Mrs Esme Blay

I am a Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Canterbury Christ Church University. As a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN), I bring a wealth of experience from diverse care settings, including inpatient, community, and forensic services. I joined CCCU in 2022. Prior to working at CCCU, I worked as an Infection, Prevention, and Control Nurse.

With a profound commitment to academia, I actively contribute to the organisation and delivery of the MSc and BSc Mental Health Nursing programme. My roles encompass teaching, personal tutorship and student supervision, periodic recruitment of students and facilitating open days.
I am currently the Pathway Director for the MSc Mental Health Nursing and Placement Lead.

I hold a Master of Business Administration, BSc (Hon) Mental Health Nursing and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), all from CCCU.
I am also recognised as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, highlighting my dedication to maintaining high standards in education and fostering an enriching learning environment.
My main interests are in the areas of inclusion practice, patient safety, leadership and management in healthcare, forensic nursing, infection prevention and control.

My research interests centre around psychological models of suicidal thinking and behaviors, aiming to contribute to the development of effective preventive interventions in both general and forensic mental health contexts.

At undergraduate level, I am the module lead and teach on the Mental Health Clinical Supervision and Professional Development 1 (Level 4).

At the postgraduate level, I am the module lead for the two field specific modules which Applied Mental Health Nursing Practice (Level 7) and Complexity in Mental Health Nursing Practice (Level 7) for the MSc Mental Health Nursing pathways on the MSc Nursing programme. In addition to teaching, I also supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation.

Past modules I have led and taught:

• Mental Health Clinical Supervision and Professional Development 3 (Level 6)
• Collaboration, Engagement, Screening and Assessment- Biopsychosocial Approaches to Mental Health (Nursing Associate course)
• Rights, Risks and Responsibilities (Level 7)