Mental Health Practice

Digital Edition Cover

Read the latest digital edition

Your environmentally-friendly digital edition comes with links to further resources and access to previous issues.

Read digital edition

Newsroom

Nursing band 5 and 6 roles: illustration showing a nurse in scrubs stepping from a platform labelled band 5 to one marked band 6, with bands 4 and 3 behind them

Band 5 or 6 nurse: the pros and cons of going for promotion

How do pay and career progression compare, and when is the right time to step up?

Nursing education in crisis: Telford nursing campus may close

Plan to close another nursing campus sparks further concern

University cites financial reasons, as RCN says we can’t afford for nurse supply to shrink

Bill will ensure that only those who are registered with the NMC can call themselves a nurse

New push for legal protection of ‘nurse’ in job titles to protect patients

Bill would make it illegal for anyone to call themselves nurse unless registered with NMC

Free
Applying for nursing jobs: an employer reads a nurse's supporting statement at their interview

Applying for a new role? Here's how to create the perfect supporting statement

It is the first impression employers will have of you, so make sure yours stands out

Convictions of former nurse Lucy Letby challenged as a major injustice by MP at a news conference where medical experts questioned the prosecution's evidence

Lucy Letby: medical experts claim she did not murder babies

Expert says deaths blamed on former nurse resulted from natural causes or poor medical care

Financial hardship in nursing: a woman sitting at a table with her finger on a calculator key, working out personal living costs

Financial help: 10 sources of support for nursing staff and students

Organisations that offer hardship and educational grants, who is eligible and how to apply

Evidence and Practice

Exploring the mental health challenges and support needs of nursing students

Exploring the mental health challenges and support needs of nursing students

Study investigating students’ mental health and well-being at a university in England

Reviewing the evidence on pharmacological interventions for people with borderline personality disorder

Reviewing pharmacological interventions for people with borderline personality disorder

Commentary on a Cochrane review of pharmacological interventions for people with BPD

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...

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

Remote nurse prescribing: a nurse providing patient care remotely sits, wearing a headset with a microphone, as she works on a desktop computer

Remote prescribing: is it ever good practice?

Striking off of nurse who prescribed Botox highlights risks of ignoring guidance

Regulation of NHS managers: an NHS manager speaks to a staff member at a hospital nurses station

NHS misconduct: it’s time the rules for staff and managers aligned

The proposal for a regulating body that holds managers to account is a step forward

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

Students

Honest communication with patients: a nurse in scrubs stands with her back to the camera, holding one hand behind her back with her fingers crossed, suggesting not telling the truth

Is it ever okay to lie to protect a patient? Advice for nursing students

Our panel on whether dishonesty is ever acceptable in patient communication

Talking to patients about death: nursing student sits in silence at patient’s bedside

Discussing death: experts’ tips on clear communication – and when to stay quiet 

What to do if you don’t feel ready to broach the topic, and how to manage your own emotions

Help is at hand: apps that help you focus on learning, and maintain your well-being

Help is at hand: apps that help you focus on learning, and maintain your well-being

Our pick of the support apps and digital tools designed to make study and placement easier

Careers

Redeployment in nursing: illustration showing a large hand moving small figures of people around a chess board, suggesting redeploying staff in healthcare settings

Redeployment: how can it help with my career development?

Working in a new setting or team can be daunting, but also offers opportunities for growth

Nurse appraisal meeting: two nurses in scrubs sit at a table having a discussion, as in a annual appraisal conversation between a manager and staff member

Your annual appraisal: how to prepare and what to expect

Tips to ensure your appraisal reflects your contributions, plus how it’s linked to pay

Simulated clinical nursing skills training: a nurse practises taking blood on a manikin in a clinical training session

How do I refresh a clinical skill that I’ve not used in a while? 

Ways to brush up your skills and the pros of refresher courses and supervised practice

Jobs