Four authors explore an evolving practice of psychosocial nursing at the Cassel Hospital and its likely relevance to therapeutic nursing in other settings. The authors do this by revisiting the Flynn (1993) paper entitled “The patients’ pantry: the nature of the nursing task”, and add three personal reflections, from our differing perspectives, on this paper
Rereading Caroline’s paper focuses our differing reflections on understanding the relevance of evolving psychosocial nursing practice to the therapeutic work of the Cassel today, and to therapeutic work in other mental health settings.
The first reflective piece is written by a retired medical staff member, the second is from a higher trainee in medical psychotherapy who worked there more recently and the third is written by two current psychosocial nurses working on the Adult Inpatient Service there.
This paper is a qualitative outline of a way of working that actively involves patients and nurses in exploring their own ways of thinking, feeling, relating and behaving. It can be a rich source of learning for the patients and the nurses involved.
How can opportunities to work in this way in our very stretched National Health and Social Care Services be developed? Does the expertise still exist among nursing staff to work in this way?
Can psychosocial nursing, as outlined in this paper, help in keeping hope of therapeutic progress alive in mental health services?
All three reflections are original and are written from current, recent and more distant experiences of working at the Cassel.
