A commission on the future of nursing in England is to explore
ways to encourage more mental health nurses to train as approved
mental health professionals.
The AMHP role, which includes deciding whether to section a
patient, was created last year. Unlike the approved social worker
role that it replaced, it is open to nurses, psychologists and
occupational therapists.
But Ray Walker, one of 20 experts appointed by the government to
lead the Commission on the
Future of Nursing and Midwifery, said the number of mental
health nurses training as AMHPs was "really small".
"We want to look at how to progress initiatives that provide
nurses with opportunities to make use of their full set of skills
to care for people," said Walker, who is also director of nursing,
governance and performance at five Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust
in north west England.
Health minister Ann Keen is chairing the commission, which is
due to report in March 2010.
Keen admitted there were significant challenges in delivering
personalisation in mental health nursing, but pledged to examine
how to remove barriers to innovation in the sector.
The commission's
consultation survey
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