Management strategies to tackle stress in mental health nursing

Increased workloads, under-staffing, job insecurity and continuing, rapid organisational change have all been identified as major sources of stress among mental health nurses. So too has the increasing intensity of work, with more highly disturbed and potentially violent or suicidal patients. But, BEN THOMAS argues, trusts themselves could do much more by tackling poor management practice and introducing effective policies and procedures to deal with stress at both organisational and individual levels.