scholarly journals Social care legislation as an act of integration

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-149
Author(s):  
Natalie Davies ◽  
Wulf Livingston ◽  
Emyr Owen ◽  
Peter Huxley

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate health and social care integration in North Wales in a short window of time between the assent of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and its implementation in 2016. Design/methodology/approach – The findings are based on the experiences of health and social care professionals from six Local Authorities and one Regional Health Board working in a management role with strategic responsibility, gathered from an online survey (n=43), semi-structured face-to-face interviews (n=14) and supplemented with reflective interviews with regional coordinators responsible for facilitating cross-organisational working (n=2). Findings – Senior managers are devoting considerable energy to understanding the implications of the new legislation, ensuring that their organisations will be ready and able to successfully implement it. This work is perceived to be commensurate with wider agendas to transform and integrate working practices and services, influenced by a range of financial, environmental, organisational, social and policy factors. Originality/value – This research has direct implications for stakeholders in North Wales, having already been used to shape conversations about integration in the region, and furthermore builds upon existing knowledge in the academic and professional field of integration, with additional limited wider implications for policy and research.

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147
Author(s):  
Andrea Giordano ◽  
Alison Neville

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart Greenwell ◽  
Daniel Antebi

Purpose The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 provide a direction of travel for all public services in Wales and a framework for delivering the aspirations in the legislation. Although specifically referring to social care, both pieces of legislation are as relevant to the NHS as they are to other public bodies, providing an opportunity for NHS Wales and local government, in particular, to be equal partners in making a difference to the people and communities they serve. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A viewpoint paper. Findings In Wales the time is right to do things differently in health and social care, so the authors will reflect on why current services are struggling and propose an approach that is rooted in communities rather than in specialities. The authors suggest developing a centre of gravity in the community through a multi-agency collaboration to achieve the greatest health, social care and economic impact. Originality/value Attention needs to be directed to supporting people, communities and frontline workers to become more resilient, rather than our current focus on specialist services.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Moore

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the journey so far for the North Wales Regional Single Point of Access (SPOA) through the lens of programme manager with views from the programme team. SPOA is the integration of access points to community health and social care services with strengthened links to the third sector, one SPOA in each of six local authorities in the Betsi Cadwallader University Health Board footprint. Design/methodology/approach Kotter’s 8 step theory of change model (1996) supplemented by the organisational, cultural and professional and contextual factors from research that impact on integrated working between health and social care (Cameron et al., 2012); the focus is programme level. Findings Kotter’s 8 step model is a useful tool for reflection on the factors identified in research that promote and hinder integrated working. Key messages and innovative ideas of interest for practitioners embarking on a similar “Quest”, including: “keep using your ‘levers for change’”, “Adopt and Adapt”, “right people in the right place”, “it’s ok to tweak your vision, ‘Make it mean something to everyone’, ‘accept and Adapt’, ‘Don’t sweat what you can’t affect’, ‘Find your allies – it’s better together’, ‘Celebrate ‘small wins’’, ‘The people’s voice drives change’ and ‘a sense of humour brings you through’”. Research limitations/implications This is a personal reflection from the North Wales Regional SPOA Programme. Originality/value It makes use of collaborative work focused on delivering a SPOA, helping others to learn from the struggle.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-249
Author(s):  
Christopher Edmunds ◽  
Kerry KilBride

