Assumption, the mother of all foul ups: a fundamental reason for the continuing abuse of adults at risk

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 129-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Moore
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Partial Explanation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Fundamental Reason ◽  
English Society ◽  
Vulnerable Adults ◽  
Lay Public ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of the assumption of altruism argued by the author to be a tendency among both the lay public, professionals and politicians, a generalised assumption that contributes to the long standing and obstinate presence of abuse of adults who are at risk throughout England, particularly older people living in care and nursing homes. Design/methodology/approach By examining available figures that depict the continuing abuse of vulnerable adults, and by drawing on research, the author offers a partial explanation for the longevity of abuse in English society. Findings The paper demonstrates how the concept of the assumption of altruism can explain to a degree the apparent enduring levels of abuse of adults who are at risk. Practical implications The paper offers the opportunity for the reader to consider some of the fundamental, higher order reasons for the persistent levels of abuse in England, abuse that endures despite the oversight by government of care provided to adults who maybe at risk by virtue of the activities of the statutory regulator and health and social care commissioners. Originality/value By presenting the incontrovertible evidence of enduring abuse, the paper introduces the concept of the assumption of altruism as a partial explanation for its continuing occurrence despite decades of policy and practice guidance designed to overcome it.

Abuse in care? A research project to identify early indicators of concern in residential and nursing homes for older people

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Marsland ◽  
Peter Oakes ◽  
Caroline White
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Organisational Cultures ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Early Indicators

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the prevention of the abuse of older people in residential and nursing homes, through the identification of “early indicators of concern”. Such indicators support practitioners in identifying services in which older people are at risk of abuse, neglect and ill treatment. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health and social care practitioners in two local authorities (in England and Scotland), who had visited services in which abuse or neglect had occurred. Practitioners were asked about the things that they had seen within the service which had caused them to become concerned. Findings – Over 90 early indicators of concern were identified. These indicators were grouped within six themes which identify key manifestations of service cultures which may promote the abuse of older people. Practical implications – Information and guidance has been developed to enable practitioners to recognise early indicators and identify services in which older people are at risk and in which actions are required to help prevent the onset of abuse. Originality/value – A range of studies have highlighted the importance of organisational cultures in promoting the abuse of older people. The early indicators identified through this research represent visible signs of such poor service cultures which can be observed by practitioners, enabling them to recognise services in which older people are at greater risk.

How does leadership contribute to safeguarding vulnerable adults within healthcare organisations? A review of the literature

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 258-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Critical Review ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Leadership Framework ◽  
Vulnerable Adults ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify aspects of leadership and evaluate their contribution to safeguarding vulnerable adults in healthcare organisations through conducting a critical review of literature. To identify or adapt a leadership framework to contribute to safeguarding vulnerable adults in healthcare organisations through analysis of the literature. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology was qualitative and inductive. It was based on constructivism and an interpretive theoretical perspective, beginning without hypothesis. Themes emerged during the process. A critical review of literature was undertaken to answer the research question. Literature was sourced from a variety of health and social care databases and grey literature. All inclusions underwent rigorous critical appraisal and a total of 18 papers were explored. Findings – The importance of clear leadership and direction was a common theme across the majority of sources. Aspects of leadership that can safeguard vulnerable adults in health care organisations include organisational culture, implementation of policies, procedures and frameworks, and reinforcing strong values and ethics around empowering individuals and delivering person-centred care. Through the meta-synthesis of findings, a model of leadership emerged. Research limitations/implications – The critical review utilised only one reviewer and the proposed leadership framework has not been empirically tested. Practical implications – The paper proposes a leadership framework that can be applied within healthcare organisations to safeguard vulnerable adults. Originality/value – This paper fulfils the need for evidence that supports the belief that strong leadership can safeguard vulnerable adults. It provides a comprehensive review of existing literature in this area.

The relativity of theory: applying theories of social psychology to illuminate the causes of the abuse of older people in care homes

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Moore
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fundamental Causes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Vulnerable Adults

Purpose Through the lens afforded by two theories drawn from the discipline of social psychology, the purpose of this paper is to explain the evident continuing abuse of adults at risk living in care homes by the staff who should be looking after them. Design/methodology/approach By considering existing theories and research into the reasons why vulnerable adults are abused the paper proposes the relevance of other extant theories on the degradation of moral restraint and dehumanisation of victims, and on the social psychology of intergroup relations, to the perpetration of abuse. Findings The paper demonstrates how theories that explain the psychology of human behaviour in certain circumstances may be usefully applied to the inveterate social problem of the abuse of vulnerable adults living in care homes. Practical implications The paper offers the opportunity for the reader to consider how these theories of social psychology may be applied to explain and guide remedies to the persistent levels of abuse in English care homes, abuse that continues despite government oversight of care provided to adults who may be at risk by virtue of the activities of the statutory regulator and health and social care commissioners, and the interventions of safeguarding personnel. Originality/value This is a conceptual paper from which future research and theorising may arise to better understand the most fundamental causes of the abuse of older people in care homes in order to develop feasible and effective measures to overcome it.

