Mental health nurse

As a mental health nurse, you'll advise patients on suitable therapies and clinical interventions, activities or groups, administer medication, assess risk, and plan and provide care.

You'll support patients, and their support networks, and will empower them to develop a better understanding of their mental health condition so they can gain greater control over it.

Your patients may experience mental health conditions such as:

• depression
• anxiety disorders
• schizophrenia or other forms of psychosis
• personality disorders
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• addiction.

Work is often carried out in multidisciplinary teams that may include other nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, counsellors, GPs, social workers, addiction specialists and healthcare assistants.

Responsibilities

As a mental health nurse, you'll need to:

• provide person-centred, recovery-focused care, working collaboratively with patients to support their mental health and wellbeing
• build and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients, listening to and responding to their needs, concerns and behaviours
• assess, monitor and manage risk, including carrying out regular observations, recognising risk behaviours and taking action to prevent harm
• develop, implement and review care plans, ensuring these are regularly updated and accurately recorded
• administer and monitor medication, including injections, and observe and report on patients' responses to treatment
• use verbal de-escalation and coping strategies to support distressed patients and manage challenging behaviour, using physical intervention only where necessary and in line with policy
• support patients with daily living needs, including physical health monitoring, emotional and personal care, while promoting independence
• encourage engagement with treatment and therapeutic interventions, including one-to-one or group-based activities delivered by the multidisciplinary team
• work closely with multidisciplinary teams, attending meetings and liaising with families, carers and external services as appropriate to ensure coordinated care and safe discharge or transfer of care
• maintain accurate records and uphold legal, ethical and safeguarding responsibilities, including patient confidentiality and relevant mental health legislation.

In more senior mental health nurse roles, you could also be expected to:

• lead shifts or clinical areas, acting as a key point of contact for other nurses and healthcare professionals
• support and mentor students or newly qualified nurses through training and supervision
• contribute to service development.

Salary

• Newly qualified mental health nurses start on salaries of £31,049, rising to £37,796. This is equivalent to Band 5 of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rates.
• As you progress, you'll work your way up through the bands. With experience, mental health nurses can earn £38,682 to £46,580 (Band 6), rising to between £47,810 and £54,710 (Band 7) for specialist and senior nursing roles.
• Modern matron and nurse consultant roles are usually between £55,690 and £62,682 (Bands 8a). Heads and directors of nursing may earn more.

Salaries in London attract a high-cost area supplement. The NHS offers a pension scheme, sickness and parental leave, and may also provide benefits such as free meals, parking or discounted gym facilities.

Pay and other benefits in the private sector vary by employer and role.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You'll typically work around 37.5 hours a week, although this can be higher depending on your employer. In hospital and residential settings that provide 24-hour care, mental health nurses often work 12 or 12.5-hour shifts.

The role usually involves working evenings, weekends and bank holidays, though some employers offer alternative shift patterns or flexible arrangements, such as part-time or bank work. If you work in community settings, you're more likely to have regular hours, although on-call duties may be required.

What to expect

• The role can be physically and emotionally demanding, and you may need to respond quickly to challenging situations. This can include using approved physical intervention techniques, where necessary, to manage risk and keep people safe.
• As the work can sometimes be stressful or upsetting, maintaining a healthy work/life balance and good mental wellbeing is important. Employers typically offer support such as regular supervision and access to counselling or wellbeing services.
• Jobs are available across the UK in a range of settings. In community roles, you may need to travel during the working day to visit patients, although overnight stays away from home are uncommon.
• Depending on your employer and setting, you may be expected to wear a uniform, which is often provided free of charge or at a subsidised cost.
• As you'll work with vulnerable people, you must pass an enhanced criminal records check. You'll need to declare any convictions, cautions or charges and be prepared to discuss these during recruitment if required.

Qualifications

You need to be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to work as a mental health nurse in the UK. The most common way is to complete a pre-registration nursing degree delivered by an NMC-approved education institution (AEI).

Nursing degrees typically last three years full time (four years in Scotland or if you're taking a dual-field nursing degree). Part of your degree will comprise clinical practice, which will give you experience of working with patients and their families.

Entry requirements vary but typically include at least two (usually three) A-levels or equivalent qualifications, plus GCSEs in English, maths and a science. Some courses offer a foundation year if you don't have the required qualifications.

If you have relevant practice-based learning or a degree in a related subject, you may be able to use accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) to meet some of the programme requirements. However, this is at the discretion of individual course providers, so it's always best to check. Graduates with relevant experience may be eligible for a two-year accelerated pre-registration Masters course in mental health nursing.

Search the list of NMC-Approved Programmes.

All eligible pre-registration mental health nursing students in England can receive at least £6,000 per year in non-repayable funding, depending on personal circumstances. You can still apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company. For more information, see Health Careers.

