The Care Quality Commission has appointed a senior mental health nurse as a national advisor for mental health nursing to help regulate mental health services in England.
Vanessa Ford, director of nursing standards and governance for West London Mental Health Trust, is one of nine clinicians who have been appointed as national advisors for mental health. In clinical practice, she is an eating disorder specialist. She will be one of two clinicians responsible for mental health nursing, alongside Professor Jonathan Warren, executive director of nursing at East London Foundation Trust. Together they will be responsible for creating guidance on key areas of mental health nursing practice, such as care planning.
Dr Anne York, a former consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist has been appointed to the role of national advisor for community mental health services for children and young people. The national advisor roles have been created to provide advice to the CQC on how they inspect and regulate mental health and learning disability services in England.
Dr Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector of hospitals at the CQC, said: 'I would like to congratulate the nine clinicians who will be joining CQC as national advisors. The appointments of these very senior nurses and doctors and psychologists demonstrate how serious we are about having the necessary expertise in every aspect of the mental health and learning disabilities services that we inspect.'
Other areas that national advisors will be responsible for include children and young people's mental health, old age mental health, forensic services, and learning disabilities. Other clinicians appointed to the roles include Dr James Warner, advisor for old age mental health and a consultant old age psychiatrist in Central North West London Foundation Trust, and Dr Theresa Joyce and Dr John Devapriam, national advisors for learning disabilities.
Dr Lelliott added: 'The national professional advisers will help to lead our inspection teams and advise on the services that we regulate They will also give policy advice so that we make accurate judgments about whether services are safe, effective, caring responsive and well led based on sound evidence and taking full account of people who use services.'