Mental Health Review As Profession Faces Change
The Department of Health in England is to carry out a major review of mental health nursing in England. The MHNA along with UNISON and the RCN will be advising the chief nursing officer Chris Beasley on priorities.
The review was announced last month by Ms Beasley. It will be carried out in the context of major government reforms such as ‘Choosing Health’, ‘Delivering Race Equality’ and the draft mental health bill.
Brian Rogers, professional officer for the MHNA commented: ‘Doing the review now is really good timing because mental health nursing is in a position where it is facing changes that it hasn’t touched before.’
Ms Beasley said: ‘Mental health nurses play a vital role in the NHS. It’s extremely important that the profession is supported and has a clear direction and sense of its future role. This is why we are working closely with mental health staff and service users to develop a new strategic framework for the profession as it moves into a new era of mental health care.
The context in which mental health nurses work has changed in recent years as a result of government reforms, lessons from serious incidents and the new professional roles that have grown across the health and social care system.
The time is right to take stock of what these mean for the profession and to provide mental health nurses with a new direction and clear future role in order to deliver government reforms such as the mental health bill, personalised care and choice.
‘As mental health nursing improves, service users will see the benefits.’
Professor Louis Appleby, National Director of Mental Health, said:
‘Mental health nursing is an essential component in our plans to continue to improve mental health services. The CNO Review will provide an excellent opportunity to look at how nursing can best contribute in the context of changing roles and developing priorities.
‘I am very keen that mental health nurses are able to make the most of any opportunities available to develop their roles and improve outcomes for service users.’
The Review will consider how mental health nurses can best contribute to priorities such as delivering race equality, health promotion, child protection and nonmedical prescribing. The review will report by the end of the year.
Dr Neil Brimblecombe, Director of Mental Health Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) will be coordinating the Review process.
The consultation will include: running open forums, having direct meetings with key organisations and a consultation document asking views about key issues. The DH will commission a review of published literature to contribute to the review.
Mr Brimblecombe said: ‘We will be looking at the best way for mental health nurses to adapt to meet the new priorities like racial equaliy,health promotion and physcial healthcare.
‘I don’t think we are aiming to make nurses’ lives any easier, but we want to make their lives more satisfying.’
Specific workforce matters, for instance recruitment and retention are not being dealt with by the review. A separate working group in the National Institute for Mental Health in England will examine these issues.
Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Mar 2005