So this is Christmas, and what have we done?
What have we done? Let’s try to summarise it.
2022 has been an incredibly demanding year for Mental Health Nurses. Just last month, Newshub told us what we already knew – that despite the ever-increasing demand on services and a $1.9 billion funding injection in Budget 2019, there are no more acute inpatient beds today than there were when Labour leader Jacinda Ardern declared a “mental health crisis” in 2017.
Health Minister Andrew Little assured the public, once again, that new frontline roles in GP surgeries, kaupapa Māori services and specialist youth clinics for those with mild to moderate health needs “meant those getting help would be less likely to need acute services down the track.” Yet the latest figures from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission tell a different story. The number of people needing specialist mental health and addiction services has increased from 176,310 in 2016/17 to 191,053 last year. And wait times – especially for addiction and youth mental health services – are going up, not down.
And to top it all off, in 2022 Mental Health Nurses also managed the effect of the COVID-19 Omicron wave on already unsafe staffing levels, on infection control requirements and on the health needs of the people we care for. And we managed it well.
We deserve recognition. We deserve to be valued. Achieving this is the mission of the NZNO Mental Health Nurses Section. We aim to bring mental health nurses together in their diversity to positively influence policy and practice for the development of consumer centered care in New Zealand/Aotearoa.
In this final issue of the MHNS Newsletter for 2022, we introduce our newest Committee member, provide an update on the activities of the Committee on your behalf and look forward to a brighter 2023, when we can gather again in person to promote leadership, education and professional development of mental health nursing in New Zealand/Aotearoa.
We also include our regular feature article. For this issue of the MHNS Newsletter, we have chosen a perspective paper from the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. The author, Professor Marie Crowe RN of the Department of Psychological Medicine at University of Otago, Christchurch, acknowledges that it is a personal viewpoint and readers may not agree with every detail. But we feel that it expresses the values and vision of Mental Health Nursing, which are all too rare in the world today.
We hope you find something of value in the following pages. If so, do feel free to forward it on, and maybe add a suggestion that your NZNO Mental Health Nursing colleagues join the Section as well.
Introducing new Committee member Fiona McNair
The MHNS Committee continues to rebuild, strengthened by another new committee member who has joined us this year. Fiona McNair, originally from the South Island, now lives in Palmerston North. She is a mother of three adult sons, a grandmother of five grandchildren and an experienced community nurse with varied mental health work history spanning the past 25 years. Fiona worked at the Manawaroa acute inpatient ward originally developed by Sir Mason Durie, then moved to adult community mental health and crisis mental health service on call. For the past 18 years she has been with Palmerston North’s Older Adult Mental Health Service in the community team.
Fiona has been involved in a range of projects and committees, including the PDRP advisory group, quality groups and related projects, and has been an NZNO delegate for many years supporting others to resolve issues in the workplace in a range of employment and professional issues.
Although her time is limited due to current work commitments, we are very pleased to welcome her as a co-opted Committee Member for the period up until the next MHNS Biennial General Meeting in March 2023 (see below for more info).
The Committee, which comprises in addition Helen Garrick (Chairperson), Jennie Rae (Treasurer), Brent Doncliff (Secretary) and Grant Brookes (newsletter editor), is still looking for new members to cover current and anticipated vacancies next year. We invite any new, emerging leaders to join us, with a promise that we share the load so that no new Committee Member will be overburdened. To express your interest, please click here for a nomination form.
Committee news
The MHNS Committee has met twice since our last newsletter in June. At our July meeting, we held discussions with the newly-appointed NZNO CEO, Paul Goulter. We were particularly interested in Mental Health Nursing representation on national meetings that NZNO attends and processes to ensure that MHNS can provide input or direction to those attending. We were also concerned about NZNO’s internal Addressing Violence Against Nurses (AVAN) project, which MHNS was part of, going into recess and about the direction of the NZNO Constitutional Review, which MHNS had jointly initiated along with the Cancer Nurses College.
These latter concerns were borne out with the release of the Constitutional Review Report in September, which unfortunately did not meet requirements. MHNS will continue to work for reform of the NZNO Constitution, to improve democratic processes for individual members within a bicultural partnership.
In October, a highlight of our second meeting was a joint session with members of the PSA Mental Health and Addictions Committee. This the first time that the two committees had come together. Agreement was reached on areas of closer ongoing cooperation, including workforce, replacement of the Mental Health Act and the review of the MOH guidelines for seclusion and restraint. The MHNS submission on the first round of consultation on a new Mental Health law was shared with MHNS members in the March MHNS Newsletter and is available here. Our submission on the review of seclusion and restraint guidelines will be available online soon.
The October Committee meeting also received updates from MHNS representatives in external working groups. We heard from Jennie Rae that the Mental Health, Addictions and Intellectual Disability Advisory Group to Safe Staffing Healthy Workplaces Unit (with the PSA, Central Technical Advisory Services and Directors of Mental Health Nursing) was exploring the extension of CCDM and Trendcare into Community Mental Health Services, which would further increase staff time spent on data entry and may also cut across NZNO claims in CA bargaining for nursing ratios in areas currently without CCDM.