scholarly journals Exploring the complexities of understanding vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith organisations

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Ruth Oakley ◽  
Lee-Ann Fenge ◽  
Simon Bass ◽  
Justin Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Vulnerable Adults ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a study exploring the understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith-based settings. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners involved in safeguarding adults in faith-based Christian settings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers a survey (n=3,182) into understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding for individuals who attend Church regularly or work in a Christian organisation Findings – This study is the first to be undertaken with a UK sample and highlights a range of factors informing adult safeguarding practice within Christian organisations. This includes: complexity linked to understanding vulnerability and its role in safeguarding activity; lack of clarity about what to do with a safeguarding adult concern; and the need for safeguarding training pertinent to the particular needs of faith-based settings. Research limitations/implications – As there is currently a dearth of research in this area this paper makes a valuable contribution to the developing knowledge base around safeguarding and vulnerability within faith-based organisations. Practical implications – Professionals need to develop increased understanding of the complexities involved in safeguarding activity, and specifically how those working in the wider context of supporting vulnerable adults make sense of safeguarding processes and procedures. Social implications – It is important that all organisations, including faith-based settings, working with adults have an understanding of their roles and responsibilities with respect to safeguarding those at risk of harm. Originality/value – This paper is the first UK study to consider safeguarding adults at risk of harm in Christian faith contexts.

scholarly journals The importance of a room with a view for older people with limited mobility

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Musselwhite
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Limited Mobility ◽  
Human Element ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how older people who are almost entirely housebound use a view from their window to make sense of the world and stay connected to the outside space that they cannot physically inhabit. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 42 individuals were carried out who were living at home, were relatively immobile and had an interesting view outside they liked from one or more of their windows. Findings The findings suggest that immobile older people enjoy watching a motion-full, changing, world going on outside of their own mobility and interact and create meaning and sense, relating themselves to the outside world. Practical implications Findings suggest that those working in health and social care must realise the importance of older people observing the outdoors and create situations where that is enabled and maintained through improving vantage points and potentially using technology. Originality/value This study builds and updates work by Rowles (1981) showing that preference for views from the window involves the immediate surveillance zone but also further afield. The view can be rural or urban but should include a human element from which older people can interact through storytelling. The view often contains different flows, between mundane and mystery and intrigue, and between expected and random.

What initiatives do healthcare leaders agree are needed for healthcare system improvement? Results of a modified-Delphi study

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1002-1012
Author(s):  
Stuart Barson ◽  
Robin Gauld ◽  
Jonathon Gray ◽  
Goran Henriks ◽  
Christina Krause ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Delphi Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Delphi Approach ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
System Leaders ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify five quality improvement initiatives for healthcare system leaders, produced by such leaders themselves, and to provide some guidance on how these could be implemented. Design/methodology/approach A multi-stage modified-Delphi process was used, blending the Delphi approach of iterative information collection, analysis and feedback, with the option for participants to revise their judgments. Findings The process reached consensus on five initiatives: change information privacy laws; overhaul professional training and work in the workplace; use co-design methods; contract for value and outcomes across health and social care; and use data from across the public and private sectors to improve equity for vulnerable populations and the sickest people. Research limitations/implications Information could not be gathered from all participants at each stage of the modified-Delphi process, and the participants did not include patients and families, potentially limiting the scope and nature of input. Practical implications The practical implications are a set of findings based on what leaders would bring to a decision-making table in an ideal world if given broad scope and capacity to make policy and organisational changes to improve healthcare systems. Originality/value This study adds to the literature a suite of recommendations for healthcare quality improvement, produced by a group of experienced healthcare system leaders from a range of contexts.

