User:Halsall SM/ECT Nurse specialist

 The ECT Nurse Specialist  this is a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)(formerly UKCC), usually a Registered Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, who has specialised in the provision of Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT). The term was originally created by Stephen Halsall, of Mersey Care NHS Trust to describe the role of the nurse in ECT for the Agenda the Change process (AforC) in 2003.

The term "ECT Nurse specialist" was adopted by the National Association of Lead Nurses in ECT (NALNECT) and subsequently adopted by the Royal College of psychiatrists and included in the ECT Handbook,CR176,3rd edition. The development of the role of the nurse in the ECT has expanded, inpart due to the introduction of modern and increasingly complicated ECT machines from the USA and the need to have a greater understanding of medical equipment, along with the development of protocols for their use.

In 2003 the Electroconvulsive Therapy Accreditation Service (ECTAS) was established by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and "standards for ECT clinics" were developed through collaborations with NALNECT, RCN, and ECT special committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. All ECT Nurse specialist are expected to attend the RCN accredited educational initiatives, ECT competency based course for nurses, administered by ECTAS (developed by Jo Cresswell in 2008) and demonstrate through completion of the competencies The first "ECT Handbook CR39" was produced by the ECT special commitee and published in January 1995, it contained Nursing guidelines for ECT (S.M.Halsall, T.lock and A.Atkinson) these were the First Nursing guidelines commissioned by the Royal College of psychiatrists. They had included in the 1st edition of the practical administration of electroconvulsive therapy 1989 The Royal College of Nursing's (RCN) guidelines related to the issues specific to nursing practice in ECT clinics in 1982. It is thought that the RCN guidelines 1982 were produced following The Royal College of psychiatrists ECT audit (Pippard & Ellam) 1981.

On the production of the Royal College of psychiatrists, The ECT Handbook CR39 did the RCN revise its guidance for nurses in ECT. The role of the nurse in ECT's continue to expand and is reflected in the 2nd edition of the ECT Handbook CR128 however the term "ECT Nurse Specialist" first makes its appearance in the 3rd edition (RC176). See ew article content ...