Mental Health Practice

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Newsroom

With almost 250,000 cases in the UK each year, sepsis is a life-threatening clinical syndrome that is difficult to diagnose.

Sepsis: signs and symptoms to be aware of and look out for in adults and children

We look at how deadly sepsis is, who it affects, and how nurses can spot signs and symptoms

Nursing leaders warn that the hike in UK tuition fees will discourage prospective students from joining the profession

‘I owe £82,000: how are tuition fee increases going to help?’

Heavily in debt nurse warns fees hike could ramp up recruitment and retention crisis

Agency nurse stigma: an agency nurse stands at a nurses' station on a ward talking to a permanent team member

Agency nurses: why are some staff suspicious and even hostile towards them?

Temporary staff are essential in the NHS, yet it’s a career choice that can carry stigma

Photo of nursing student checking finances with calculator

How much money does a nursing student need to live on?

What amount do they need, how much financial support do they get – and is it enough?

Photo of NMC plaque, illustrating a story about a fitness to practice panel hearing in which a mental health nurse was struck off for lack of safeguarding of a vulnerable patient

Struck off: nurse whose basic care failures left vulnerable patient in near-death state

Mental health nurse neglected to take action to protect service user

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget will allocate £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners, alongside £70 million for new radiotherapy machines

Our poll reveals nurses want pay rise like junior doctors, as NHS gets budget boost

Nursing Standard poll shows majority support demands for 22% rise and reject current award

Evidence and Practice

Enhancing the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers through music interventions

Enhancing the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers through music interventions

Music interventions are an holistic way to alleviate mental health issues in refugees and...

Monitoring the use of antidepressants: the role of mental health nurses

Monitoring the use of antidepressants: the role of mental health nurses

An update on principles of practice for antidepressants amid a changing discourse on risks...

A driver leans out of the window of his car and puts a hand on his brow in confusion. Unsafe driving is an area of risk for accidental self-harm or harm to others.

What biopsychosocial risks should mental health professionals consider in dementia care?

Proactive identification of risk enables a more holistic approach and promotes autonomy

Exploring therapeutic engagement in Finnish adult acute inpatient mental health settings

Exploring therapeutic engagement in Finnish adult acute inpatient mental health settings

Nurses should be supported to develop collaborative care and treatment plans for service...

Exploring the stigma associated with personality disorders: a narrative review

Exploring the stigma associated with personality disorders: a narrative review

Insights into diagnosis, issues around misdiagnosis and attitudes of healthcare professionals

Diagnostic overshadowing

Your quick-read article summary

Features

Montage of 15 podcasts selected to interest nurses

Listen to this! 15 podcasts made with you in mind

Podcasts that support your practice, share career advice, or help you wind down

 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

Opinion

Heterosexual couple in their thirties sitting on the floor and looking at each other with relaxed expressions but crossed arms, suggesting an attempt at communication 

How can I get my partner to understand the pressures and demands of my job?

Advice on how to prevent the challenges of nursing from creating tensions at home

The RCN hs proposed newly registered nurses start on Band 6.  Illustration of a nurse moving from Band 5 to Band 6

Should newly registered nurses start on band 6?

Band 6 starting point would aid recruitment, but may be too much too soon, says our panel

Free
Applying the principles of recovery to the management of psychotropic medications such as antidepressants can generate passionate debate. Illustration shows unhappy faces on the outside of a circle of antidepressants which has an inner circle of smiling f

Why you have a key role in monitoring antidepressant use

Management of psychotropic medications can be a challenge for mental health nurses

Students

Reflective journalling: a nursing student writing at a desk, as if keeping a journal to process difficult events and record positive experiences

Reflective journalling for students: what are the benefits and where do I start?

Tips for getting the most out of journalling, and how to make it a career-long habit

Nursing students facing money worries: someone counting cash in their hands, including a £20 note, a £5 note and five £1 coins

Student finances: what am I entitled to and how can I access it?

Advice on available funding, benefits, childcare support and hardship funds

Action plans for nursing students: a student sits at a desk with an instructor, listening as a point is explained

What is an action plan and why might I need one?

What it means to have an action plan as a nursing student and how they can help you learn

Careers

Bullying affects nurses’ confidence and can cause some nurses to leave a nursing career

Are you being bullied at work? How not to let it hold you back professionally

One nurse explains how career progression freed them from being bullied and sidelined

Studying for a master’s degree: a young woman makes notes in a library with a stack of books on her desk

How can I juggle studying for a master’s degree with my day job?

The post-grad qualification is often needed for senior roles. Tips on how to achieve it

Narcissistic personality traits include self-worth being a top priority. Magnifying glass hovers over words in black on a page and focuses on the word ME, which is highlighted in red

What to do if a co-worker always thinks they know best

How a disregard for others can affect morale and what ‘narcissistic behaviour’ means

Jobs