What does a neuropsychiatry specialist nurse do?
Understand the role of a neuropsychiatry specialist nurse and their role in mental health nursing. Could this be the career path you want to pursue in nursing?
Neuropsychiatry specialist nurses work in the fields of neurology and psychiatry, looking at how neurological illness, injury or events affect or contribute to symptoms of mental ill health.
A neuropsychiatry specialist nurse at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool explains what the role involves.
As the specialist nurse in the neuropsychiatry team at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network, I work with the most complex patients in the hospital.
Our team works across the acute wards and the rehabilitation network, providing both an outpatient service and a specialist inpatient liaison service – a bespoke service developed to ensure our patients receive the highest standards of care.
As well as assessing and monitoring patients, we support the treatment of those presenting with an existing mental health diagnosis and/or symptoms of mental health illness that developed secondary to neurological symptoms or a diagnosis of brain injury.
We provide education and support to medical and nursing teams throughout the trust, advising on the management of patients in the hospital and rehabilitation settings.
Our team is unique in that we continue to support the patient throughout their treatment and recovery. We can become involved with patients while they are in intensive care and experiencing, for example delirium or agitation, and then remain involved throughout their hospital stay.
We advocate for patients at rehabilitation network meetings, supporting them through the rehabilitation process and continuing to treat residual symptoms in our outpatient service. This ensures the safety of patients and staff and contributes to a positive care experience for our patients and their families.
My role is Agenda for Change Band 7 and requires a solid background in mental health nursing, with at least four year’ post-registration experience.
Lindsay Cleary is a neuropsychiatry specialist nurse at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool
This is an abridged version of the article Neuropsychiatry specialist nurses: here’s what we do which was first published in Nursing Standard. Read the full article to learn more about the skills and qualifications required to be a neuropsychiatry specialist nurse, what a day in the life of a nurse in this role looks like, and what to do if you are interested in a role like this.
Read more careers articles in Nursing Standard
