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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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