Nurses continue to do their utmost in providing care and support to people with mental health problems and who require mental health interventions, the Maltese Association of Psychiatric Nurses (MAPN) said, thanking them for their services.

In spite of the stigma surrounding Mount Carmel Hospital and the negativity portrayed in news events, nurses continue to show dedication and goodwill, the association said. 

Nurses working in mental health provide complex and sophisticated interventions, which more often than not, they go unnoticed, or worse they are portrayed as antiquated institutionalized practices. It is irresponsible to depict systems which are in place to ensure risk management and the safety of patients as demeaning practices.

Without denying the need for a whole reform in the mental health services, the association emphasized that nurses continue to strive in providing optimum care to individuals who need their care, and will continue doing so, whether the care is provided from a new hospital, the community or a Victorian institution.

The Maltese Association of Psychiatric Nurses is committed to empower and promote the nursing profession in mental health, and while recognizing the effect certain media reports can leave on their morale, it encourages its members to continue doing their job with dedication and responsibility.