Evaluation of Clinical Supervision Implementation for Mental Health Nurses in Victoria, Australia
The Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System has recognised the importance of a skilled and capable mental health workforce in providing safe and high-quality care to consumers. As the role and scope of mental health nurses continue to grow and expand, clinical supervision is increasingly considered key support to contemporary nursing practice (Howard & Eddy-Imishue, 2020).
The Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System has recognised the importance of a skilled and capable mental health workforce in providing safe and high-quality care to consumers. As the role and scope of mental health nurses continue to grow and expand, clinical supervision is increasingly considered key support to contemporary nursing practice (Howard & Eddy-Imishue, 2020).
The Victorian Chief Mental Health Nurse produced a clinical supervision framework and undertook an implementation project to support mental health services in integrating clinical supervision in all mental health nurses’ practices (Department of Health, 2018). The purpose of my PhD study is to evaluate the clinical supervision implementation to date, by exploring nurses' experiences and the factors affecting this experience.
The data is collected, analysed and synthesised via an explanatory mixed-method design, using an initial MCSS-26 survey followed by an individual semi-structured interview. Once the data is analysed, it will be organised into the themes of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to better understand the factors influencing implementation. We are currently in the data collection stage, and the preliminary data will be presented at multiple state and national conferences in 2023.
By exploring the supervisees' experience, this evaluation study will offer valuable insights into what makes clinical supervision work for individual nurses in what circumstances. These insights can assist organisations in effectively implementing and sustaining clinical supervision for their mental health nursing workforce.