Mental Health Practice

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Violence against nurses at work: illustration of a patient or relative verbally abusing a nurse in a hospital waiting room and pointing their finger at the nurse

Verbal abuse and physical assault at work: has it happened to you and did you report it?

Your job puts you at increased risk, so it’s vital to know the steps to take

Nurses have shared powerful testimonies describing corridor care as ‘exhausting and soul-destroying’ in a damning RCN report

Care in corridors, toilets and cupboards: nurses share harrowing stories

Nurses’ powerful testimonies describe corridor care as ‘exhausting and soul-destroying’

Fitness to practise: nurse struck off for prescribing Botox remotely and unsafely

Nurse struck off for prescribing Botox remotely and unsafely

Heather Hazzard failed to check the qualifications of reporter who posed as a beauty...

Nurses’ money management: illustration showing a nurse juggling household finances, with items associated with living costs, such as a shopping trolley, a bill and a petrol pump, in the background

Managing your money in 2025: the 5 changes you need to know about

Experts’ advice on how to stay on top of your personal finances

A nurse at the Royal Oldham Hospital is in critical condition after being stabbed at the weekend

Nurse’s stabbing at hospital leaves the profession in shock

Latest incident highlights rising dangers of violence for nurses in the workplace

Long shifts and a lack of breaks make for an unsafe combination for nurses driving home on the road

Nurse safety: ‘serious concerns’ over driving after long shifts

RCN and road safety charity express concerns about staff driving home after long shifts

Evidence and Practice

Assessing the physical health of service users with severe mental illness

Assessing the physical health of service users with severe mental illness

How mental health nurses can address inequalities to improve service users’ physical health

Role of forgiveness in supporting spiritual well-being among patients and nurses

Role of forgiveness in supporting spiritual well-being among patients and nurses

Addressing unresolved feelings about hurtful situations could help nurses avoid burnout

Health behaviour change

Your quick-read article summary

Supporting clients to make positive changes in health behaviours using the transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing

Changing health behaviours with the transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing

How nurses can use these approaches to support clients to make positive changes in health...

Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme: a service evaluation

Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme

Service evaluation of the PNA programme at a mental health and learning disability NHS trust

Music interventions for refugees' mental health

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

Comfort zone in nursing: nurse leaving the comfort zone of a cage and heading for a challenge

Help! I’m stuck in my comfort zone and don’t know how to get out of it

Ways to change your mindset so you can feel the fear, do it anyway – and have no regrets

Nutrition for nurses on shift: a nurse sits at a table in a break room holding a sandwich in one hand while leafing through a document

The health risks of shift work: can the right food help?

Advice on planning nutritious meals and snacks – and the breaks to enjoy them

Urinary issues for nurses: illustration of a nurse holding her hands over her groin area as if desperate to go to the toilet but unable to

No time to wee: can holding it in cause urinary incontinence?

How to make sure you take the breaks you need to keep your bladder healthy

Students

Record keeping in nursing: a nursing student leans on a table writing in a patient’s notes as the patient lies in a hospital ward bed behind her

Patient notes: record-keeping dos and don’ts for students

Tips to help you overcome concerns and improve your record-keeping

ABCDE healthcare risk assessment tool: illustration showing each element of the ABCDE tool in capital letters in bright colours, with the words Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure around the letters

Patient risk assessment: a guide for students on the most-used tools

Essential jargon-busting on ABCDE, NEWS2, MUST and other tools to support your practice

WhatsApp use by nursing students: close-up of the WhatsApp icon on a smartphone screen, alongside other social media icons

WhatsApp: is it ever safe for students to share professional information?

Advice on using the social media app without compromising standards or confidentiality

Careers

Nurse reflecting on an error: a nurse raises her hand in a gesture of explanation during a conversation with a colleague

Making a mistake at work: how to handle it and move on

How to respond, learn from an error and address it when looking for a new job

NMC revalidation for nurses: two nurse colleagues laugh together while having a discussion. A reflective discussion is required for revalidation

Revalidation: how to renew your NMC registration

Make sure you know what is expected and make revalidation part of your ongoing practice

Streamlined handover process: a nurse watches a colleague write a patient’s details up on the board on a hospital ward

Leading change: how to take action, whatever your role or seniority

Improvements at work don’t always require big steps, and anyone can initiate change

Jobs