0202
Email: [email protected]

Post: FREEPOST PALS
South of Tyne
Telephone: 0800 328 4397
Text: 07825 061 035
Email: [email protected]

Post: Patient Advice and Liaison Service, Garden Lodge, Hopewood Park, Ryhope, Sunderland, SR2 0NB

9am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday

An answerphone is available at all times for you to leave a message. A member of the PALS team will aim to return your call as soon as possible.

Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.

This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (Braille, audio, larger print, easy read, BSL or other languages). Please contact the Patient Information Centre by telephone on 0191 246 7288.

Published by the Patient Information Centre
2024 Copyright, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Ref: PIC/748/0824 August 2024 V9

Website www.cntw.nhs.uk
Telephone 0191 246 7288

Review date 2025