Nurses taking over social inclusion role

Promoting social inclusion used to be the preserve of social
workers, but nurses and occupational therapists are taking over the role,
according to David Morris, programme lead for social inclusion at the Sainsbury
Centre for Mental Health.

Morris, a former social worker, told a fringe
meeting: "When I look around at who is leading the efforts on dealing with
people as citizens rather than patients, I find the best practice nowadays is
definitely by nurses and OTs."

Practice nurse Catherine Gleeson added that the
issue of bullying was not being properly addressed, despite the fact it could
lead to mental health problems later in life. "Huge amounts have been
poured into teenage pregnancy but little has gone to mental health other than
small scale projects," Gleeson claimed.