Chapter 20 - Interface between Liaison Psychiatry Services for Older People and Wider Community Services

Summary

Liaison psychiatry services for older people (LPOP) is a challenging medical specialty, which requires communication with general medical practitioners, psychiatric services for older adults, including in-patient psychiatry, approved mental health professionals (AMHP), crisis teams, and community services for older adults. Familiarity with wider community services for older people, charity organisations, and voluntary services helps to improve the network system of LPOP, and this reflects positively on patients’ care and support. The branch of LPOP commonly deals with the change of patient care in the transition from acute and in-patient care to the community and vice versa. The frequent turnover of patients, comorbidities, legal complexities, safeguarding, and capacity issues necessitate awareness of the various medical and psychosocial issues of the patient population encountered in LPOP. In this chapter we outline the likely services available outside the hospital and the services (e.g. electroconvulsive therapy, ECT) that could be offered to both in-patients and outpatient; then we go on to explore communication and systems that should ensure optimal outcomes throughout the diverse stages of the patient care.