module specification

This module prepares you to deliver safe, ethical, and evidence-based care in acute mental health settings, integrating foundational knowledge from Year 1 subjects such as professional practice, health promotion, biosciences, and community mental health nursing, as well as concurrent Level 5 modules including evidence-based practice, nursing consultation, and pharmacology. You will develop specialist skills in crisis management, psychiatric risk assessment, de-escalation techniques, safeguarding, and collaborative crisis resolution within multidisciplinary teams. Emphasising recovery-focused, least restrictive care, the module equips you to manage complex inpatient scenarios ethically and compassionately.

You will explore contemporary interventions beyond medication, including psychosocial therapies, trauma-informed care, sensory modulation, and digital health innovations. Modern care models such as Open Dialogue, crisis houses, and crisis stabilisation units will be examined alongside therapies like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and structured group therapies. Additionally, you will integrate advanced knowledge of neurobiology and pharmacology to understand and respond to complex mental illnesses.

You will investigate current trends shaping acute mental health services, including telepsychiatry, virtual reality therapy, AI-driven assessments, personalised treatment plans, peer-supported interventions, and evolving national policies influencing inpatient and crisis care.

At the end of the module, you will be able to:  
• Apply ethical, legal, and professional standards in acute mental health nursing.  
• Implement effective crisis intervention, risk management, and de-escalation skills.  
• Integrate biosciences, pharmacology, and evidence-based practice into acute care.  
• Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams to deliver recovery-oriented, person-centred acute mental health care.

This module builds upon your Year 1 learning, advancing your knowledge and skills in acute mental health nursing, crisis intervention, and inpatient care. The module integrates psychology, sociology, biosciences, pharmacology, and interdisciplinary collaboration to equip you for complex, high-risk care environments.

The module begins with ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities in acute care, examining key legislation such as the Mental Health Act Bill 2025, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and Human Rights Act 1998. You will address ethical dilemmas in involuntary treatment, safeguarding, and professional accountability under the NMC Code (2018), balancing patient rights, autonomy, and safety (LO1).

You will deepen your understanding of severe mental health conditions—schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, personality disorders, and eating disorders—integrating biosciences (neurobiology, neurotransmitters), psychology (cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic), and sociology (stigma, social exclusion, institutionalisation) to explain complex presentations and treatment needs (LO2).

Exploring hospital admission, crisis care, and least restrictive practices, you will evaluate when inpatient care is needed, assessing alternatives like crisis houses or psychiatric intensive care units. You will learn de-escalation techniques, informed by applied psychology, ensuring recovery-oriented, dignity-preserving care (LO3).

Crisis intervention, risk management, and safeguarding skills will be developed, emphasising suicide risk assessment, self-harm, aggression management, and recognition of abuse and neglect, integrating psychological theories and legal frameworks for patient protection (LO2, LO3).

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions will be addressed, applying pharmacology knowledge for safe medication management and exploring evidence-based psychological therapies like CBT, DBT, and trauma-informed care, informed by applied psychology and bioscience understanding (LO4).

Interdisciplinary collaboration in acute settings will be emphasised, highlighting teamwork with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and peer support workers. Applied sociology underpins understanding of family involvement, social support, and the role of lived experience practitioners with the importance of nursing scope of practice and fitness to practise in interprofessional and multiprofessional working topics for exploration ((LO5). 

Finally, contemporary developments and future trends in acute mental health care will be critically analysed, focusing on national policy developments, digital innovations like telepsychiatry, virtual reality, AI-driven assessments, and reforms toward recovery-oriented, inclusive inpatient services (LO6).

This module uses practical, reflective, and interdisciplinary learning methods designed to prepare you for real-world acute mental health nursing practice. Case-based learning (CBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) are central, enabling you to analyse complex scenarios involving patients in crisis. These activities deepen your engagement with ethical, legal, and clinical decision-making, enhancing your skills in care planning and crisis intervention.

Simulation-based learning is integral, involving high-fidelity scenarios that replicate psychiatric emergencies, such as managing aggression or acute distress in inpatient environments. You will participate in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)-style simulations to refine critical skills like risk assessment, de-escalation, trauma-informed approaches, and medication management. These realistic simulations boost your confidence and readiness for managing acute situations safely.

Interdisciplinary learning deepens your understanding of multidisciplinary teamwork. You will engage in interprofessional case conferences with peer students at the university to develop holistic care plans. Guest lectures from experts, including mental health specialists and patient advocates, will enrich your understanding of patient rights, advocacy, and professional accountability.

Reflective learning focuses on experiences within simulations and classroom activities. Structured reflections will guide you in analysing ethical dilemmas, balancing patient autonomy with compulsory treatment, and the emotional demands of acute mental health care. These reflections contribute to your personal development plan (PDP), fostering resilience, self-awareness, and ongoing professional growth.

Blended learning is supported via London Met’s virtual learning platform, WebLearn, which provides access to online resources, recorded lectures, interactive forums, and additional learning materials. Self-directed learning activities encourage independent exploration of historical development of mental health care, political and legal changes, emerging models and care, innovative technologies, and contemporary challenges through recommended readings, online discussions, and critical appraisal of evidence-based practice, ensuring you remain informed about advancements shaping acute mental health nursing practice.

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities in acute mental health nursing, applying relevant legislation such as the Mental Health Act Bill 2025, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Human Rights Act 1998, and safeguarding frameworks to ensure safe, compassionate, and legally compliant care.

2. Assess and manage severe and complex mental health conditions commonly encountered in acute inpatient settings, using comprehensive psychiatric risk assessment, effective crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, and safeguarding principles to ensure least restrictive, recovery-oriented care.

3. Critically analyse the role of hospitalisation in mental health care, evaluating therapeutic, protective, and restrictive approaches, while considering patient rights, autonomy, dignity, and the psychosocial impact of inpatient treatment on service users and their families.

4. Integrate biosciences, pharmacology, and evidence-based practice in acute mental health nursing, applying holistic, person-centred interventions including safe medication management, psychological therapies (CBT, DBT, trauma-informed care), and contemporary non-pharmacological treatments.

5. Collaborate effectively within interdisciplinary teams—including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and peer support workers—to provide coordinated, high-quality, recovery-focused care in acute mental health services.

6. Evaluate current trends and innovations in acute mental health care, critically appraising modern inpatient care models, digital health technologies, and national policy developments shaping contemporary and future practice.

To be found at: NR5002 Developing Mental Health Nursing Care in Acute Care | London Metropolitan University