Dangerous assumptions

The Allitt enquiry recommended that health authorities should not employ staff who have personality disorders or have had lots of counselling. Some authorities have been very lax in enforcing the recommendations but others have enforced them stringently and refused everyone who has had any incidence of mental illness. This may make applicants reluctant to report any problems they have and it also means that nurses who could empathize with mental health patients are disbarred from entry into the profession. A better strategy would be to monitor staff more closely.