| Mental
health nursing to be overhauled by end of the year
February
15, 2005
by Angela Hussain
Mental
health nursing is to go through an overhaul by the end of the year,
the government has announced.
It
follows the launch of a national review aimed at modernising the
service.
England's chief nursing officer (CNO) Chris Beasley, launched the
review last week, saying it was time for the country's 45,000 mental
health nurses to adapt to change in the NHS.
The
review is the the first in mental health nursing for 10 years.
It
will involve forming a reference group to advise the CNO, made up
of representatives of professional organisations and service users.
A
national consultation will also take place to gather as many views
as possible from service users and nurses themselves.
A
strategy document will then be produced before the end of the year
on how to develop the workforce.
The
review will consider how mental health nurses can contribute to
the race equality agenda in the NHS, health promotion, child protection
development and medical prescribing. It may also create new roles
and responsibilities for this part of the nurse workforce.
Ms
Beasley said: "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."
Royal
College of Nursing mental health adviser Ian Hulatt welcomed the
review, saying it was long overdue.
But
he emphasised that it was vital staffing levels were appropriate.
He
said: "A lot has happened in the world of mental health in
the past 10 years. We have a very different service user profile.
There are some challenges ahead.
"There
are some questions to be asked about staffing numbers but also what
people are doing and new roles. We need to realise the full potential
of mental health nursing."
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