"We help patients from all different walks of life get well, go home and stay well."
Diana Shaw is a Health Care Assistant working for GMMH’s Mental Health Liaison Service in Bolton. The Mental Health Liaison Service is an age-less service based in The Royal Bolton Hospital. The team assess patients who present with concerns about their mental health. They support patients within the hospital, this includes A&E and medical wards. In this blog Diana reflects on her role with Bolton’s urgent care mental health service.
“Sometimes your career chooses you. I never intended working in mental health on the acute side. I always wanted to work with learning disabilities but thought that to be able to do a job to a high standard and deliver the best care it would benefit me to gain experience in mental health. I applied for a job on the female acute ward and have to say it was the hardest but most rewarding job I have ever had. Yes, days were hard, but I enjoyed every shift. The idea of giving the right support to patients and their families that then enables them to get well, stay well and enjoy their life – it’s an amazing feeling!
My role
“My day can vary because in Bolton we work as a team and like to help and support the unit. If the wards are short, then staff will go and support the staff on the ward and we assist patients from A&E to the urgent care centre as it’s a more calming and relaxing atmosphere. We do daily reviews on patients on the general side making sure that their care needs are being met and that they don’t need any additional support. If they do, we spend one to one time with them and support in any way we can.”
“The teams I have had the pleasure of working with are one of the most important things to me. We help patients from all different walks of life get well, go home and stay well.
My advice to others considering a career in this field
“Think about what role you want and what you can bring to that role – what direction you want to head in in the way of learning and furthering your career.
“The idea of being able to change your career path is fantastic and the teams support staff when or if they decide to further their career and choose nursing or change direction.”
