Professionals Issues in relation to Mental Health Nursing
... Core mental health services should be available and be provided by skilled multidisciplinary teams (Ministry of Health 2000). In order to clearly identify the professional issues or problems faced in any case, nurses need to explore and develop acuity of their own personal and professional values. Furthermore there is a need to acknowledge the potential differences between their values, the professional issues and the law and to be able to recognize the difference (Thompson 1995). During the course of this paper it is the author’s intent to summarise the professional issues incorporated within a report from the Health and Disability Commission, report on opinion – Case 97HDC7272. Critical analysis will be focussed on the professional issues pertaining to mental health nursing practice, with particular attention to the issue of procedural policy. The report is an opinion given by the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) after an investigation into initial complaints made by the mother of a 14 year old female. The child had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, after a failed suicide attempt. The allegations were made that while under the care of the Psychiatric hospital run by the Crown Health Enterprise (CHE), the consumer was afforded substandard supervision which enabled her to run away on one occasion, drink a bottle of bourbon on another and to have a sexual relationship with an iwi health authority caregiver. ... Later the complaint was extended to include sexual misconduct of a staff member at the iwi health authority, and the failure of the psychiatric hospital to take appropriate action in reporting the incident to the authorities. ... After initial assessment the consumer was made subject to a compulsory treatment order under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and treatment) Act 1992. She was transferred to a mental health acute inpatient service provided by the CHE. ... In December of that same year the district inspector of Mental Health again referred to CYPS with their concerns of the future placement of the child and other issues regarding her care and protection. ... In late January and early February 1997 staff documented concerns in nursing notes stating that the client was depressed and her mood was unstable In early February 1997 the consumer went missing and was later found to have taken a sleeping pill and six antidepressants in a suicide attempt. ... Another client told Nursing staff that the client, then still 14, had informed her that she had sexual intercourse with a worker at the iwi health authority Maori trust home. ... The consumer had initially started going to the iwi health twice weekly where she was supposedly participating in a day programme. The consumer was also being viewed for future placement at iwi health. ... It was also mentioned that there was another member of staff employed at the iwi health who had a previous history of convictions for violent behaviour. ... While there she would visit the accused health worker in his room or ride with him in his car, also during her visits to the iwi health centre the consumer would return late at night to the Psychiatric hospital with love bites on her neck, and on one occasion with a nose stud.