The specialist nurse has been recruited to work within the trusts Emergency Department.
A London trust has recruited a specialist nurse to work within its Emergency Department in order to tackle a “steady rise” in the number of patients presenting with mental health issues.
Novia Mak, a Registered Mental Health Nurse, was recruited by London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust to help manage the growing number of patients attending A&E with mental health problems.
Her previous roles included working in the personality disorder unit at Rampton, a high-security psychiatric hospital.
A number of other measures have been reviewed or introduced since Novia began including a mental health triage tool and absconders project, staff training, promoting mental wellbeing with patients and staff, greater use of healthcare assistants and skill swap sessions between A&E and mental health nurses.
Working alongside A&E colleagues.
The 24 year-old nurse already had a job offer in Australia but decided to stay in the UK after successfully applying for the post.
Novia added: “A lot of us feel unsettled by mental health but it’s important to remember that the majority of people with mental health problems are a far greater risk to themselves than anyone else.
“I work alongside colleagues in A&E helping review and manage patients as well as refer them onto specialist mental health services. I also visit the acute wards to see how people are doing.”
“It’s interesting because you never know who is going to come through the door. It could be anything from anxiety and schizophrenia to an eating or personality disorder which can make treatment of a physical injury difficult if someone is agitated.