Question: what dose a mental health nurse do ?

Sheffield Psychiatry Ward Team answered on 30 Jan 2019:

Both Edelle and Jennifer in our team are trained mental health nurses. Jennifer, as a deputy ward manager, works both clinically looking after patients as well as as an assistant manager. Jennifer works on one of three wards in Sheffield for adults aged 18-65 with severe mental health problems.

Edelle, as a ward manager, is also a trained MH nurse but also has overall responsibility for our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. She manages the staff team and ensures that a high level of care is provided to patients. She also has lots of leadership responsibilities such as managing the ward budget and ensuring that staff are fully trained. She also makes sure that health and safety and infection control standards are set and that staff are working within local and national policies as well as working within the Mental health Act.

Nurses will spend most of the day with patients and their tasks include completing care plans (a plan made collaboratively with the patient about getting them better) and risk assessments. Patients in hospital can have differing levels of leave so we need to be sure they are well enough, and staff will also decide how often to check in on the patient. Nurses also dispense medication, take physical observations, assess patients, help with personal care, and create discharge plans. Nurses offer regular one to one support with patients to give them time to talk about how they are feeling. They can also often be found teaching student nurses and junior staff members, completing research, offering support to staff, attending meetings, planning the development of the ward, taking patients out into the community, helping someone cook their meals, or even having a game of bingo or a go on the karaoke. Their role is very diverse and one moment they can be doing office work and the next they are helping to calm down someone who is upset. Jennifer thinks this is why she finds it so rewarding.