Jen Cookson and colleagues assess whether there is a difference between nurses and allied health professionals in adherence to a guideline that promotes best practice

A questionnaire was used to investigate the provision of clinical supervision for nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs) working in mental health services. Differences in adherence to the recommendations between mental health nurses and AHPs, and between those working in community and inpatient settings, were also evaluated. Findings suggest that, on the whole, clinical supervision is being implemented in accordance with guideline recommendations. AHPs were more likely than nurses to receive clinical supervision, use a supervision agreement and choose their supervisor. Community nurses were more likely to receive clinical supervision than inpatient nurses.