Mental Health Nursing

Mental health nursing is a registered healthcare profession concerned with the assessment, care, and treatment of people experiencing mental health difficulties. Mental health nurses work with individuals across the full range of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, psychosis and bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and eating disorders, across community teams, inpatient settings, crisis services, and primary care. The role demands not only clinical knowledge but strong interpersonal and therapeutic skills: building trust with people who may be in significant distress is fundamental to effective mental health nursing.

At the University of Chester, this programme includes a foundation year and a year abroad. The foundation year provides a grounding in the sciences and skills underpinning nursing before the clinical and academic demands of the main degree begin, making the programme accessible to students from a range of educational backgrounds. The year abroad is an unusual feature for a nursing degree and gives you the opportunity to experience healthcare systems and mental health services in a different country, broadening your understanding of how mental illness is defined, treated, and supported across different cultural and structural contexts.

Throughout the programme, the academic study of mental health, including psychopharmacology, psychological therapies, mental health law, and the social determinants of wellbeing, is combined with substantial practice placements in NHS and other settings.

Chester has strong placement networks across the North West, giving students access to a range of clinical environments during their training.

Graduates register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the mental health field and work in NHS mental health trusts, community mental health teams, independent sector providers, and primary care. The profession offers structured career progression and the opportunity to specialise in areas including child and adolescent mental health, forensic mental health, and psychological therapies. Postgraduate training and advanced practice routes are available for those who wish to develop further expertise.