For details of financial support available elsewhere in the UK, see:

• Student Awards Agency Scotland
• Student Awards Services (Wales)
• Northern Ireland Direct Government Services

Registered nurse degree apprenticeships (RNDAs) are also offered by some employers. You'll need to secure an RNDA position with an employer who will cover the cost of the RNDA and release you for part-time study at university. You'll complete practical training in a range of settings from hospitals and mental health facilities to patients' homes.

If you're working as a nursing associate, you may be able to train to be a registered nurse by taking a shortened nursing degree or RNDA.

You must also meet the NMC's health and character requirements, including a criminal records check.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• excellent observational and assessment skills to recognise changes in a patient's mental state, administer medication safely and identify risk behaviours
• effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills for working with patients, families and professionals, and for maintaining accurate records
• excellent interpersonal skills, including active listening, empathy and a non-judgemental approach, to build trusting therapeutic relationships
• sound clinical, psychological and legal knowledge relevant to mental health care and safeguarding
• the ability to stay calm, think clearly and make decisions in challenging or crisis situations
• resilience, self-awareness and emotional intelligence to manage the demands of the role and maintain professional wellbeing
• good organisational and time-management skills to manage a caseload and prioritise work effectively
• the ability to work well as part of a multidisciplinary team and collaborate with colleagues across services
• physical stamina and strength, particularly when working in inpatient or secure settings
• flexibility and adaptability to respond to shift patterns and the changing needs of patients.

For community roles, you'll usually need a driving licence and access to a car.

Work experience

Course providers will expect you to have an understanding of the role of a mental health nurse, as well as a commitment to NHS values, which include compassion, respect and dignity, and working together for patients.

You could gain this through work or voluntary experience in a role that involves caring for others. For example, this could be carried out in a community setting, hospital or mental health charity. Hands-on roles such as healthcare assistant, support worker or care worker are valuable. It can also be helpful to gain experience working with specific groups, such as children and young people or older adults in residential care, if you're considering specialising.

Work shadowing a nurse or talking to them about their role can help you understand the realities of nursing. Reflecting on what you've learned and how it relates to mental health nursing will help strengthen applications and interviews.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

As a mental health nurse, you can work across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Most mental health nurses are employed by the NHS, but opportunities also exist with independent healthcare providers, charities and not-for-profit organisations, as well as organisations delivering NHS-commissioned services.

Employers include:

• NHS mental health trusts
• private hospitals and clinics
• secure and forensic mental health services
• charities and social enterprises
• local authorities
• GP practices
• the prison service
• the armed forces.

You could work in settings such as:

• hospitals and inpatient mental health units
• outpatient departments
• residential and supported living settings
• secure and forensic settings, including prisons
• community-based services, such as community mental health teams and crisis services
• rehabilitation and recovery services
• patients' homes.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Health Jobs UK
• HSC Jobs - health and social care jobs in Northern Ireland.
• NHS Jobs (England and Wales) - also includes adverts for registered nurse degree apprenticeships (RNDAs).
• NHSScotland Jobs
• RCNi Nursing Jobs

Jobs can also be found on specialist recruitment agencies, such as Pulse, and the websites of medical charities and private healthcare companies, such as Cygnet, Elysium Healthcare, St Andrew's Healthcare, and Priory.

Professional development

Newly registered mental health nurses usually begin their first role with a period of preceptorship, which provides structured support as they transition into professional practice and build confidence. In Scotland, newly qualified nurses take part in the Flying Start NHS programme.

Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) must be renewed every three years and requires a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD), reflective practice and safe, effective working.

CPD can include formal training, courses, workshops, conferences, online learning and development gained through day-to-day practice, often involving multidisciplinary working and clinical supervision. Find out more about NMC revalidation requirements.

As you gain experience, development opportunities may support progression into specialist mental health roles, education, leadership or management, depending on your employer. Many mental health nurses also join professional bodies such as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to access training, events, guidance and career support.

Career prospects

There are a range of opportunities to progress your career as a mental health nurse. With experience, you could move into specialist roles, working with particular client groups such as children and young people (CAMHS), older adults, forensic patients, people with eating disorders, or people with learning disabilities or autism.

You may also progress into senior or advanced roles, such as advanced nurse practitioner, nurse specialist, ward manager, nurse consultant or nurse manager. These posts typically require relevant experience and may involve further study, often at Masters level. Senior roles may include fewer hands-on clinical duties and greater involvement in leadership, mentoring, research and promoting best practice.

For those interested in leadership, the NHS Leadership Academy offers development programmes at all career stages. There are also opportunities to move into education or research, working as a lecturer or academic nurse. Further options exist in private healthcare, social services, the prison service, voluntary organisations, or overseas.

For more information on career prospects, see the Royal College of Nursing careers resource for registered nurses.