Forensic mental health nursing - Sarah's story

Sarah Reynolds, clinical lead nurse in our forensic low secure services in York, talks about her career to date and why she chose to work in this highly rewarding specialist area of mental health.

“When I was studying general nursing I did my first year training placement in mental health and I loved it.

I was able to spend longer periods of time with service users and help them in their recovery journey. This was a lot different to what I’d experienced in previous jobs. From that point onward I knew I wanted to be a mental health nurse. In my second year I did a placement at Clifton House in York which got me really interested in forensic nursing.”

“To see the positive impact the team here can have on a person’s life is incredibly rewarding – it’s one of the best feelings in the world. You can see someone go from their lowest point to succeeding, living an independent life free from symptoms and doing things neither they nor their families thought were possible at the start.

The team here at Clifton is very supportive. It was one of the aspects that attracted me to work here in the first place. You get to work with a lot of different professionals including the medical team, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physios.

I’ve progressed from a Band 5 Nurse to Band 6 Clinical Lead in two years which I couldn’t have done without the team around me. There is a real focus on people’s individual interests. For example I’ve been sponsored to do a research secondment looking at patient safety and polypharmacy prescribing.

There are really good facilities here at Clifton House. Service users have access to a range of activities off the wards including a library, an IT suite and a gym – which is really important for patients who are unable to have leave in the community so they can maintain their physical health. We also have a lot of outdoor space, again which is really good for people who are not able to have leave outside the unit.

There is a misconception that we use a lot of restrictive practice in forensics. We really try hard to steer away from this. Our approach is to form constructive therapeutic relationships with our patients, be proactive in managing risks, know how an individual responds to particular stresses and work with them to put plans in place so we don’t get to the point where we have to restrain.”

Inspired by Sarah’s story? Interested in working in forensic mental health? We are currently recruiting for our service in York.

You can contact one of our matrons for an informal chat on 01904 294100 or email us on forensics.york@nhs.net