9 Child and adolescent psychiatry9.3 Principles of service provision
9.3.3 Liaison with paediatric and medical teams
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
What liaison is for
Paediatric mental health liaison brings psychiatric assessment and treatment into the care of children who have a physical illness, an acute presentation, or physical and psychological needs that affect each other.
Joint working lets the teams consider physical and psychiatric explanations together. Psychological care does not have to wait until every investigation is finished.
Presentation | What the teams do together |
|---|---|
Self-poisoning or injury | Coordinate physical treatment, psychosocial assessment and discharge planning |
Chronic illness | Address distress, adjustment and barriers to treatment alongside medical control |
New behavioural or cognitive change | Look for delirium, neurological illness and effects of medicines |
Eating disorder | Combine physical-risk assessment, nutrition and mental health care |
Persistent physical symptoms | Agree a positive explanation and proportionate investigations |
Who does what
The referral question states the clinical concern, how urgent it is, the relevant medical findings and what the referring team needs help deciding.
The paediatric team keeps responsibility for physical assessment and treatment. The psychiatric team says what it will contribute and how it will follow up.
Medication decisions take account of the physical illness, drug interactions and monitoring, and agree which clinician will prescribe.
A shared formulation includes the child's development, family relationships, school and the child's own understanding.
Communication and discharge
Clinicians may hold different working ideas about what is going on. A consistent explanation reduces confusion, but do not claim more certainty than you have.
Consider consent, competence and confidentiality for the specific decision, taking account of the child's age and the jurisdiction.
The discharge plan names the team responsible for ongoing care, pending results, safety arrangements and communication with primary care and school where appropriate.
If disagreement or split responsibility is delaying care, arrange a joint review rather than repeatedly referring the child between teams.