Collaborating across health and social care: joint funding an adult protection Coordinator post in Caerphilly, UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147
Author(s):  
Andrea Giordano ◽  
Alison Neville
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Vulnerable Adults ◽  
Adult Protection

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to improve the consistency and quality of the response to vulnerable adults who experience abuse and neglect within NHS, independent healthcare and social care settings is noted by practitioners, agencies and patients. Health and social care policy frameworks promote principles of service improvement and consistency, along with a focus on outcomes and resource effectiveness and interagency collaboration. The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) coordinator role carries the responsibility of coordinating a response to individual referrals of abuse and neglect as described as part of the Designated Lead Manager role in the Wales Interim POVA Policy and Procedures for the POVA from abuse (Wales Adult Protection Coordinators Group, 2013). Design/methodology/approach – This paper will explore the benefits realised through a registered nurse being seconded from the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board into a newly created joint adult protection Health Coordinator post within the Caerphilly County Borough Council social services department POVA team. Findings – This is the first example of such partnership working in adult protection in Wales and has provided a number of benefits in relation to: providing adult protection advice; coordinating the response to referrals of vulnerable adult abuse and neglect within health and social care settings; carrying out or buddying others to complete adult protection investigations; facilitating the two day non-criminal POVA investigation training course and, awareness raising within the local Health Board. The development of a student nurse placement in the social services POVA team cements the multiagency collaborative approach that this development sought to achieve. Originality/value – The need to improve the consistency and quality of the response to vulnerable adults who experience abuse and neglect within NHS, independent healthcare and social care settings is noted by practitioners, agencies and patients.

How entrepreneurial resilience generates resilient SMEs

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1244-1263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Layla Jayne Branicki ◽  
Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor ◽  
Sarah Rachael Livschitz
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Uncertain Environments ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how entrepreneurial behaviors support small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) resilience, refine the concept of entrepreneurial resilience, and identify how SME resilience might be promoted. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected in the UK via 11 focus groups which provided a sub-sample of 19 SME participants. Findings Because of their experience operating in uncertain environments, their direct experience of adversity, and the informal organizational settings they inhabit, entrepreneurs are often highly resilient and possess capabilities that enable SMEs to be resilient. Entrepreneurial resilience provides a basis for SME resilience that differs significantly from best practices as understood in larger firms. Research limitations/implications Exploratory qualitative research on a small sample (n=19) limits the generalizability of this work. Further research could quantitatively test the paper’s findings and/or examine the link between entrepreneurial resilience and the resilience of larger firms. Practical implications Rather than encouraging formal planning and redundancy, policy and practice designed to promote the resilience of SMEs should pay greater attention to building capacities to cope with uncertainty, generating and leveraging personal relationships, and activating the ability to experiment and think creatively in response to crises. Originality/value This paper draws on organizational psychology research to refine understanding of entrepreneurial resilience and to empirically examine and inductively theorize the multi-level relationships between entrepreneurial resilience and SME resilience.

scholarly journals Bank stems the loss of employees returning from abroad

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-27
Author(s):  
Liza Howe-Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Mobility ◽  
Consistent Treatment ◽  
Resource Specialists ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Aims to develop a greater understanding of the problems faced by returning employees after an expatriate assignment. Design/methodology/approach – Reports the results of qualitative semi-structured interviews to create a multi-layered perspective of repatriation in a bank. Findings – Reveals that the inconsistent application of a global mobility policy contributed to the dissatisfaction of all stakeholders involved with the repatriation of staff. There was fundamental lack of talent management because of the absence of clear lines of responsibility associated with repatriating an employee. Practical implications – Highlights the need to audit global-mobility policy and practice to ensure policies are interpreted and applied consistently. The issue of multiple stakeholders identifies the need to ensure that clear lines of responsibility are required when managing repatriates. Social implications – It advances the view that fair and consistent treatment of employees enhances the bank’s reputation to manage talent effectively. Originality/value – It draws upon the views of multiple stakeholders, including line managers, human resource specialists and repatriates.

scholarly journals Contextualising typologies of environmentally induced population movement

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Stojanov ◽  
Ilan Kelman ◽  
Shawn Shen ◽  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Himani Upadhyay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Time Factors ◽  
Population Movement ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Discourses ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Support Decision Making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how typologies for environmentally induced population movement need to be understood in a contextualised manner in order to be useful. Design/methodology/approach – This study interrogates some academic discourses concerning environmentally induced population movement. By analysing key environmental factors said to contribute to population movement, in addition to considering time factors, this study uses the case of Tuvalu to demonstrate overlapping categories and the importance of contextualisation. Findings – Current typologies provide a basis for considering a wide variety of motives for environmentally induced population movement, in relation to different drivers, motivations, time scales, and space scales. Yet contextualisation is required for policy and practice relevance. Research limitations/implications – All typologies have limitations. Any typology should be taken as a possible tool to apply in a particular context, or to support decision making, rather than presenting a typology as universal or as an absolute without dispute. Practical implications – Rather than disputes over typologies and definitions, bringing together different views without reconciling them, but recognising the merits and limitations of each, can provide a basis for assisting people making migration decisions. Originality/value – None of the typologies currently available applies to all contexts of environmentally induced population movement – nor should any single typology necessarily achieve that. Instead, it is important to thrive on the differences and to contextualise a typology for use.

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