COMMUNITY MENTAL health nurses are growing increasingly concerned about the fragmentation of Irish society and the loss of defined community structures and supports, a new study carried out by a researcher at Waterford Institute of Technology has found.
The two-phased doctoral research by Dr Jarlath McKenna found that community mental health nurses faced a variety of challenges, including what they regard as excessive caseloads and delivering services to increasingly diverse communities.
According to Dr McKenna, the study found that community mental health nurses are reporting “increased cries for help, evidence of substance misuse, deliberate self-harm and stigmatisation of those with mental illness”.
Themes to emerge during the research included the administrative burden reported by community nursing personnel, different patterns of mental illness in new communities and limited Information and Communications Technology (ICT) support, said Dr McKenna.
Community mental health nurses also reported heavy caseloads, perceived lack of a clear career structure, sometimes rigid working models, as well as occupational stress and professional isolation, he said.
Dr McKenna began the research by carrying out indepth interviews with some 16 community mental health nurses and he used the responses he received to formulate a detailed questionnaire which he then sent to more than 200 community mental health nurses across the State. He also sent questionnaires to directors of mental health.
“Community mental health nurses are among the unsung heroes of the Irish health services. This study provides a clearer understanding of the complex role they play,” said Dr McKenna.