Andrew - Physical Health Nurse

Andrew is a Physical Health Nurse in the Physical Health Team

Andrew chose to be a physical health nurse working with service users who struggle with their mental health, as he wanted to work in a challenging but rewarding clinical setting. He describes no two days as being the same in mental health which is one of the reasons why he loves his job. Andrew explains that due to health inequalities, individuals with mental health disorders die up to twenty years younger than the average population and as a physical health nurse, he is there to provide holistic care to address their concerns and needs. Andrew says: “My experience and exposure in the UK has shown me a more systematic approach in creating a therapeutic process and environment for service users who have mental health and learning disabilities.”

Andrew is keen to encourage adult nurses, general nurses and overseas nurses to bring in their skills into the mental health setting. Aside from learning new things, they will be able to incorporate their knowledge and become specialists in their own right.

For Andrew, a typical day begins with a morning huddle where he catches up on the tasks from the day before and identifies which ones need to be followed up. He checks emails and responds to referrals where he provides advice and guidance to various teams on supporting service users. He provides staff training for them to be upskilled and address the complexities of the demands of the wards. He also attends various meetings both inside and outside of the Trust for programmes and projects for information sharing and collaboration. He is involved in updating policies and procedures reflecting current practices and guidelines.