Swindon Primary Care Liaison

What do PCLS do?

Primary Care Liaison Service (PCLS) is an assessment service to help you get the mental health services and support you need. We are the single point of access for mental health services in Swindon, for adults aged 18 years and above.

Please note we are an assessment service. Although we may support you for a short time for assessment, we do not offer long term support.

PCLS cannot give you a prescription. Your GP will always prescribe your medication. We just advise your GP about any recommended medication changes.

How am I referred to PCLS?

Your GP will usually refer you. We also accept referrals from other health care professionals such as midwives or health visitors.

What will happen with my referral?

We will look at all the information we have been given and any historical information
we have about you. If needed, we will talk to you on the phone to check any details. This initial process is known as ‘triage’.

Our mental health nurses carry out the triage with advice from with our mental health doctors about any medication.

After triage, we will decide whether you need a face to face assessment or whether there are some treatments you could try before we see you, such as those offered by LIFT psychology.

If so, we will write to your GP with advice on what we think would be helpful. We would then ask you to meet with your GP to talk about our recommendations.

How to access LIFT psychology

LIFT psychology is a self-referral service.

If we recommend you working with LIFT, you would need to make an appointment via your GP surgery. For more information about LIFT psychology, please visit their website: https://iapt.awp.nhs.uk/lift-psychology-swindon

Although we work closely with LIFT, we are not the same service.

Face to face assessments

If we feel we need to see you face to face, we will contact you by phone. If you prefer, we can send you an appointment by post.

We can offer face to face assessments within 72 hours of triage.

If we feel your needs are more urgent, we will discuss your case with the Swindon Intensive Service (SIS). They can an offer an assessment within four hours.

We will always tell you if we feel the Swindon Intensive Service need to assess your needs.

What happens at an assessment?

A mental health nurse or trainee doctor will carry out your assessment. They will ask you questions about your mental health, your history and explore what treatments you have tried. The purpose is to work out where you could get the help you need.

You are welcome to bring someone with you.

How long is an assessment?

The assessment appointment will take no more than one hour. But you may need a few appointments. You may also need an appointment with our consultant psychiatrist. We will discuss these things with you.

After the assessment

We may advise you to go back to your GP to review your medication or how to access other primary care services which we feel would help you.

Or if we think you will benefit from another AWP service, we may refer you to one of the following:

Swindon Recovery Service
Swindon Intensive Service (SIS)
Early Interventions for Psychosis Team (EI)
Older Adults Community Mental health Team (CIT)
Swindon Memory Clinic

We will tell you which service we are referring you to and reasons why .

What happens if I am discharged?

If you are signposted back to your GP, we will always ask your GP to review your care and to contact us if they feel your symptoms have changed or have not improved after our recommendations.

What happens if my carer / family / friends want to talk to PCLS?

If your carers, family or friends are concerned about you, they are welcome to contact our service. However, we will be unable to share any information about your treatment with them, unless we have your consent.

Is there support for my family or carer?

Yes. If your family, friend or carer need support, we would encourage them to make contact with the Swindon Carers Centre, Swindon Advice and Support Centre, Sanford St, Swindon, SN1 1QH. Tel: 01793 531133