Mental Health Nursing in Scotland

Within Episode 1 Alex talks about his career as a mental health nurse spanning over 40 years and what this has meant to him. We hear about his hopes for the future of the mental health nursing a profession that that has seen him lead in a variety of leadership roles at Strategic and Board level and to his final post before retirement as the Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland. Alex continues to champion the roles of nurses in that has seen him chair the Review of Mental Health Nursing in Scotland and is currently the Chair of the review of student nurse and midwifery practice learning for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). 

Access a Transcript of Episode 1 - In Conversation with Professor Alex McMahon, CBE available on a Sway document. 

The information contained in this podcast is current at the point of publication, with no guarantee of future relevance.

Let us know what you think about our podcast by filling out the Mental Health Nursing Scotland feedback form. Your opinion is valued. We want to grow and develop the channel to interest you, our listeners. 

Resources

Visit the Mental Health nursing review information on the Scottish Government's website. 

Access monthly updates for the Mental Health Nursing Review 

Guest speaker - Alex McMahon

Professor Alex McMahon, CBE was until May 2024 the Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland, a post he had held from October 2021. Prior to this Alex was the Executive Nurse Director for NHS Lothian, and Chair of the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors Group. Alex initially trained as a mental health nurse and worked in both acute and long-term mental health care. He held various senior nursing and management positions during his career.  

He holds two honorary professorships, with both Queen Margaret University and the University of Stirling. In 2024 Alex was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Queen Margaret University for services to nursing and health care and was then awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Kings New Years Honours list for services to nursing in Scotland. 

Within Episode 2 we hear from Sue Abbott Smith, a Registered General and Mental Health Nurse with over 20 years' experience working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Nurse. This has included working with hard to reach and difficult to engage young people. Sue’s CAMHS clinical roles have varied and included working with young people presenting in mental health crisis, psychosis, and low mood.

If this content might disturb you or those around you, please reconsider listening or accessing the podcast transcript. 

Within this episode, please note we will be discussing: 

• Children and Young People who may be at risk of Suicide or Self-harm 
• Parents of Children and Young People who may be at risk of Suicide or Self-harm  

It is important to acknowledge that the contents of this podcast might be sensitive or upsetting. Please do take time to consider this prior to listening or consider accessing the transcripts provided, also please do take a break, at any time, if you need to.  If you need support, or to talk to someone, please contact: 

NHS 24: 111 

Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87 

Samaritans: 116 123 

NHS Education for Scotland have a wide range of resources to support you to take care of your own wellbeing. You can find them here: Taking care of myself 

Access a written Transcript of Episode 2 - In Conversation with Sue Abbott-Smith available on a Sway document. 

The information contained in this podcast is current at the point of publication, with no guarantee of future relevance.

Let us know what you think about our podcast by filling out the Mental Health Nursing Scotland feedback form. Your opinion is valued. We want to grow and develop the channel to interest you, our listeners. 

Resources

Publications:

• Suicide prevention: What does the evidence show for the effectiveness of safety planning for children and young people? – A systematic scoping review 2023
• Suicide prevention: Introducing the Lothian Safekeeping Plan © for parents as a clinical innovation for use alongside safety plans for children and young people 2024

Visit the Mental Health nursing review information on the Scottish Government's website. 

Access monthly updates for the Mental Health Nursing Review 

Guest speaker - Sue Abbott-Smith

Sue is currently working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), NHS Lothian and talks about her research and role in developing the NHS Lothian Safekeeping Plan© to support parents of children and young people with suicidal ideation.   

Sue has also held a two-year part-time post as a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University and continues to be involved in research within the University. Sue is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and supervisor and is currently undertaking her PhD around suicide prevention 

 

In Episode 3 we hear from Lyndsey McBain, Team Leader, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Crisis Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Lyndsey talks about her journey as a mental health nurse, her interest and passion for working within alcohol and drug recovery services, what leadership means to her and how this has helped her in her role to develop the service over the last four years. Since the launch of the service this has seen development of referral pathways with multiple partners, including the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, and various third sector organisations.   

