Collaboratory Researcher Profiles
Project Title: Understanding nurses perspectives of suicide risk management and safety planning for adolescents in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland community
What were you doing before starting this PhD?
I was working in mental health supporting young people with their mental health who may be at risk of self-harm and suicide. I designed the pathway to support them, and implemented the roll out of a new treatment approach for young people who are waiting to be seen.
What motivated you to apply for this specific PhD project?
I have worked with adolescents for a number of years. My role has always closely connected to this subject. I feel passionate about the topic of adolescent suicide and representing the voices and opinions of nurses. Nurses are required to adhere to policy and consider the research available. Despite being a fundamental part of mental health care delivery, their experiences form very little of the literature.
What difference do you hope to make in Leicester through this research?
Suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst young people globally. In the UK, adolescent suicide appears to be a growing issue; referrals made by childline to specialist support due to suicidal thoughts have increased by 1,143%. Even accounting for differences in uptake and use of service this is a concerning number. Young people often form strong bonds with nurses they encounter in adolescent services, and the nurse is frequently the professional who knows the patient and the family best. They are creating the human connection between services and patients. With nurses there is an opportunity to understand how risk management works in reality, as opposed to on paper. I strongly believe that nurses’ voices need to be a larger part of our best practice guidelines.
What do you hope to be doing in 5 years’ time?
I’m not too sure – I really enjoy the academic space, but I hope to be on my way to being able to influence health and social policy around adolescent wellbeing.
Adolescent suicide is frequently seen as a mental health issue, rather than an interdisciplinary concern of health, social, education etc. With my professional background, I would like to think about strategic policy roles to support a broader understanding of this – that might be a bit ambitious for 5 years’ time!