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to recount 12 months of a pioneering collaboration between the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, five local authorities and nine registered social landlords in South East Wales. It will aim to share the understanding that has emerged, demonstrating how a large number of agencies, many of which have different purposes or which have traditionally been in competition with each other, have been able to work collaboratively, to meet the interests of some very vulnerable people. Design/methodology/approach This reflective approach draws on the views of a large number of staff from each of the three constituent public sector service areas and their experience of collaborative working using action research principles. The study will use people’s own words to highlight real experiences, but analysed against similar collaborative activity elsewhere reflected in the literature. As there has been no established pathway for the collaboration to follow, we have adopted a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle to capture the evolving “In One Place” (IOP) process. Findings This paper highlights the inherent systemic barriers that have to be identified and overcome if the authors are to move from wishful thinking to pragmatic realism, both within and between organisations. The sense of public sector agencies being able to work together, simply because it makes good sense, is challenged and the paper identifies both cultural and professional factors that made a difference in this collaboration, which could be harnessed elsewhere. Originality/value From the outset, a key driver for the IOP has been to align health, social care and housing processes by bringing together practitioners and senior managers to identify need and to plan and deliver services locally, offering a real benefit to individuals with complex needs. This is set within the context of increasing demand on public services, financial austerity and the history of “housing” being on the margins of discussion when considering the integration of health and social care services. The authors are able to demonstrate the benefit of housing being at the centre of such discussions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Coleman ◽  
Caroline Glendinning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine research evidence on collaboration between primary and adult social care in strategic, rather than operational, activities at two different time points, following large-scale changes within the health and social care environments; and discuss the prospects for the future. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports evidence from two substantial longitudinal studies (Dowling and Glendinning, 2003; Checkland et al., 2012) which followed the development of Primary Care Groups and Trusts (PCG/Ts) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), respectively. Each used a combination of national surveys and local in-depth case studies to trace the early development of new structures and ways of working following major changes in the NHS and local government. Findings – PCG/Ts had limited success in collaborating with adult social care partners. Health and Well-being Boards offer a new overarching organisational framework for collaborative strategic working between GP-led CCGs and adult social care services. Mandated joint strategic needs assessments also provide a shared framework within which commissioning decisions by both CCGs and social services are made. However, there remains evidence of long-standing barriers, particularly differences in geographic boundaries and in organisational and professional cultures. Research limitations/implications – Evidence from both studies is based on the early years of the respective new organisations; later evidence may have yielded a different picture. Originality/value – This is the first paper reflecting on developments in strategic relations between primary and social care from researchers involved with two longitudinal investigations of the early development of PCG/Ts (1999-2002) and CCGs (2011-ongoing).


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl Mahon

Purpose Practitioners, organisations and policy makers in health and social care settings are increasingly recognising the need for trauma-informed approaches in organisational settings, with morbidity and financial burdens a growing concern over the past few years. Servant leadership has a unique focus on emotional healing, service to others as the first priority, in addition to the growth, well-being and personal and professional development of key stakeholders. This paper aims to discuss Trauma Informed Servant Leadership (TISL). Design/methodology/approach A targeted review of the servant leadership and trauma-informed care literature was conducted. Relevant studies, including systematic review and meta-analysis, were sourced, with the resulting interpretation informing the conceptual model. Findings Although there are general guidelines regarding how to go about instituting trauma-informed approaches, with calls for organisational leadership to adapt the often cited six trauma-informed principles, to date there has not been a leadership approach elucidated which takes as its starting point and core feature to be trauma informed. At the same time, there is a paucity of research elucidating trauma outcomes for service users or employees in the literature when a trauma-informed approach is used. However, there is a large body of evidence indicating that servant leadership has many of the outcomes at the employee level that trauma-informed approaches are attempting to attain. Thus, the author builds on a previous conceptual paper in which a model of servant leadership and servant leadership supervision are proposed to mitigate against compassion fatigue and secondary trauma in the health and social care sector. The author extends that research to this paper by recasting servant leadership as a trauma-informed model of leadership that naturally operationalises trauma-informed principles. Research limitations/implications A lack of primary data limits the extent to which conclusions can be drawn on the effectiveness of this conceptual model. However, the model is based on robust research across the differential components used; therefore, it can act as a framework for future empirical research designs to be studies at the organisational level. Both the servant leadership and trauma-informed literatures have been extended with the addition of this model. Practical implications TISL can complement the trauma-informed approach and may also be viable as an alternative to trauma-informed approaches. This paper offers guidelines to practitioners and organisations in health and social care on how to operationalise important trauma-informed principles through leadership. Social implications This conceptual model may help reduce the burden of trauma and re-traumatisation encountered by practitioners and service users in health and social care settings, impacting on morbidity. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is a novel approach, the first of its kind.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl Mahon

Purpose This paper aims to set out a model of servant leadership that can be infused within a supervisory setting to mitigate employee burnout and negative stressful experiences in the health and social care sector. Design/methodology/approach A brief targeted review of the literature was undertaken to assess the prevalence of burnout in the health and social care sectors. The supervision literature was also explored. The outcomes associated with servant leadership were also distilled, focusing on employee well-being. Findings Research suggests that burnout and related concepts such as secondary trauma and compassion fatigue impact these professions disproportionately. At the same time, servant leadership is suggested to mitigate some of these factors. The author presents a conceptual model of servant leadership supervision consisting of an ideographic model of servant leadership, Servant Leadership Scale-28 (SLS-28), using the most recent meta-analysis defining this construct, and previously validated measures in the extant literature to inform its design. A Servant Leadership Supervision Scale (SLSS) is also presented aligning its use to several of the core characteristics of servant leadership practice. Research limitations/implications In doing so, the author proposes that this approach will help reduce burnout of health and social care sector employees. Limitations are considered in light of the conceptual paper and no primary data. Practical implications A model of servant leadership supervision that can be infused into health and social care supervision. Originality/value This is the first model of servant leadership supervision articulated for the health and social care sector.


