Mental Health Practice

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Newsroom

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A nurse standing next to a patient's bed appears anxious as she listens to someone who is out of camera

Conflict in healthcare: how to resolve issues calmly and safely

Tips on defusing conflicts, responding to aggression and the importance of staying calm

An illustration depicting a mental health crisis: images include a stressed face, with others depicting a low battery depicting burnout and a collapsed figure

How can the crisis in mental health nursing be turned around?

Caseloads, lack of support and a negative work culture all raise safety and burnout fears

Retired nurse died after DNACPR patient notes mix up, inquest finds

Coroner rules that neglect contributed to Patricia Dawson’s death in the ED

Chief nursing officer for England Ruth May, who has announced her retirement

What next – and who next – for nursing?

As England’s CNO prepares to step down, what should her successor’s priorities be?

Illustration of steps showing different pay bands as nurse steps down onto band 5 step

Nurses forced into lower pay bands after requesting flexible hours

RCN chief brands practice ‘shameful’ and vows to get college’s lawyers to review issue

Striking nurses in Plymouth, Devon, in May 2023

NHS employers reject suggested separate pay spine for nurses

RCN’s proposed nursing pay scale would harm morale, employers tell government consultation

Evidence and Practice

experiences of self-recovery among adults with bipolar disorder: a narrative review

Experiences of self-recovery among adults with bipolar disorder: a narrative review

Understanding the psychosocial factors that influence recovery can guide interventions

Delirium superimposed on dementia: mental health nurses’ experiences of providing care

Delirium superimposed on dementia: mental health nurses’ experiences of providing care

Knowing patients cannot be reduced to a numerical tool and an integrated approach is needed

Exploring the role of social media use in eating disorders in adolescents: a scoping review

Exploring the role of social media in eating disorders in adolescents: a scoping review

Social media use in this age group has been shown to have both protective and adverse effects

Preventing suicide by jumping in public locations: a systematic review of interventions

Preventing suicide by jumping in public locations: a systematic review of interventions

Interventions to restrict access to means of suicide are correlated with reduced suicide...

Epilepsy: understanding its emotional and psychological effects and its relationship with mental illness

Epilepsy: emotional and psychological effects and relationship with mental illness

Epilepsy and mental health services should work together to provide coordinated care

Exploring service users’ experience of transition from inpatient rehabilitation to community settings

Service users’ experience of transition to community settings 

An evaluation of the work of a community enhanced rehabilitation team

Features

 Nurse behind seated patient stoops slightly and has her hands on his shoulders to express warmth and reassurance. Touch is a powerful way to show compassion in nursing

Using touch to show compassion: tailoring non-verbal communication to the individual

Judging when it’s appropriate to touch a patient or relative – and when it’s not

Bad manager

How to handle a bullying, weak or incompetent boss

Tips on initiating constructive conversations and where to seek support over poor leadership

A nurse in scrubs is frowning and hunching her shoulders in a sign of distress

Under excess pressure? The emotional signs of stress and how to deal with them

Tips for identifying worrying signs and supporting yourself and colleagues

Illustration featuring five different NHS uniform tunic colours, from left to right: indigo, green, sea blue, navy blue and light blue

Uniform approach: what we like about our standardised scrubs

Nurses from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the pros of their nations’ uniforms

Illustration shows healthcare staff around a table formed from a clock face to suggest a team approach to rostering

Rostering: could more control over your shift timings transform your work-life balance?

Team-based rostering pilots point to improved staff retention and greater collaboration

An illustration showing a smiling nurse in uniform standing in front of a crowd, represented by several sets of hands raised high and clapping

Daunted by public speaking? Tips to take you from nervous to confident

Nurse experts share their advice on how to prepare well and engage an audience

Opinion

Free
A young boy sitting on a swing in a children’s play area in a park

Why the shared experiences of 6,000 adults are a source of inspiration

Truth Project inspires despite inaction on recommendations of inquiry into child sexual abuse

Alt text pic 1: A person’s hand sits atop a stack of papers colour-coded as if for case files, suggesting the backlog of cases at the nursing regulator, the NMC

Fitness to practise cases: is the NMC doing enough to tackle the backlog?

We ask our readers if more money will resolve the growing FtP caseload

Glass dishes in two rows containing food that would constitute nutritious meals nurses to sustain nurses at work. There is thyme and yoghurt dress, chicken breast, couscous, cucumber, carrot, chickpeas and boiled eggs

5 healthy meals tips: how to pack a lunchbox to look forward to on busy shifts

Time and money-saving advice on eating and drinking well while at work

Students

Placement abroad

I’d love to do a clinical placement overseas, but how do I go about it?

Your guide to complying with NMC and visa rules, while embracing a new system and culture

A patient, seen from behind, talks in confidence to a nurse in uniform who is holding a clipboard

Is it ever okay to breach patient confidentiality as a nurse?

Advice for students on whether disclosing information is permitted in any circumstance

A nursing student stands with a ward nurse as they consult notes together

You’re about to start a clinical placement? Here are 7 things you need to know

Find out how to achieve your learning goals while maintaining a work-life balance

Careers

A man sitting in a home office talking on a phone, while looking at patient notes, as with an occupational health nurse working from home

Work-life balance: what I’ve gained in an occupational health role

It can offer more flexibility than ward or community jobs. Find out what’s involved

A female lecturer stands at the front of a lecture theatre teaching nursing students

From NHS nurse to lecturer: making the transition to education

What I’ve learned moving from an NHS role to academia, and the skills you need

Image shows a nurse walking along a winding path in the direction of an arrow pointing to ‘ACP’. The path is flanked by other clinicians

A day in the life of an advanced clinical practitioner

An ACP has advice on how to make the move into advanced practice

Jobs