Placement Overview
| Placement Title | Greater Manchester Liaison and Diversion Service |
| Trust | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) |
| Your Placement Contact | Diane Wynn, Charlene Howarth, Lara Santolini – Send Email |
| Placement Contact’s Role |
Managers – Diane and Charlene PEl – Lara |
| Placement Address | Duty Base: Lance Burn Medical Practice, Churchill way, Salford, M6 5QX |
| Placement City/Town: | Across different locations as service covers whole GM footprint |
| Placement Phone | 0161 358 2497 |
| Your University Contact: | Caroline Morton- Send Email |
About this placement
Placement Locations
Placement is potentially Across different Locations as Service Covers whole GM Footprint
The service has staff based across 8 custody suites in Greater Manchester including:
Ashton-under-Lyne custody suite
Bolton custody suite
Cheadle Heath custody suite
Bury custody suite
Pendleton custody suite
North Manchester custody suite
Swinton custody suite
Wigan custody suite.
Staff are also based in courts across Greater Manchester including:
Magistrates court
Manchester and Salford magistrate’s court
Bolton magistrates court
Trafford magistrates court
Wigan and Leigh magistrate’s court
Tameside magistrates court
Crown Court
Minshull Street Crown Court
Crown Square Crown Court
Bolton Crown Court
The duty base is Lance Burn Medical Practice, Churchill way, Salford, M6 5QX
The service has staff based across 8 custody suites in Greater Manchester including:
- Ashton-under-Lyne custody suite
- Bolton custody suite
- Cheadle Heath custody suite
- Bury custody suite
- Pendleton custody suite
- North Manchester custody suite
- Swinton custody suite
- Wigan custody suite.
Staff are also based in courts across Greater Manchester including:
Magistrates court
- Manchester and Salford magistrates court
- Bolton magistrates court
- Trafford magistrates court
- Wigan and Leigh magistrates court
- Tameside magistrates court
Crown Court
- Minshull Street Crown Court
- Crown Square Crown Court
- Bolton Crown Court
What is organised for students on commencement of placement?
- Physical orientation to the work environment
- Introduction to staff members
- Health & Safety to ensure safe working practices
- Learner responsibilities and expectations discussed
- Discussion about their aims and objectives and any reasonable adjustments
What are the arrangements for mentors/assessors?
Learners are assigned to an assessor and supervisor(s) prior to commencing placement where possible. The Assessor or Supervisor will complete the initial interview during the first week where possible.
Learners will primarily work alongside multiple supervisors who will then provide feedback to the assessor.
The Assessor will meet with the student at mid-point and final-point to provide feedback on development.
What shift patterns are students allocated for learning?
Predominantly Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm with potential for Weekend covering Duty as service is 7 days a week with operational hours 07:00 – 19:00
What patient care situations are available in this placement?
Our Greater Manchester Integrated Healthcare Liaison and Diversion Service offer friendly and non-judgemental support for people with vulnerabilities who come in contact with the criminal justice system across Greater Manchester.
We offer support to people who may require extra help through the criminal justice process and help to access care and community services.
We can work with vulnerable people to provide information to the police, courts, probation, and youth justice services so that they know about any vulnerability they have.
We support people in custody, magistrates, and Crown Court to ensure anyone involved with the criminal justice system with vulnerability is appropriately supported and has their health and care needs met. This may include helping them to engage or re-engage with relevant services to tackle things such as mental health and wellbeing issues, housing, substance misuse and/or debt.
By helping people tackle the underlying causes of their offending behaviour, the likelihood of reoffending can be significantly reduced. This does not mean that someone will avoid appropriate sanctions but it does mean that the process is better informed and access to appropriate services and support for people with identified vulnerabilities is improved. We offer:
- Screening to identify wider vulnerabilities whilst someone is detained in police custody or courts
- Advice to custody and court staff on how to support an individual and their presenting needs throughout the criminal justice process
- Information gained from assessments with consent can be shared with relevant criminal justice agencies to enable key decision makers to make more informed decisions on diversion, charging, case management and sentencing.
- Liaison with other agencies which may be working with an individual already to advise them of current circumstances so that they can offer ongoing support (we ask permission before we do this)
- Signposting or referral to appropriate services which can support an individual with their presenting needs
We can also refer and help people to work with local support services and overcome problems with:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Substance misuse
- Employment, Education and Hobbies
- Finances/ Benefits
- Housing
- Gambling addiction
- Isolation
- Bereavement
What nursing model is used for planning care?
Liaison and Diversion are a Consent based service supporting individuals who find themselves involved in the Criminal Justice System.
In the custody suites, our health liaison and diversion facilitators offer Biopsychosocial screenings to individuals to assess for any potential wider vulnerability. Where needs are identified, service users are provided with and supported in access to appropriate services including, but not limited to, mental and physical health care, social care, substance misuse treatment and safeguarding.
Practitioners working within the Magistrates and Crown Court environment offer screening, assessment and referrals for individuals appearing before the court. The team will provide support and liaison about presenting needs, prepare written and verbal court reports for the court and aim to reduce adjournments by providing information early on in the proceedings.
The service communicates the needs of the service user to the court users to ensure that all relevant information is available to the decision makers and to inform sentencing when appropriate
What core clinical skills can be learnt?
- Identifying support needs via a collaborative discussion
- Providing useful information to vulnerable adults, signposting and referrals to help
- Liaising with any carers, family and professionals supporting vulnerable adults
- Sharing useful information to help decision-makers in the criminal justice process
- Supporting engagement with services identified as being able to meet needs
What additional clinical skills can be learnt?
- Therapeutic engagement skills
- Providing emotional Support
- Communication Skills
- 1:1 interview techniques
What resources are available to help students learning?
- Trust Library at Prestwich
- Debrief sessions
- MDT reflective discussions
- Resource files
- Skilled staff
- MDT learning
- Trust wide CPD training
- Learning hub
- Regular peer/ group supervision
What research and practice development activities are being undertaken?
- Liaison and Diversion Specification (NHS England)
- Lord Bradley Report
Spoke Placements
- Criminal Justice Liaison Teams
- Prison Mental Health Teams
Additional Information
Our service is here to support people who are brought to police custody who have vulnerabilities, including:
- mental health concerns
- learning disabilities
- alcohol or substance misuse
- housing issues
Risk: mindful of exposure to difficult situations as per people who come into contact with the police and courts – i.e sensitive, upsetting situations and intensive environments.
Practice education Facilitator: Lindsey Hodges
Contact details: lindsey.hodges@gmmh.nhs.uk