Exploring the Role of the Mental Health Nurse in Community Mental Health Care for the Aged (original) (raw)
Related papers
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2003
To compare the perceptions of aged care services, adult mental health services and mental health services for older people regarding aspects of mental health service delivery for older people in New South Wales, Australia. The NSW Branch of the Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age in association with the NSW Centre for Mental Health, sent a postal survey to all aged care services, adult mental health services and mental health services for older people in NSW. The survey canvassed issues ranging across service profiles, regional variations, availability of resources, processes of care, views on working relationships between services, difficulties and gaps experienced, and ways to improve co-ordination and service delivery. Clinical issues such as the management and practice of psychiatric disorders of old age, educational/training requirements and skill and experience in working with older people were explored. An overall response rate of 86% was achieved, including 95% from aged care services (n = 58), 74% from adult mental health services (n = 62) and 90% from mental health services for older people (n = 20). Only 59% of aged care services and adult mental health services considered that their local mental health services for older people provided an adequate service; resource and budget limitations were portrayed as the main constraint. Mental health services for older people varied widely in structure, settings and activities undertaken. Access to mental health beds for older people was also variable, and alongside staffing levels was considered problematic. Lack of staff training and/or inexperience in psychogeriatrics posed a challenge for aged care services and adult mental health services. Relationships between aged care services, adult mental health services and mental health services for older people are affected by lack of access to psychogeriatric staff, resource limitations of mental health services for older people, and inadequate liaison and support between the service types. Joint case conferences, education, increased funding of mental health services for older people, and cross referrals were considered ways to address these issues.
2013
Community mental health nurses are part of community mental health teams that offer care and support to service users with mental distress. They are generally described as "gate keepers" because they ensure service users` timely assessment and access to appropriate therapeutic services. Because service users` needs are unique and constantly changing, community mental health nurses are required to reconceptualise their approaches to care. One approach that has gained popularity in mental health services because it advocates individualised care, collaborative and partnership working is recovery. This chapter uses a recovery framework to discuss the roles of community mental health nurses from a contextual and practical perspective. It uses a case study of a service user with mental distress to illustrate this. To increase understanding of the service user`s recovery journey, key principles of a recovery approach to community mental health nursing are included in the chapter
Patterns of Service Provision in Older People’s Mental Health Care in Australia
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Australia has a population of around 4 million people aged 65 years and over, many of whom are at risk of developing cognitive decline, mental illness, and/or psychological problems associated with physical illnesses. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of specialised mental healthcare provision (availability, placement capacity, balance of care and diversity) for this age group in urban and rural health districts in Australia. The Description and Evaluation of Services and DirectoriEs for Long Term Care (DESDE-LTC) tool was used in nine urban and two rural health districts of the thirty-one Primary Health Networks across Australia. For the most part service provision was limited to hospital and outpatient care across all study areas. The latter was mainly restricted to health-related outpatient care, and there was a relative lack of social outpatient care. While both acute and non-acute hospital care were available in urban areas, in rural areas hospital care was limi...
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2007
BackgroundThere is much variation in the services provided for older people with mental health problems. In England, the National Service Framework for Older People (NSFOP) sought to address these inconsistencies and improve care. This study describes the situation three years after its publication.There is much variation in the services provided for older people with mental health problems. In England, the National Service Framework for Older People (NSFOP) sought to address these inconsistencies and improve care. This study describes the situation three years after its publication.MethodsA postal survey of old age psychiatrists collected data on the NSFOP mental health model: the range of specialist mental health provision, the nature of the specialist:generic service interface and the degree of interdisciplinary/interagency working.A postal survey of old age psychiatrists collected data on the NSFOP mental health model: the range of specialist mental health provision, the nature of the specialist:generic service interface and the degree of interdisciplinary/interagency working.ResultsThree hundred and eighteen (72%) consultants responded. Considerable differences existed in the deployment of key professionals within community teams, with more than a third lacking ring-fenced social work time. Few services had dedicated rehabilitation beds and nearly a third lacked separate facilities for people with organic and functional illnesses. Increasing numbers of consultants had access to a memory clinic and there was some suggestion that liaison services were developing, but little indication of increased support for care homes. Several services had yet to agree protocols with primary care, or to implement measures promoting effective information-sharing and integrated care, and there was little evidence that the introduction of the Single Assessment Process (SAP) had significantly changed practice. Although just over half of consultants reported that mental health services were improving, less than a quarter considered community provision adequate.Three hundred and eighteen (72%) consultants responded. Considerable differences existed in the deployment of key professionals within community teams, with more than a third lacking ring-fenced social work time. Few services had dedicated rehabilitation beds and nearly a third lacked separate facilities for people with organic and functional illnesses. Increasing numbers of consultants had access to a memory clinic and there was some suggestion that liaison services were developing, but little indication of increased support for care homes. Several services had yet to agree protocols with primary care, or to implement measures promoting effective information-sharing and integrated care, and there was little evidence that the introduction of the Single Assessment Process (SAP) had significantly changed practice. Although just over half of consultants reported that mental health services were improving, less than a quarter considered community provision adequate.ConclusionsThree years after the publication of the NSFOP there remained significant gaps in services for older people with mental health problems and substantial variation in provision between districts. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Three years after the publication of the NSFOP there remained significant gaps in services for older people with mental health problems and substantial variation in provision between districts. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Nursing in Community Mental Health
2020
Community mental health is the integrated approach to mental health that uses social resources to ensure that people with mental health problems have the right to accessible care and are supported in their own environment to work on their recovery. The European Community Mental Health Service providers network (EuCoMS, www.eucoms.net ) describes community mental health from 6 perspectives. In this paper, we describe these perspectives and discuss the implications for nursing. Ethics perspective: The focus on human rights is a fundamental principle in community mental health care, based upon the United Nations’ Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD, 2008). In nursing this implies an approach based on ethics and human rights. Public health perspective: Community mental health services work for the health of all citizens in their catchment area. In nursing this implies a structural contact with social stakeholders, primary care and a focus on destigmatization. ...
The Mental Health Nursing Review: implications for community psychiatric nurses
Psychiatric Bulletin, 1995
The recent review of mental health nursing recommended that nurses refocus their attention on people with serious mental illness. There are some encouraging trends in the training of nurses in problemoriented case management. However, mental health nursing needs to face various problems. These include the need for the large-scale retraining of nurses currently working in traditional psychiatric hospitals and difficulties in the new Project 2000 programmes. In addition, there is a clear lack of leadership in the profession, largely because of the recent emphasis on management rather than clinical and academic attributes. Finally, nursing needs people who care what happens to the seriously mentally ill.