Nursing

Mental health nursing is one of the most human and demanding of the nursing specialisms, concerned with the care and support of people experiencing mental health difficulties across the full range of severity, from anxiety and depression through to psychosis, personality disorders, and complex trauma. Mental health nurses work not just with individuals but with the families, carers, and communities around them, building the therapeutic relationships and the practical care plans that help people to live with dignity and to achieve whatever degree of recovery or wellbeing is possible for them.

At the University of Leeds, this three-year full-time programme leads to registration as a mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the regulatory body for nursing in the UK. The programme is structured around a combination of academic study and extensive clinical placement, giving you both the theoretical foundations of mental health nursing and the practical competence that safe and effective care requires. You will study mental health conditions and their evidence base, pharmacology and medicines management, therapeutic communication and relationship-based care, the legal and ethical frameworks governing mental health care, and the social determinants of mental health.

The programme includes a year abroad, which is an unusual and distinctive feature for a nursing degree, giving you the opportunity to experience mental health care in a different national and cultural context.

Leeds has a strong nursing faculty and excellent relationships with NHS mental health trusts in Yorkshire and the wider North, giving students access to a range of placement environments including inpatient, community, forensic, and specialist mental health services. A typical entry tariff of 136 points reflects the professional standards expected of those entering a health profession.

Graduates register as mental health nurses and work in NHS and independent sector mental health services, community teams, and a growing range of specialist roles. The profession offers clear career progression and the opportunity to make a direct and significant difference to people's lives.