If this content might disturb you or those around you, please reconsider listening or accessing the podcast transcript. 

Within this episode, please note we will be discussing: 

• People who may experience alcohol and substance misuse within their daily lives
• The impact of this of this on the person, their families and the wider community. 

Access a written Transcript of Episode 3 - In Conversation with Lyndsey McBain available on a Sway document.

The information contained in this podcast is current at the point of publication, with no guarantee of future relevance.

Let us know what you think about our podcast by filling out Mental Health Nursing Scotland feedback form. Your opinion is valued. We want to grow and develop the channel to interest you, our listeners. 

Resources

Visit the Mental Health nursing review information on the Scottish Government's website. 

Access monthly updates for the Mental Health Nursing Review 

Guest speaker - Lyndsey McBain

Lyndsey is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and has worked in the field of addictions for around 18 years.   

Lyndsey is  passionate about supporting people affected by substance use, particularly during times of crisis. My approach focuses on compassionate, person-centred care and building trust with individuals who may find it difficult to engage with traditional services. Over the years, has  valued the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across health and social care to improve outcomes for those most at risk.  

In recognition of our efforts, the team within the Alcohol and Drug Recovery  Crisis Service was honoured as RCN Nursing Team of the Year in 2022 

Lyndsey continues to develop her leadership skills and, in 2024, began an MSc in Leading People-Centred Care to further my growth in delivering impactful care and leadership in this field. 

Within Episode 4, Hamish talks about his journey to becoming a mental health nurse, after archaeology as a first career, following in family footsteps and his road to completing his doctorate whilst balancing clinical practice. Also Hamish  talks about his role as chair of the Mental Health Nursing Review Practitioner Reference Group and what this has meant to him. As part of the review process, the group represented the voices of mental health nurses from different levels of practice across various sectors and settings. This included academics and student mental health nurses and working closely with Keith Russell, Nurse Director (Mental Health and Learning Disabilities) NHS Tayside, who chaired the Leadership Advisory Group.  

Within this episode, please note we will be discussing: 

• Prior career pathways working in archaeology with deceased people

• Mental Health Nursing within a variety of clinical settings

If this content might disturb you or those around you, please reconsider listening or accessing the podcast transcript. 

Access a written Transcript of Episode 4 - In Conversation with Dr Hamish Fulford available on a Sway document. 

The information contained in this podcast is current at the point of publication, with no guarantee of future relevance.

Let us know what you think about our podcast by filling out the Mental Health Nursing Scotland feedback form. Your opinion is valued. We want to grow and develop the channel to interest you, our listeners. 

Resources

Exploring the use of mobile information and communication technology by people with mood disorders, and their health and social care professionals.

Visit the Mental Health nursing review information on the Scottish Government's website. 

Access monthly updates for the Mental Health Nursing Review 

Guest speaker - Hamish Fulford

Dr Hamish Fulford graduated as a Registered Mental Health Nurse from The University of Dundee in the early 2000s and spent several years working for NHS Tayside in specialist areas, such as older adult functional assessment, acute adult assessment, substance misuse services and community mental health services.   

He completed his MSc counselling and psychotherapy training in 2013 and was awarded his PhD Nursing in 2018 by The University of Dundee.  He latterly worked as an academic in higher education engaged in teaching, enterprise and research, before joining The State Hospital and Forensic Managed Care Network as Consultant Nurse in Psychological Therapies in 2022 where he divides his time equally between the two organisations. 

Hamish continues to be engaged in clinical, education, service improvement and research developments within this role and continues to support and supervise doctoral students.  Additionally, Hamish has also chaired and led on national groups and the former co-chair of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Consultant Nurse Forum for Scotland.  

Hamish is very keen to support staff in their professional development through supervision and coaching and would be delighted to have a chat with anyone interested in forging a clinical-academic career.