2021 ◽  
Vol 00 (00) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Valerie Visanich ◽  
Toni Attard

Recently, the notion of arts as therapy has been of growing interest to sociologists. The aim of this article is to evaluate community-based arts funded projects in terms of their priorities and effectiveness and discuss possibilities for enabling Arts on Prescription schemes in Malta. Thematically, this article explores discourse on the potential of the arts on promoting well-being. Methodologically, this article draws on primary data collected from focus groups, interviews and an online survey with project leaders and artists of funded arts projects targeting mental health, disability or old age. Specifically, this research evaluates all national funded community-based arts projects in Malta between 2014 to 2018 under a national scheme of the President’s Award for Creativity fund, managed by the national Arts Council Malta. Analysis of this data was used to inform the new national cultural policy on the implantation of the Arts on Prescription scheme in Malta.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Merry ◽  
Nancy Edwards

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight gaps in the literature regarding transnational ties, the experience of raising and caring for children in a new (high-income) country and well-being, and to propose a program of research to address these gaps. Design/methodology/approach A general review of the literature on international migration, transnationalism and parenthood was conducted. A program of research and its objectives are then described. Findings To address research gaps, the proposed program of research aims to: develop approaches and tools to examine and measure the transnational experiences of migrant families; better understand migrants’ transnational obligations, resources and movements and their impact on parenthood and the health and well-being of families; assess whether existing health and social care and services for migrant families with children consider the transnational contexts and experiences of families; and determine how health and social care and services for migrant families with children may be adapted or developed to address transnational challenges and enhance transnational resources for families. Originality/value The proposed program of research offers a new approach, transnationalism, for producing knowledge toward better understanding the health and optimizing the care of migrant families in the context of raising and caring for children in a new country. It also contributes to the agenda setting regarding the approach and priority areas for research in migrant health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sundari Joseph ◽  
Susan Klein ◽  
Samantha McCluskey ◽  
Penny Woolnough ◽  
Lesley Diack

Purpose Collaborative inter-agency working is of paramount importance for the public protection agenda worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the findings from a research study on the inter-agency working within adult support and protection (ASP) roles in the police, health and social care. Design/methodology/approach This realistic evaluation study with two inter-related phases was funded by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research. This paper reports on Phase 1 which identified existing gaps in the implementation of effective inter-agency practice by reviewing the “state of play” in inter-agency collaboration between the police and health and social care professionals. In total, 13 focus groups comprising representatives from Police Scotland (n=52), Social Care (n=31) and Health (n=18), engaged in single profession and mixed profession groups addressing issues including referral and information exchange. Findings On analysing context-mechanism-outcome (CMO), gaps in joint working were identified and attributed to the professionals’ own understanding of inter-agency working and the expectations of partner agencies. It recommended the need for further research and inter-agency training on public protection. Research limitations/implications This unique Scottish study successfully identified the inter-agency practices of health, social services and police. By means of a modified realistic evaluation approach, it provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges that professionals face on a day-to-day basis when safeguarding adults and informed strategic recommendations to overcome the barriers to good practices in organisational working. The methods used to determine CMO could benefit other researchers to develop studies exploring the complexities of multi-causal effects of cross-boundary working. The use of the same case study in each focus group helped to neutralise bias. However, the voluntary nature of participation could have resulted in biased perceptions. The limited numbers of health professionals may have resulted in less representation of health sector views. Practical implications This paper reports on a Scottish study that focused on the coordinated and integrated practices amongst the police, health and social services’ professionals who support and protect adult members of society at risk of harm and has implications for their practice. Social implications Whilst the focus of this study has been on ASP, the conclusions and recommendations are transferable to public protection issues in many other contexts. Originality/value Studies on the joint-working practices amongst police and health and social services’ professionals who support and protect adult members of society at risk of harm are uncommon. This study investigated professionals’ perceptions of gaps and concerns pertaining to integrated working by means of a realistic evaluation approach. It recommended the need for further research and inter-agency training on public protection.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document