Helen Garrick reported back on the “Future of Mental Health, Addiction and Disability Nursing” collaborative. This group was formed after Mental Health Nursing leader groups were approached to develop a publication on what was needed to take Mental Health Nursing into the future. The aim was to build on the 2006 Mental Health Nursing Framework Discussion document. The collaborative involves Te Ao Māramatanga NZCMHN, NZNO MHNS and the Directors of Mental Health Nursing.
Papers on recruitment and retention, Māori MH&A nursing, supervision, leadership, research, skills mix, Nurse Practitioners, standards of practice and education have been written. These papers will be out for consultation and feedback soon.
The Mental Health Staffing Retention Working Group (PSA, Te Whatu Ora and TAS) no longer had NZNO representation after a decision earlier in the year to withdraw, without consulting the MHNS committee. We have succeeded in reversing that decision.
Finally in October, we discussed feedback from NZNO Conference/AGM. MHNS was concerned about Constitutional Remit 2 which was passed, which appeared to bar dual union members from holding office. We are seeking from the NZNO Board that the Remit will not affect the operation of our Committee.
Save the date – MHNS Forum 2023
After two attempts to organise an educational Mental Health Nurses Forum in 2021 and 2022 were agonisingly defeated by the COVID-19 pandemic, MHNS is excited to announce our rescheduled event:
Mental Health Nurses Section Forum
Theme: Capacity in the Mental Health Arena
Friday 24 March 2023 in Wellington
A full line-up of speakers will be announced in the New Year.
IJMHN, Vol. 31 No. 6, December 2022
The MHNS Newsletter showcases the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. Full access to the journal is a benefit of MHNS membership. To obtain an article, please email library@nzno.org.nz with the citation of the full text article you would like.
Issue Information
Issue Information
Pages: 1277-1278 First Published: 15 November 2022
Editorial
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at risk of declining mental health due to failure to attend for referred follow-up mental health appointments during COVID-19 Kim Usher AM, RN, PhD, FACMHN, Debra Jackson AO, RN, PhD, FACN, Wenbo Peng PhD, Suruchi Amarasena MBBS, Cheryl Porter, Debbie McCowan, Joe Miller, Rachel Peake RN, MPhiL, David Sibbritt PhD
Pages: 1279-1281 First Published: 07 September 2022
Review Articles
Communication pathways from the emergency department to community mental health services: A systematic review
Heather McIntyre BA, BAHons, GradDipAS, PhD candidate, Verity Reeves BPsycSc, BSocSc, BAHons, PhD candidate, Mark Loughhead BSWHons, PhD, Laura Hayes BAHons, BComm, PhD, Nicholas Procter BASoc, PsycNurs, RN, MBA, PhD
Pages: 1282-1299 First Published: 22 May 2022
Facilitators and barriers for implementing the integrated behavioural health care model in the USA: An integrative review
Yifat Peer PhD, RN, Ainat Koren PhD, DNP, PMHNP
Pages: 1300-1314 First Published: 30 May 2022
Community mental health interventions for people with major depressive disorder: A scoping review
Ronel Xian Rong Tan RN, BSN (Hon), Yong Shian Goh RN, RMN, MN, PhD
Pages: 1315-1359 First Published: 13 June 2022
Diagnostic overshadowing: An evolutionary concept analysis on the misattribution of physical symptoms to pre-existing psychological illnesses
Ann Hallyburton MSLS, MPH, AHIP
Pages: 1360-1372 First Published: 19 June 2022
A systematic review of the perceptions and attitudes of mental health nurses towards alcohol and other drug use in mental health clients
Tammy Tran Merrick RN, MPH, Eva Louie PhD, Michelle Cleary RN, PhD, Luke Molloy RN, PhD, Andrew Baillie PhD, Paul Haber MBBS, MD, Kirsten C. Morley PhD
Pages: 1373-1389 First Published: 31 July 2022
Original Articles
Stakeholder views on mindfulness for youth at risk for psychosis
Daniel Reich GDipPsych(Adv), Subhadra Evans PhD, Melissa O’Shea PhD
Pages: 1390-1404 First Published: 02 July 2022
High fidelity dialectical behaviour therapy online: Learning from experienced practitioners Richard Lakeman DipCompNsg, BN, BA Hons, MMH (Psychotherapy), DNSci, FACMHN, John Hurley BCouns, MSc, PhD, FACMHN, Katrina Campbell MMHN, Claudia Hererra MD, MPH, Andrew Leggett MBBS, MPhil, PhD, FRANZCP, Richard Tranter MBChB, FRCPsych, PhD, FRANZCP, Peter King BN, GradDipComPsyNurs, PhD
