Mental Health Liaison Service

The Mental Health Liaison Service  works with the Direct Assessment Unit staff and Emergency Department staff to provide specialist mental health assessment to patients presenting having self-harmed, used alcohol and drugs in a harmful hazardous way or who have mental health difficulties associated with old age.

The result is a more timely assessment and the availability of specialist expertise to support the treatment and management of patients with mental health problems.

By supporting ward teams, the service aims to enhance discharge planning and, by doing that, reduce the length of stay in medical hospital beds. Through early intervention and detection of delirium, depression and dementia, particularly experienced in old age, the team supports early recovery and discharge from hospital.

Referrals are taken from the Emergency Department and hospital wards centrally at Antrim Area Hospital, 24 hours a day.