First MAPN Seminar a Success

On the 23^rd January, MAPN’s first seminar, ‘Psychiatric Nursing – The Change Agent in Mental Health’, was held at the John Paul II Hall in Attard. The event was a resounding success with a good attendance that exceeded all expectations. The council worked relentlessly to maintain as high a standard as possible and this was reflected by the encouraging feedback which was gathered following the seminar.

The occasion was kicked off by Mr. John Degiorgio (acting manager nursing services for Mount Carmel Hospital), who was chairing the seminar. He gave a brief introduction in which he described briefly the evolution in nursing which took place at Mount Carmel Hospital (MCH) during the years.

Mr. Edward Borg (CEO MCH) outlined the role of the management in making sure that the nurses have the opportunity to keep developing professionally during their career. He said that, continued development should not be an excuse to take a break from work, but rather an effort by the nurse to better the service given to clients.

Dr. Joseph Saliba (Clinical Director MCH) commented that the title chosen for the seminar was quite bold since many different professions claim merit to being the primary change agent in mental health. He encouraged psychiatric nurses to rise to this challenge and prove themselves. He also commented that psychiatric nursing is a challenging profession since it requires the nurse to be a carer and guardian who dispenses knowledge and discipline.

Mr. Martin Ward (Course Coordinator Mental Health Nursing) stressed the importance of having the right person for the right job. He made a clear point that all the different professions involved in mental health care should not try to compete with each other but should rather complement each other for the benefit of the clients in their care.

Mrs. Josanne Drago Bason (Deputy Course Coordinator Mental Health Nursing) and Mrs. Carmen Gales (BSc. Mental Health Nurse) gave a detailed history of Maltese mental health nursing with the title ‘The Journey of Psychiatric Nursing in Malta’. The presentation also delved into the current role of the psychiatric nurse. In a brief discussion which was held after this presentation, Mr. Jesmond Sharples (Director Nursing Services) commented that nowadays, many nurses are actively choosing to work at MCH. He also insisted that he is committed towards dispelling the idea that nurses are sent to work in MCH as a form of punishment. Mr. E. Borg agreed with this and added that, instances where nurses are sanctioned by being transferred to MCH against their will, are a thing of the past.

After a brief coffee break Mrs. May Caruana (Community Mental Health Services Manager) and Mrs. Therese Runza (Out Reach Team Leader) made a presentation detailing the great progress which was made in recent years with regards to community mental health services. From a short discussion following the presentation it was agreed that, while everyone acknowledges the need to extend community services across the whole country, we currently lack the resources to do so.

Following this, Mr. Pierre Galea (Community Psychiatric Nurse) outlined the role of the community mental health nurse in the United Kingdom. He also explained in brief the system used in community care and the role of the various members of the multi disciplinary team.

At the end of the presentations Mrs. Connie Magro, Mrs. Rose Galea and Ms. Charmaine Borg led three different workgroups which generated further discussion among those present. Mr. Kevin Gafa’ (President MAPN) closed the event with a short speech. He commented that up till now it has been extremely difficult to find a proper sponsor for the association and said that this might be attributed to the stigma that prevails in relation to mental health care. He reminded those present that MAPN is planning many activities for the future including the publishing of the first issue of the MAPN newsletter, the expansion of the official website (www.map-n.com) and an as yet undisclosed project planned for the last quarter of 2007. He also mentioned the Horatio Festival for Psychiatric Nurses which will be held in Malta in November 2008 and will be hosted by MAPN.

At the end of the half day seminar those present had the opportunity to continue discussing the points raised during the presentations while enjoying a high tea in the open air within the premises.

Angelo Abela - Psychiatric Nurse