A view of the English mental health nursing review from the South East Asian Pacific Rim

Abstract

David Arthur presents a review of The Chief Nursing Officer's (CNO) review of mental health nursing, a document which addresses contemporary mental health care concerns and reflects the immediate needs of mental health care in England. The CNO's review incorporates the wider developments influencing mental health nursing such as new ways of working, new expectations, new nursing roles, new services, and new laws. The author finds out that the factors still influencing mental health nursing in England is culture and tradition reflected in developments in nursing education and research. The recommendations of the CNO are grouped into three sections, that are, putting values into practice, improving outcomes for service users, and a positive modern profession, which represent a vision for mental health nursing. The author concludes that these recommendations provide all of us with a set of recommendations that can translate into guidelines for education, research and clinical innovation.