Forensic mental health nursing - Ben's story

Ben Green, Ward Manager in our Low Secure Forensic Services, talks about his ten years with the team at Clifton House in York.

“I joined the low secure forensics team in York ten years ago as a Band 5 staff nurse and I’ve worked my way up to ward manager of the female assessment and treatment ward.

One of the best things about working in this specialty is the specific skills you develop which help you can carry out highly specialised interventions effectively for the service users we look after.

I’m involved in the patient council where we meet monthly with service users to listen to their feedback, understand their concerns and try and make changes that will benefit their wellbeing and recovery. It’s very rewarding when you see this through from beginning to end.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve had fantastic opportunities to develop. For example, I’ve undertaken two different degree courses, one to convert my nursing diploma into a degree and the other in psychosocial interventions. My studies, as well as the development I’ve received on the job, have helped me to move into my current role.

One of my career highlights was seeing my ward named Clinical Team of the Year at the Trust Awards ceremony in 2016. This was a real morale boost for staff and so important that their work is recognised.

One of the big myths around forensic services is that a lot of control and restraint of high risk patients takes place. In my experience this isn’t the case. Yes, some of our service users can be challenging but we promote collaborative working resulting in the least restrictive practice. Therefore, building long term therapeutic relationships and seeing those have a positive impact is so rewarding. When you see people recover and move on, that’s brilliant.”

Are you interested in working in forensic mental health? We are currently recruiting for our service in York.

Page last updated: 21st Mar 2017 10:57am