In the final episode of the Mental Health Conversations from St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, we explore the future of nursing and the exciting opportunities to further shape the profession, from advancements in technology to improving recruitment, retention, and the perception of mental healthcare, Shane Kirwan speaks with team members about the key areas driving change.

Frankie Prendergast, our Digital Health Applications Programme Manager, talks about how St Patrick’s is leading the way in digital care delivery. She shares how innovative technology is making treatment more accessible for services users and empowering nurses with new ways to deliver care and advance their careers. 

John Creedon, our Director of Nursing, describes where the nursing profession finds itself today. He outlines how St Patrick’s is positioning itself as the employer of choice for mental health professionals into the future.

Finally, Gary Kiernan, a former service user and mental health advocate, looks ahead to a future free of stigma. He shares his thoughts on how he believes that will be achieved. 

At St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS), we are constantly working to improve how we care for our service users. Research practice lies at the heart of this.

In this episode of Mental Health Conversations, Aoife Farrington speaks with colleagues who have carried out research projects, as well as those who support nurses with the process. They share their experiences of conducting research, including the practical steps, time commitments involved, and the many benefits research can bring to both service users and nurses alike. 

Featuring:

·      Gráinne Donohue, Programme Manager of our Academic Institute

·      Lisa Douglas, mental health nurse

·      Mary Needham, Clinical Placement Coordinator 

·      Marie King, nurse

·      Mary Corrigan, CPC Clinical Placement Co-ordinator 0.5 and Clinical Skills Facilitator 0.5

·      Adam Kavanagh, Programme Manager of Clinical Governance here in SPMHS.

Mental health nursing is a rewarding yet demanding profession. While it requires compassion and dedication, the role can also bring challenges such as long hours, shift work, and providing support to people during difficult times. For nurses, knowing when to step back and recharge is crucial to maintaining the balance between professional dedication and personal wellbeing.

In this episode of Mental Health Conversations, we dive into the significance of self-care in nursing, explore strategies for relaxation and rejuvenation, and discuss how St. Patrick’s supports the physical and mental wellbeing of our staff.

Featuring:
 
·      Laura-Lee O’Brien, Staff Nurse

·      Gary Kiernan, Former service-user, patient advocate, and co-author of a research paper called Finding My Hard Hat

·      Emma Prendergast, Staff Nurse

·      Grainne Phelan, Staff Nurse 

·      Robbie O’Neil, Clinical Nurse Manager 2

Anxiety disorders can have a profound effect on our lives, and at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, we offer specialised treatment for people experiencing them.

On this episode of Mental Health Conversations, Shane Kirwan meets Frank Smith, Clinical Nurse Manager 2 on our Anxiety Disorders Programme. They discuss the various difficulties that the programme is designed to treat, some of the key ideas behind Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), how care is structured and what it involves. We also hear stories of successful recovery.

More recently, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has been emerging as a way of supporting treatment of certain anxiety-related conditions, such as phobias. Frank describes an innovative new VR treatment being used in St Patrick’s, and we hear a first-hand account of the technology in action with Orlaith Grehan of our Communications team.

We also explore two of the other specialised services and treatments that we offer in St Patrick’s by visiting our special care unit and learning more about Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).

Mental Health Conversations is a brand new podcast series brought to you by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Ireland’s largest independent mental health service.

In St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, we offer a range of specialist services designed to meet the care needs of service users experiencing certain mental health difficulties. One of these specialities is our Eating Disorders Service which provides care for adults who have eating difficulties.

On this episode of Mental Health Conversations, host Aoife Farrington meets Gráinne O’Connor, Clinical Nurse Manager of our Eating Disorder Day Care Programme. Gráinne describes what the programme involves, the nature of the care it provides, and how it feels to watch service users recover. 

Aoife also meets two members of the team behind the Eating Disorder Aftercare Programme, dietician Laura Crotty and manager Megan Strickland, to explore how having ongoing connection and peer support makes a real difference to long-term recovery.

Also, a big focus in healthcare currently is the multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach. This refers to a group of professionals from various disciplines who meet regularly to discuss the care needs of a service user and come up with an individualised care plan.  We’ll hear a first-hand account of how a multidisciplinary team meeting works in the mental healthcare setting. 

 Mental Health Conversations is a brand new podcast series brought to you by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Ireland’s largest independent mental health service.

The role of the mental health nurse involves many things, but, at the core, it’s all about helping people to get better. In this episode of Mental Health Conversations, Clinical Nurse Manager Jenny Judge describes the day-to-day aspects of her job, what she finds rewarding about her role, and the positive impact that she hopes to have on the people in her care. 

We hear a powerful story from Jude McCarthy, a former service user, about her time in St Patrick’s – what led to her admission, the good parts and the challenges, and the critical role that nurses played in her experience, and, ultimately, in her recovery. 

And host Shane Kirwan takes us on a tour of St Patrick’s University Hospital, where we learn about the service user journey, day-to-day life on the wards, and some of the recreational activities available for our service users to enjoy. 

 Mental Health Conversations is a brand new podcast series brought to you by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Ireland’s largest independent mental health service.

An introduction to this brand new podcast series, brought to you by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Ireland’s largest independent mental health service.