Barnet Hospital Paediatric Liaison

The Paediatric Liaison team provides specialist mental health provision and consultation for young people and families who are inpatients or outpatients under the care of the paediatric and neonatal services at Barnet Hospital.

Focus is on improving identification, engagement and providing early, brief and some longer-term interventions to reduce the high levels of psychiatric morbidity in young people with long-term physical illnesses, life threatening medical conditions and in those with medical unexplained symptoms.

The team also provide support for staff and families in the case of child deaths, early parent work and support in neonatal units where babies have extreme prematurity or complex medical problems. Paediatric Liaison team runs parent groups on neonatal units and have a specific SLA for the Diabetes service, providing input within multidisciplinary clinics; meetings and one-to-one work with this client group.

The team provides induction and training for paediatrics around paediatric mental health topics, consultation to the paediatric and neonatal units around complex cases, and act as a liaison between CAMHS and the hospital.

The team regularly provides liaison input to enhance the safe care, assessment and follow up of young people with self-harm who present to A&E and the ward. We provide clinical presence and consultation at all three weekly psychosocial meetings on the ward and in A&E.