Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust employs first mental health nurse

A Boston mental health nurse has become the first to work directly for the trust that runs Lincolnshire hospitals.
Rachelle Cryan, left, and Rochelle King.Rachelle Cryan, left, and Rochelle King.
Rachelle Cryan, left, and Rochelle King.

Rochelle King, 31, has been welcomed into an elderly care team on ward 6A at Boston Pilgrim Hospital after attending a recruitment open day.

It was there that she spoke to staff at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust with a desire to improve patient care by combining her mental health experience with general medicine, and she was offered an interview.

A mental health nurse, or Registered Mental Nurse (RMN), is a qualified nurse who studied the mental health branch of nursing.

Staff on ward 6A at Boston Pilgrim look after elderly female patients with complex conditions, which in many cases includes dementia.

Ms King said she was looking forward to developing her skills and offering specialist care to patients.

She said: “I wanted a new challenge and to further my skills to help patients more.

“I am trained in assisting patients who do become agitated to help manage their aggression.

“I also offer one to one support for patients with dementia.”

Ms King is enjoying her role and will attend mental health courses to keep her knowledge up to date and share her skills with the rest of her team on the ward.

Rachelle Cryan, former ward sister of ward 6A, said: “We felt like we were missing a trick by not having a mental health nurse on the ward and part of the team.

“Rochelle has in-depth knowledge of mental capacity medicine and this particularly relates to those patients with dementia.

“We have a lot of patients with co-existing problems with mental and physical health.

“I’m really hoping this is just the beginning and we can welcome more mental health nurses into our teams and share those skills.”

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