Retention of Sole Community Mental Health Practitioners
In 2005 the Wakefield Region supported their Principal Mental Health Clinician in applying for a Clinical Practice Improvement grant from the South Australian Department of Health . The applicaiton was successful and the focus of the project to come from this was on the retention of a sole practitioner in a Community Mental Health setting.
Prior to this work being done the average retention rate for the position had been 6. 5 months.
In part due to this project the last Mental Health Nurse to work in this role as a sole practitioner stayed for 18 months.
The principals applied were that of allowing the MHN to have a voice and to show that it had been heard by taking on board the issues raised and addressing them in an ongoing fashion.
Continual evaluation through the 6 month life of the project demonstrated the rocky path of a sole practitioner but one that can be made easier with appropriate management support.