Clinical supervision in the mental health nursing workforce: a qualitative analysis of an expert community of practice

Objective Supervision in mental health nursing varies in quality and accessibility between workplaces. Influencing factors are complex, multifactorial and not without challenges. This study explores key enablers of Clinical Supervision, how we anchor them in public sector mental healthcare and overcoming key barriers to Clinical Supervision sustainability.Method A Community of Practice joined nine clinical supervision mental health nursing experts from Australia and New Zealand to qualitatively explore the questions based on their shared experience. Online discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim, thematically analysed using NVivo, and coding was summarised into themes. Iterative analysis brought coding to each meeting for analysis by all authors.Results Individual knowledge and confidence, leadership and workplace champions, and strong professional identity were identified as influences on rates and quality of clinical supervision. Additional themes of culture, responsibility and interprofessional differences were identified as influencing the uptake of clinical supervision in public mental health settings. Recommendations to improve clinical supervision uptake and quality include workplace sustainability, local level leadership and education.Discussion Clear and widely accepted definitions and understanding across tertiary education institutions and the mental health workforce are needed to facilitate widespread uptake of good quality clinical supervision.