Care planning in mental health nursing using a person-centred, co-production and recovery-informed approach

Care planning in mental health nursing requires engagement between the individual and the nurse to discuss, negotiate, prioritise and agree on goals and supportive interventions. The care plan details the person’s needs, goals and aspirations, and interventions and measures that aim to help them realise these goals and aspirations. This article describes the stages of care planning, how to prioritise an individual’s needs through strategic care planning, and the indications and features of short-term, medium-term and long-term care plans. The article also discusses how co-production, the biopsychosocial model of health and the concept of recovery can be used to ensure care planning is person-centred. The author provides practice examples to illustrate some of the ideas discussed.