Break with tradition needed to find staff

New, radical solutions are needed to tackle staff shortages in
mental health services as there is still too much reliance on
traditional educational routes for new staff.

A guide from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health states that
many organisations simply make the best use of current resources
and do not explore how things could be done differently.

It suggests that radical solutions need to be tried and evaluated.
One way of expanding the workforce would be via schemes that
support service users into mainstream employment in mental health
services.

Figures show that just 4 per cent of nurses registered in the UK
are mental nurses while around 12 per cent of consultant
psychiatrist posts are vacant. As many as 10,000 new workers are
needed.

– More at www.scmh.org.uk