MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

This module will enable you to build on previous knowledge of physiology, pathophysiology, psychophysiology, mental state presentations, anatomy and pharmacology knowledge acquired in Part 1, with a practical application to delivering care to patients experiencing acute and prolonged episodes of mental illness. You will be taught to recognise the care requirements and the nursing interventions for patients who are acutely mentally ill through simulated practice, with an exploration and evaluation of a range of assessment methods and tools as well as supporting physical health. The module aims to define ‘acute care’ delivered within the acute setting, so you understand the complexities of prioritising and providing acute care to patients who are experiencing acute illness and crisis and interventions may be required in response to their physical and mental health. Reference will be made throughout the module to the legal-ethical framework, policies and the evidence base that underpins safe practice delivery by nurses and the inter-professional team within the acute care environment, so that you can apply knowledge and skills into your practice. Legislative processes including the Mental Health Act (1983) and its application to practice will be taught. This module will enable you to build on your anatomy, physiology and pharmacology knowledge acquired in Part 1, with a practical application to a range of acute care scenarios affecting different body systems.

This module will consider the biological, psychological and social impact of long-term mental health conditions on an individual, using sources of information from clinical experts, service users, the evidence base and reflecting on clinical practice experiences. Students will be supported to develop skills and critical knowledge to enable them to apply it to safe care delivery, for individuals diagnosed with chronic long-term mental health conditions. The concept of shared decision making, and the role of multi-professional care will be explored. The module promotes critical thinking through the application of evidence-based practice. The aim of the module is to enable students to identify, discuss and analyse the impact of long-term mental health conditions on the service user, their family and/or support network, to enable students to critically discuss the shared decision-making process in the nursing care of people with long-term mental health conditions and comorbidities, using a multi-professional approach to care.

This module will be delivered in Part 2 of the BSc (Hons) nursing programme. The module will prepare you for your practice placements that run across Part 2 of the programme and provides skills support to the theory units delivered in parallel. The module’s focus is the development of professional values and the delivery of safe, holistic compassionate care. This module defines the skills and proficiencies student nurses require by the end of Part 2 as outlined in the Practice Assessment Document (PAD Part 2), prior to moving onto Part 3.

The concept of person-centred holistic care will be explored further during this module emphasising the importance of examining the psychological, economic, social and the political health perspectives of patient care as well as clinical and physical requirements. Through building on the concepts launched during Part 1, this module aims to further develop the student's understanding of how nurses and the inter-disciplinary team can work together to deliver person-centred care to patients and service users across all fields of nursing (adult, child, learning disability and mental health) and a spectrum of healthcare environments to meet the needs, treatment and support of identified individuals, groups and communities across the lifespan. Students will be exploring the concepts of clinical reasoning, judgement and decision making in response to actual and potential health needs, life processes and care delivery of individuals, family members and the community. The core topics explored include nursing policy, professional values, evidence-based practice, ethics, professionalism and relationship building, all central to person-centred care.

Service improvement is at the heart of how we ensure and improve the quality of the service user experience. This module will provide you with the knowledge and skills to enable you to write a Service Improvement Project based on an evaluation of a student-selected aspect of a service in practice. Your project may relate to any aspect of a service which could be improved, with an aim of enhancing the service user experience. This might relate to care in a clinical or community setting or may be concerned with processes and resources. The project needs to identify how quality care may be enhanced and good practice disseminated. You will also include realistic recommendations for achieving this and a reflection on the personal and professional skills required for its implementation. In undertaking this module, you will receive practical advice, extend your academic knowledge, and have the support of a group of peers engaged in their own service improvement challenges. The four-week service improvement placement in weeks 3-6 of the module will expose you to contemporary quality of care initiatives, audits, research projects and service improvements that are occurring within the organisation. While working with your Practice Assessor/Practice Supervisors and the patient/client group, you will be able to explore your topic. On return to university, you will use secondary evidence from a review of literature to appraise, evaluate and apply it to the service improvement issue. Within your summative report, you will be required to make analytical and objective judgements on the evidence and the potential impact on the quality and standards of care, safe working practices, risks and service user outcomes. The summative report will conclude with action plans and recommendations for change and clinicians and service users will be invited from partner organisations to support the assessment of the student verbal presentations of their improvement plan. Although you will not be implementing the project as part of the module, you will make an evidence-based plan to do so which you will present at the end of the module.

This module will be delivered in Part 3 of the BSc (Hons) nursing programme. The module prepares the student for their practice placements that run across Part 3 of the programme and prepares them for the third progression point and registration as a Registered Nurse (Mental Health). The module’s focus is professional values and the delivery of safe, holistic compassionate care and the assessment and management of patients with complex health care needs, in partnership with the service user and the inter-professional team. Students are taught skills in small groups using skills equipment, manikins, low and high-fidelity simulation and virtual reality. Students will engage with the seven platforms and two annexes identified by the Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses (2018), reflecting what the NMC expect a newly registered nurse to know and be capable of doing safely and proficiently at the start of their career. This module defines the skills and proficiencies student nurses require by the end of Part 3, as directed by the Practice Assessment Document (PAD 3) prior to professional registration on the NMC register.

This module will enable the student to reflect upon their personal and professional growth throughout their degree, drawing on evidence of learning and development compiled throughout the programme. It will foster the development and application of leadership, management and inter-professional team working concepts, required for effective clinical practice and positive patient outcomes. This module will enable students to reflect on the skills necessary to facilitate the transition to a Registered Nurse (Mental Health). This module acknowledges that nursing care should take into consideration the individual’s wishes, their culture and the services available within the current political landscape. It expands the student’s consideration of the care environment and service provision to provide enhanced care delivery. This module examines the cultural, political and psychosocial influences in and on multi-disciplinary healthcare provision.