Providing timely and
equitable access to high-quality health care by reducing wait times for
assessment and treatment is a top priority for health-care providers,
advocates, policy-makers and indeed, for Canadians in general. However,
health-care priorities need to include a focus on mental health.
Mental health
conditions like anxiety and depression affect one in five Canadians.
Psychological factors associated with these and other mental health conditions
can affect how well people maintain their health and manage comorbidities.
Improving access to the range of biological, psychological and social
assessments, screening and interventions required to meet the needs of persons
experiencing mental health problems and illnesses and their families is
critical.
Registered nurses (RN) working in all
practice settings and along every point across the continuum care for people
with varying degrees of mental health and illness every day:
·
Public health and primary care
nurses assess and screen new mothers for post-partum depression.
·
Nurses working in emergency
departments respond to patients experiencing acute psychotic episodes.
·
Primary care nurses screen for
and provide education around substance use and abuse.
·
Street health nurses care for
people who may be homeless and/or engaging in high-risk behaviours, in part
because of an unmanaged mental illness.
·
School nurses assess children
and youth for the presence of eating disorders, bullying and abuse.
·
Critical care nurses care for
families experiencing grief, loss and crisis.
·
Medical/surgical nurses care
for patients experiencing acute delirium, depression and anxiety.
·
Psychiatric/mental health
nurses often care for individuals who are at risk for self-harm or experiencing
suicidal ideation.
- Nurses working in First Nation communities deal with intergenerational effects of trauma and abuse.
As holistic practitioners and care
providers, we utilize our knowledge, expertise and therapeutic interactions to
care for the mental health and well-being of individuals, communities and
populations. Our numbers, our distribution and our role as knowledge
professionals means that we are well-positioned to provide the leadership and
solutions necessary to drive improvements in mental health service delivery.
Nurses have extensive clinical expertise and have demonstrated
leadership in providing mental health services to Canadians, including health
promotion, illness prevention, early detection, diagnosis, intervention, crisis
management, rehabilitation and (especially) recovery. Because nurses can often
identify the early signs of mental illness, and the life conditions that
contribute to it, they are well-positioned to offer early interventions that
can mitigate a deteriorating personal situation. Ideally, the contributions of
nurses and other health-care providers are most effective when offered through
interprofessional collaborative approaches. In this updated position statement, CNA promotes
the formal inclusion and involvement of families, caregivers, consumers and
consumer groups in the planning, delivery and evaluation of mental health
services, including the provision of care and self-management.
CNA, in a 2011 brief to the House of
Commons Standing Committee on Finance, told the committee that targeted
improvements in community health and mental health care across the continuum
can be realized through the implementation of the recommendations outlined in
the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) mental health strategy for
Canada. This strategy will advance a comprehensive population-based approach to
mental health — one that emphasizes broad community-based services and recovery-based
approaches and acknowledges the pivotal role of consumers and front-line
providers in implementing system change. One of the most promising aspects of
this strategy is that it emphasizes fostering good mental health for all
Canadians, not just treating problems and illnesses when they arise. CNA is
keenly aware that resources to support knowledge translation and change
management opportunities will be necessary to support the implementation of the
MHCC’s recommendations.
The principles of primary health care (PHC), as outlined in the World
Health Organization’s 1978 Alma Ata declaration, are foundational for
optimizing the health of all populations and improving the performance of
health systems: (1) accessibility; (2)active public participation; (3) health promotion
and chronic disease prevention and management; (4) the use of appropriate
technology and innovation (including knowledge, skills and information); and
(5) intersectoral cooperation and collaboration. In celebrating 35 years since the
signing of this declaration, and to portray the relationships among PHC’s
values, principles and concepts, CNA has developed the following conceptual
model.
PHC is about far more than delivering health-care services. It’s about
creating the conditions that support health and wellness. For more information,
see our Conceptual Model: Primary Health Care page and position statement on PHC.
Utilizing
its voice, leverage and actions, CNA continues to advocate for a system that
supports the mental health and wellness of all people living in Canada and
those on the journey toward recovery, and collaborates with national and
jurisdictional partners in support of this agenda. CNA is committed to
working with other health-care professionals and organizations to ensure public
policy and practice best meets the mental health needs of Canadians.
CNA is the
national professional voice of registered nurses in Canada. A federation of 11
provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges representing
nearly 150,000 registered nurses, CNA advances the practice and profession of
nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada’s publicly funded,
not-for-profit health system.
