Community mental health nurses, primary care and the National Service Framework for Mental Health
The aim of this article is to explore how community mental health nurses (CMHNs) can assist the primary care team, in particular practice nurses, to address and begin to meet standard two of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. The focus of the paper will be on depression, one of the commonest mental disorders presented in primary care.
At the end of this article, you should be able to:
identify the main points of standard two of the National Service Framework for Mental Health;
discuss the prevalence of depression in primary care;
identify why many patients with depressive disorders remain undetected;
discuss the possible role of community mental health nurses in primary care in relation to practice nurses.
