VONNE (Voluntary Organisations' Network North East)
Psychiatric Liaison Team Link Worker
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Contract Type: Fixed term
Role Type: Employment
Hours: Full time
Application deadline: Friday, July 31, 2026 - 11:59
Based: Sunderland
Salary: £32,073 Per Annum
Salary Type: Salary Scale
Location: Tyne and Wear
Role description: Project Support
Psychiatric Liaison Team Link Worker
Contract Type: Fixed term for one year
Contract Hours: 37.5 hours p/w
Salary: AfC Band 5 comparable (£32,073)
Application deadline: 31st July 2026
Sunderland Counselling Service (SCS) is seeking to appoint link workers to work alongside the Psychiatric Liaison Team and Primary Care Networks within Sunderland, in an exciting new project. The service will be set within a unique independent mental health charity, which is acknowledged for its contribution to the community by mental health professionals, health practitioners and local and regional voluntary and statutory agencies.
This new project will provide support to meet the needs of people with mental health problems in Sunderland who present at the Emergency Department at Sunderland Royal Hospital. The project will use a holistic, person-centred approach to collaboratively support people to manage emotional, social and environmental stressors within a recovery-based approach.
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The post holder will work with individuals identified by clinical staff within PLT or primary care, who will direct individuals to the link worker for additional, non-clinical support. Work may include direct emotional or practical support, signposting, providing self-help materials, a check-in system, identifying a suitable package of specific support and making any necessary onward referrals, while always being led by the individual themselves.
The post holder will work with frequent attenders to PLT through attending formulation sessions/MDT to identify any themes and to support implementation of any plans to prevent re-attendance at SRH.
This activity is envisaged as additional non-clinical emotional and practical support to wrap around existing mental health services, to support people while they are waiting for formal treatment, prevent deterioration, maximising treatment outcomes and supporting independence. It is NOT intended to operate as a crisis service or an alternative to crisis services, nor as a clinical intervention and would not take on care planning or case management functions which clearly must be provided by clinical staff.
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To allow flexibility and to respond to client need, services may be delivered from the PCN bases as well as SCS city base and other community venues in Sunderland such as the Mental Health Hubs. The post holder will be called upon to use a personal means of transport while engaged in the work of the service for which travel expenses will be available.
The post holder will be employed on a fixed term contract of one year which will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months. As this is a pilot project, continuing employment is subject to obtaining ongoing project-related funding.
If you have any questions about this role, please contact Alicia Harris (Senior Mental Health Link Worker) on 0191 514 7007.
A copy of the job description for this role can be found at https://www.sunderlandcounselling.org.uk/vacancies/, alongside details on how to apply. Please note applications for this post must be submitted to office@sunderlandcounselling.org.uk by 11.59pm on 31st July alongside a completed equal opportunity and diversity form. Applications after this time will not be considered.
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