Malta Psychiatric Association launched

Education, promotion and innovation are the new Malta Psychiatric Association's goals, which aim to establish the role of psychiatric nurses and assert their professional identity within society.

Launched during Mental Health Week - last week - the organisation said it will not concern itself with financial or political issues unless they affect the profession of psychiatric nursing.

It added that psychiatric nurses have many roles within their careers, including assessment, education, care planning, health promotion, therapy and community care.

"These multidimensional roles of our profession are as yet not recognised, sometimes not even by psychiatric nurses themselves," the association said in a statement.

It has developed a set of 15 standards of care for graduate level psychiatric nurses, which encompass all the internationally recognised aspects of psychiatric nursing care and are tailored to our local situation.

The next association meeting is scheduled for the end of July, during which a committee will be formed.

Further information is available by contacting the association by e-mail: mapsychnurses@gmail.com or call 9982-5731.