Evaluation of the Chief Nursing Officer’s Review of mental health nursing in England: findings from case studies in mental health trusts

• • 
  The Chief Nursing Officer’s Review of mental health nursing was published in 2006. This paper reports an evaluation of the implementation of the Review in mental health trusts.
• • 
  There was widespread acceptance of the Review, but actions to implement the Review varied.
• • 
  The lack of an evidence-based implementation plan and a lack of strategic nursing leadership in many mental health trusts hampered the implementation.
• • 
  The Review recommendations may become widespread by a systematic policy implementation plan from the centre, supported by local leadership in practice.

This study is an evaluation of the implementation of the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s Review of mental health nursing in mental health trusts (MHTs). The authors employed instrumental case studies in six MHTs. The results showed evidence of acceptance of the Review and some evidence of subsequent actions to implement the Review recommendations, but these were not widespread. A lack of an evidence-based implementation plan hampered the implementation as did an apparent lack of strategic nursing leadership in many MHTs. In conclusion, the vision for mental health nursing reported in the Chief Nursing Officer Review prompted various changes, directly and indirectly, among mental health nurses and the development of areas of good practice in education, practice and leadership. The positive changes evident in some areas may become widespread by a systematic policy implementation plan from the centre, supported by local leadership in practice.