Mental Health Nursing Review: monthly updates
Brief updates on the work of the Scottish Mental Health Nursing Review for mental health nurses and other stakeholders who are interested in the work of the Review.
Part of
October 2026 update
October has been a productive month for the Scottish Mental Health Nursing Review (MHNR) Implementation Group, with significant progress in stakeholder engagement, workforce development, student involvement and implementation planning. Efforts have focused on strengthening national collaboration, establishing implementation structures and advancing delivery of the Review's recommendations.
Student representation
Student representatives have now been allocated across each of the implementation sub-groups. All students who volunteered have been offered the opportunity to join the re-established Mental Health Nursing Student Network, supporting implementation of the Review recommendations while ensuring student voices continue to inform future developments in mental health nursing.
Alignment paper
Analysis of the national Mapping Exercise has now been completed and the findings incorporated into the Alignment Paper. The exercise identified key stakeholder networks, mapped existing communication pathways and highlighted opportunities to strengthen collaboration, reduce duplication and support coordinated delivery of the MHNR recommendations across Scotland.
Engagement with key stakeholders
Engagement has continued with a range of key stakeholders to support implementation, strengthen collaboration and ensure alignment across national workstreams. Activity this month included:
- attendance at the Newly Qualified Nurse (NQN) Event in Glasgow
- engagement with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- ongoing collaboration with the Mental Health Nurse Leads Group
- discussions with Scottish Executive Nursing Directors (SEND)
- engagement with the Strategic Professional Lead for Nursing and Midwifery Education (CNOD) to explore the potential contribution of the Professional Nurse Advocate role to implementation activity
Sub-groups
Sub-group Co-Chairs are currently developing Terms of Reference for approval by the MHNR Implementation Group. Each sub-group will continue to progress implementation activity aligned to the Review themes of:
- strengthening the contribution and impact of the workforce
- nurturing and supporting the workforce
- mental health nursing leadership
- workforce education and development
- rural and island considerations will remain embedded throughout all implementation activity rather than being addressed as a separate workstream
Latest MHNR podcast now live
The latest PSD Scotland podcast, “In Conversation with Alex” is now accessible, managed by Principal Educator Gillian Davis, Public Services Delivery Scotland.
Episode 5, "Mental Health Nursing in Scotland – Continuing the Conversation with Professor Alex McMahon: Next Steps for the Mental Health Nursing Review", explores progress to date and outlines priorities for the next stage of implementation.
Supporting Mental Health Nursing Workforce research
The programme is supporting research led by Victoria Petrini, Federation University Australia, examining the factors that influence the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Scotland. The research will contribute valuable evidence to support future workforce planning and policy development. As part of the research study, mental health nurses are invited to complete a short online survey exploring workplace experiences, job satisfaction and work-life balance.
The survey takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete and participation is voluntary. Findings will help inform recommendations to strengthen the mental health nursing workforce in Scotland. Colleagues are encouraged to participate in this research and to share this opportunity with eligible mental health nursing staff.
Ongoing stakeholder engagement
Monthly update meetings continue to be held with key stakeholders to maintain momentum, support collaboration and ensure alignment across implementation activity.
Looking ahead
Over the next month, priority will focus on:
- a collaboration meeting with the Chair and sub-group Co-Chairs to agree governance arrangements and implementation priorities
- finalisation of sub-group terms of reference
- continued stakeholder engagement to support alignment of national programmes and delivery of Review recommendations
- promotion of workforce research and student engagement opportunities
Further updates and implementation progress will continue to be published on this page.