1. What interpersonal skills are essential for a mental health nurse to possess to be able to build relationships with those in their care? (Tick all that apply)

1. Being interested and curious in the life events that have bought the person to ask for help
2. Being able to listen non-judgementally and to have well-developed self-awareness reflective skills
3. Being open and transparent about the purpose/s of the proposed intervention
4. Being flexible to the person’s needs regarding timing and venue for meetings

2. How would you define the term ‘professional friend’ as a mental health nurse?

1. A nurse who is always available to respond to requests for help and thinks of his/herself as ‘going the extra mile’
2. A nurse who always takes his/her service users out for coffee/tea
3. A nurse who is willing to offer practical support and help within the boundaries of his/her role
4. A nurse who is willing to be flexible about how/when where appointments take place, but never shares any personal information with the people in his/her care

3. When making contact with a person (who you know relies on public transport) for an initial assessment, which of the following statements encompasses best practice

1. Send a letter offering an appointment at the team base during an assessment clinic
2. Send a letter offering an appointment at their nearby GP surgery
3. Sending a letter asking them to phone up your team administrator to book a convenient slot in the assessment clinic
4. Phoning up the person to discuss how/where/when they would like to be seen for the assessment

4. Whilst on placement as a second year student with a community mental health team, your mentor asks you to ‘chase up’ one of his service users (Betty) who he has heard has missed two appointments with the practice nurse for her annual physical health check. Your mentor advises you that Betty often misses appointments as she is regularly called on to help her look after her grandchildren. You have met her twice near the start of your placement, but aware you only have three weeks left before going back to university. Which of the following options might you choose as your engagement strategy with Betty?

1. Phone Betty to ask if she would like you to accompany her to the surgery at a prearranged time over the next few weeks
2. Phone the practice nurse to ask her to send out another appointment to Betty
3. Send Betty a letter to say you will be visiting her to discuss not attending for her health checks
4. Send Betty a letter to offer an appointment to meet for a catch up to see how she is doing and if there might be anything you can help her with during the final few weeks’ of your placement

5. Which of the following sentences best sums up for your understanding of therapeutic engagement?

1. Therapeutic engagement is the most important aspect of any of the work we do as mental health nurses
2. Therapeutic engagement is the foundation for developing co-produced care
3. Therapeutic engagement is just one aspect of working collaboratively with someone in our care
4. Therapeutic engagement is not as important as doing what the person asks us to do

6. Which of the following factors can affect people engaging with mental health services?

1. Self and/or societal stigma; traumatic experiences of care
2. Unstable housing and/or finances; poor transport links
3. Appointments offered during working hours only
4. All of the above

7. As a mental health nurse, what policies and guidance support collaborative working with the people in our care?

1. NMC Code of Conduct (2015)
2. Personal Recovery literature (for example, Leamy et al., 2011; Shepherd et al., 2008)
3. Department of Health Policies (for example 2008, 2012)
4. All of the above