Pages: 1405-1416 First Published: 04 July 2022
Evaluation of an immersive simulation programme for mental health clinicians to address aggression, violence, and clinical deterioration
Jeanne Young MMSc, BSc (Hons), Diploma Nursing, Kylie Fawcett BSc (Nursing), Lucia Gillman PhD, BSc (Nursing)
Pages: 1417-1426 First Published: 11 July 2022
Preparing children’s nurses for working with children and adolescents who self-harm: Evaluating the ‘our care through our eyes’ e-learning training package
Jasmine Singh-Weldon, Vicki Tsianakas, Trevor Murrells, Annmarie Grealish
Pages: 1427-1437 First Published: 16 July 2022
The effectiveness of ūloa as a model supporting Tongan people experiencing mental distress
Sione Vaka RN, PhD, Helen Paris Hamer RN, PhD, Anau Mesui-Henry M Bus
Pages: 1438-1445 First Published: 24 July 2022
User accounts on received diabetes and mental health care in a Danish setting – An interview study
Vicki Zabell RN MSc, Sidse Marie Arnfred MD, PhD, DMSc, Ditte Høgsgaard RN, MSN, PhD, Peter Haulund Gæde MD, PhD, DMSc, Sabrina Trappaud Rønne MSc, Rikke Jørgensen RN, MSN, PhD
Pages: 1446-1456 First Published: 16 August 2022
The influence of emotional burnout and resilience on the psychological distress of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic
María Ángeles Merino-Godoy PhD, Carmen Yot-Domínguez PhD, Jesús Conde-Jiménez PhD, Patricia Ramírez Martín RN, Piedad María Lunar-Valle RN
Pages: 1457-1466 First Published: 08 August 2022
Barriers and enablers to implementation of the therapeutic engagement questionnaire in acute mental health inpatient wards in England: A qualitative study
Francesca Taylor BA(Hons), Cert Soc Anth (Cantab), Sarah Galloway DipN, RMN, MSc, MRes(Clin), Kris Irons BA(Hons), MSc, RMN, CPN Cert, Lorna Mess PGDip, RMN, Laura Pemberton BN(Hons), Ad Dip MHN, Karen Worton MSc, RMN, Mary Chambers BEd(Hons), PhD, RGN, RMN, DipN(London), RCNT, RNT Cert Ed
Pages: 1467-1479 First Published: 17 August 2022
Gender differences in the experience of burnout and its correlates among Chinese psychiatric nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A large-sample nationwide survey Ling Zhang MD, Mengdie Li MD, Yating Yang MD, Lei Xia MD, Kaiyuan Min MD, Tingfang Liu PhD, Yuanli Liu PhD, Nadine J. Kaslow PhD, ABBP, Daphne Y. Liu MA, Yi-lang Tang MD, PhD, Feng Jiang MD, PhD, Huanzhong Liu MD, PhD
Pages: 1480-1491 First Published: 11 August 2022
Explanatory model of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in the general population: Cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic
Héctor Brito PhD, MSc, Daniela Andrade PhD, MSc, Germán Rojas MSc, Aldo Martinez PhD, MSc, Jose Alfaro MSc
Pages: 1492-1502 First Published: 21 August 2022
High internalized stigma among community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia: Associations with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, personality traits and health-related quality of life
Chiu-Yueh Hsiao PhD, RN, Huei-Lan Lu MSN, RN
Pages: 1503-1512 First Published: 27 August 2022
News reporting of suicide in nurses: A content analysis study
Samantha Groves MSc, Monica Hawley BA, Karen Moya Lascelles MSc, Keith Hawton FMedSci
Pages: 1513-1522 First Published: 25 August 2022
Defining the influence of external factors on nurse resilience
Alannah L. Cooper BNurs (Hons), PhD, Gavin D. Leslie BAppSc, Post Grad Dip, (Clin Nurs), PhD, Janie A. Brown BN, MEd, PhD
Pages: 1523-1533 First Published: 25 August 2022
Perspective
Effecting change and improving practice in a regional Emergency Department: A Mental Health Nurse Practitioner’s perspective
Margaret O’Sullivan RN (NP), MN (APMH), Grad Dip MHS (C & A)
Pages: 1534-1541 First Published: 20 August 2022
Psychiatry and/or recovery: a critical analysis
Marie Crowe PhD, RN
Pages: 1542-1551 First Published: 20 September 2022
Understanding Mental Distress: Knowledge, Practice and Neoliberal Reform in Community Mental Health Services. Moth, Rich. Bristol: Policy Press; 2022. pp. 263 ISBN 978-1-4473-4987-7
Mick McKeown PhD, BA(Hons), RGN, RMN
Pages: 1552-1553 First Published: 27 August 2022
Feature article
Crowe, M. (2022), Psychiatry and/or recovery: a critical analysis. Int J Mental Health Nurs, 31: 1542-1551. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13072
Grant Brookes | Nurse & Trade Unionist 