Cardiff and the Vale Practices are taking an innovative approach to multi-disciplinary team working; and when the Vale Group Practice presented the opportunity to work as a Primary Care Mental Health Nurse, I jumped at the chance. 

I moved away from Wales as a teenager and worked in London and across Europe, finally retraining in the early 90s as a nurse and specialising in mental health. I returned to Wales 17 years ago, and took up post as the GP Liaison Nurse for The Addictions Service and as a Substance Misuse Tutor for the RCGP.  Since working here I have loved it and have worked with some fantastic primary care staff.

My role in the Vale Group Practice has a dual purpose. Firstly in providing specialist support to patients experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties and secondly to free up GP time to allow them to concentrate on patients with complex needs.

If a patient meets the clinical criteria they are directly signposted to me from reception. I will assess and plan care, working with the practice Doctors, Counsellor and the Community Mental Health Team to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. The Practice certainly feels there has been a clear benefit of utilising a mental health professional in practice and we are evaluating our service to help other practices to see the benefits introducing a wider skills mix.

Something I love about my job is the support from my colleagues, from the receptionist and admin staff, to the clinicians. I particularly like the fact that my views and experience are welcomed and respected. My specialist knowledge and experience is truly valued.  My personal development has benefited from working closely with the Practices lead GP. Every day is a new challenge and we work together to co-produce creative patient management options.

 We are a true multi-disciplinary practice. The team has a range of professionals, including a physiotherapist, counsellor and pharmacist. It’s truly a holistic model; our patients benefit as we have different but complementary skills, knowledge and experience and we work together to deliver comprehensive healthcare aimed at providing the best possible outcome for the physical and psychosocial needs of a patient and their carers. 

If you are a Secondary Care Nurse considering moving into Primary Care or considering relocating to Wales I can thoroughly recommend working in Cardiff and the Vale.