Mental Health Practice

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Newsroom

NHS nurse vaccination rates: close-up of a person receiving a vaccination, with a hand holding a needle and the person’s shirt rolled up on their arm   Picture: UNP

Flu and COVID vaccines: your moral duty or a personal choice?

With vaccination rates falling since the pandemic, we look at myths, policies and attitudes

Nurses with long-COVID: a woman clutches her chest due to shortness of breath, a common symptom of long-COVID

Nurses with long-COVID being ‘let down by their employers’

Survey reveals lack of support, with inadequate safeguarding of staff well-being

St Pancras Hospital told to improve safety protocols: a patient died following administration of an anti-psychotic drug without national guidelines being followed

Hospital’s ‘gross failure’ contributed to patient’s death

A mental health patient died following improper administration of an anti-psychotic drug

Number nurses leaving NMC register has risen by almost 50% in just six months

Steep rise in new registrants quitting profession, as recruitment slows

Burnout blamed for ‘devastating’ surge in newly registered nurses leaving NMC register

Alcohol addiction among nurses: a sad looking young woman at a desk with her head on her arm, holding a glass containing alcohol

Addiction and substance misuse in nursing: is it a hazard of the job?

Why many hesitate to seek help with addictive behaviours – and the available support

Woman does calculations at home. Nurses in the NHS pension scheme need to work out te impact of working versus partial or full retirement

Partial retirement from the NHS: what looks like the best option for me?

And find out if you’re at risk of losing pension payments thanks to a rule change

Evidence and Practice

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

Using practice development to recruit and retain forensic mental health nurses: a preceptorship support project

Using practice development to recruit and retain forensic mental health nurses

A preceptorship project used practice development to engage with students and newly...

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...

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

Nurses’ fear of mistakes: a nurse sits on the floor of a locker room trying to overcome her nerves at work

How can I overcome my fears about making mistakes at work?

Tips on addressing anxiety over errors, plus how to handle them if they do occur

New NHS national uniforms in different colourways are designed to better distinguish nursing and other occupational groups 

‘Smart scrubs’: will your new work wardrobe help you do your job in comfort?

New NHS uniform has its critics, but perhaps it’s not such a bad idea

A worried looking nurse student blocks time off on a workplace calendar. Nursing students do not have an an allowance from the NMC to take compassionate leave

Should nursing students be allowed compassionate leave from clinical placements?

Time off to deal with a crisis would demonstrate compassion

Students

Using AI for nursing degree: a person’s hands typing on a laptop computer, with illustrated icons representing study and technology hovering above them on the image

Is it cheating if I use AI to help me with an assignment? 

We look at the AI tools available, ways students can use them – and the potential pitfalls

Nursing students working part-time in supermarkets: a young woman stacking shelves in a supermarket 

Side hustles: how can I make extra money as a nursing student?

From bank work to bar work, tips on making extra cash while maintaining your studies

A nursing student looks at an IV monitor as she listens to a senior nurse while learning on placement

Feel you’re not good enough? Tips for students on building confidence

Strategies to help you overcome self-doubt in your studies and on placement

Careers

Becoming a chief nurse: achieving your career goal and overcoming setbacks

So you want to be a chief nurse? First-hand advice on becoming a stand-out leader

Three chief nurses share how they overcame obstacles to achieve their career ambitions

Supportive nursing workplace: a woman smiles as she shakes hands with her new employer during an interview

What does a good employer look like? Your workplace checklist

Experts advise on what to look for, from team culture and well-being support to leadership

Moving up to a band 6 nursing role: illustration shows a nurse standing on the band 6 part of a bar chart, in which the bars are steps from band 4 to band 6

Stay at band 5 or move up to band 6? How to decide what’s right for you

Stepping up may mean more pay, but what are the other factors to consider?

Jobs