MWCH Student Nurses Mental Health

Mid-West Mental Health Services covers the counties of Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary and delivers a comprehensive service to a varied and often complex group of service users.

The person appointed to this post will work within Mid-West Mental Health Services. He/she will be required to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering a co-ordinated approach to client care.

The types of services provided are as follows:

· There are four approved centres in the Mid-West

- (i) Acute Psychiatric Unit, 5B, Limerick University Hospital (50 beds)

- (ii) Acute Psychiatric Unit, Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Clare (39 beds)

- (iii) Tearmann Ward, St. Camillus’ Hospital (21 beds – Psychiatry of Older Persons) and

- (iv) Cappahard Lodge, Ennis (34 beds – Psychiatry of Older Persons/Rehab).

· Community Mental Health Teams – General Adult Mental Health Teams operate in the Mid West region providing a range of services to people with Mental Health issues. Social Workers are a core part of the Community Mental Health Teams.

· Psychiatry of Older Persons – There are 3 Old Age Psychiatry teams across the Mid West.

· Rehabilitation Psychiatry – There are 2 rehabilitation teams providing care for those with enduring mental illness in the Mid West.

· Liaison – There is 1 such team in the Mid West.

· CAMHS – There are 6 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Teams across the Mid West.

The HSE provides a wide range of community and hospital based Mental Health Services in Ireland and these services have been evolving as we continue to move from the hospital model to providing more care in communities and in clients' own homes. It is estimated that up to one in five of us will experience some mental health problems in our lifetime and in order to meet these needs, Mental Health Services are expanding and evolving.

We are committed to providing progressive high standards of recovery-based nursing care to clients with a wide range of mental health issues which range from basic to complex, severe psychiatric care needs. Services include Adult, Older Adult, Psychiatry of Later Life, ID with a Mental Health Diagnosis, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Forensic Mental Health services.

Adult Services including Older Adult and Psychiatry of Later Life are based in a number of locations all over Ireland. So if you want to work close or far from home there are a number of choices. The HSE treat and support individuals in their own homes and within the community where possible. In addition to this, acute admission wards are located throughout the country where services include assessment and treatment.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide assessment and treatment for young people up to 18 years and their families who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and ADHD. Specialist inpatient CAMHS services are based in Dublin, Cork and Galway. Community based CAMHS services are located throughout the country.

Mental Health Services offer more rewarding nursing career opportunities than you may be aware of. Our nurse-led services allow extensive opportunities to fully engage in the delivery of holistic quality care, working with many other healthcare professionals such as Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Behavioural Therapists, Counsellors, Occupational Therapists, GPs and Social Workers to ensure the best outcomes for service users and residents.

Mental Health Services actively encourage and support continual professional development as well as extensive access to rewarding career pathways. Nurses with experience qualify to apply for a variety of promotional managerial roles such as Clinical Nurse Manager, while those seeking specialist pathways can develop within roles such as Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Prescriber, Clinical Nurse Specialist roles and more. Nurses joining a Mental Health Service are fully supported and mentored.

Informal Enquiries to:

Mr. Donal O’Donovan. Assistant Director of Nursing.

Phone number: (061) 461329

Email: donalp.odonovan@hse.ie