scholarly journals More that unites us than divides us? A qualitative study of integration of community health and social care services

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mitchell ◽  
Abigail Tazzyman ◽  
Susan J. Howard ◽  
Damian Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care

scholarly journals Occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport

2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262097394
Author(s):  
Deborah Bullen ◽  
Channine Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Scope Of Practice ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care

Introduction In response to growing demands on health and social care services there is an emphasis on communities addressing the needs of local populations to improve lives and reduce inequalities. Occupational therapists are responding to these demands by expanding their scope of practice into innovative settings, such as working with refugees, the homeless and residents of nursing homes, and within sport and leisure environments. The benefits of sport are widely acknowledged, and this paper argues that occupational therapists could play a pivotal role in enabling people to participate. Method This qualitative study drew on a phenomenological approach and used interviews and thematic analysis to explore five occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport. Findings Findings revealed that participants demonstrated the uniqueness of occupational therapy when enabling people to participate in sport and practised according to their professional philosophy. There were opportunities to reach wider communities and promote the value of occupational therapy by collaborating with organisations, but there were also challenges when working outside of traditional settings. Conclusion The study emphasises the unique skills occupational therapists can bring to this setting. It highlights opportunities to expand their practice, to forge new partnerships in sports and leisure environments, and to address the national inactivity crisis.

scholarly journals Integrating Community Health and Social Care Services in Fife

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Ron McDowall ◽  
Aileen Whyte ◽  
Jill Dow ◽  
Lorna MacKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care

scholarly journals More that unites us than divides us? A qualitative study of integration of community health and social care services

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mitchell ◽  
Abigail Tazzyman ◽  
Susan J. Howard ◽  
Damian Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective Discharge ◽  
Health And Social Care

Abstract Background The integration of community health and social care services has been widely promoted nationally as a vital step to improve patient centred care, reduce costs, reduce admissions to hospital and facilitate timely and effective discharge from hospital. The complexities of integration raise questions about the practical challenges of integrating health and care given embedded professional and organisational boundaries in both sectors. We describe how an English city created a single, integrated care partnership organisation, to fully integrate community health and social care services. This led to the development of twelve integrated neighbourhood teams, combining and co-locating professionals across three separate localities. The aim of this research is to identify the context and the factors enabling and hindering integration from a qualitative process evaluation. Methods Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with equal numbers of health and social care staff at strategic and operational level. The data was subjected to thematic analysis. Results We describe three key themes: 1) shared vision and leadership; 2) organisational factors; 3) professional workforce factors. We found a clarity of vision and purpose of integration throughout the partnership organisation, but there were challenges related to the introduction of devolved leadership. There were widespread concerns that the specified outcome measures did not capture the complexities of integration. Organisational challenges included a lack of detail around clinical and service delivery planning, tensions around variable human resource practices and barriers to data sharing. A lack of understanding and trust meant professional workforce integration remained a key challenge, although integration was also seen as a potential solution to engender relationship building. Conclusions Given the long-term national policy focus on integration this ambitious approach to fully integrate community health and social care has highlighted implications for leadership, organisational design and inter-professional working. Given the ethos of valuing the local assets of individuals and networks within the new partnership organisation we found the integrated neighbourhood teams could all learn from each other. Many of the challenges of integration could benefit from embracing the inherent capabilities across the integrated neighbourhood teams and localities of this city.

scholarly journals More that unites us than divides us? A qualitative study of integration of community health and social care services

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mitchell ◽  
Abigail Tazzyman ◽  
Susan J. Howard ◽  
Damian Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective Discharge ◽  
Health And Social Care

Abstract Background: The integration of community health and social care services has been widely promoted nationally as a vital step to improve patient centred care, reduce costs, reduce admissions to hospital and facilitate timely and effective discharge from hospital. The complexities of integration raise questions about the practical challenges of integrating health and care given embedded professional and organisational boundaries in both sectors. We describe how an English city created a single, integrated care partnership, to integrate community health and social care services. This led to the development of twelve integrated neighbourhood teams, combining and co-locating professionals across three separate localities. The aim of this research is to identify the context and the factors enabling and hindering integration from a qualitative process evaluation.Methods: Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with equal numbers of health and social care staff at strategic and operational level. The data was subjected to thematic analysis. Results: We describe three key themes: 1) shared vision and leadership; 2) organisational factors; 3) professional workforce factors. We found a clarity of vision and purpose of integration throughout the partnership, but there were challenges related to the introduction of devolved leadership. There were widespread concerns that the specified outcome measures did not capture the complexities of integration. Organisational challenges included a lack of detail around clinical and service delivery planning, tensions around variable human resource practices and barriers to data sharing. A lack of understanding and trust meant professional workforce integration remained a key challenge, although integration was also seen as a potential solution to engender relationship building. Conclusions: Given the long-term national policy focus on integration this ambitious approach to integrate community health and social care has highlighted implications for leadership, organisational design and inter-professional working. Given the ethos of valuing the local assets of individuals and networks within the new partnership we found the integrated neighbourhood teams could all learn from each other. Many of the challenges of integration could benefit from embracing the inherent capabilities across the integrated neighbourhood teams and localities of this city.

scholarly journals More that unites us than divides us? A qualitative study of integration of community health and social care services

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mitchell ◽  
Abigail Tazzyman ◽  
Susan J. Howard ◽  
Damian Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective Discharge ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Delivery Planning

Abstract Background The integration of community health and social care services has been widely promoted nationally as a vital step to improve patient centred care, reduce costs, reduce admissions to hospital and facilitate timely and effective discharge from hospital. The complexities of integration raise questions about the practical challenges of integrating health and care given embedded professional and organisational boundaries in both sectors. We describe how an English city created a single, integrated care partnership organisation, to fully integrate community health and social care services. This led to the development of twelve integrated neighbourhood teams, combining and co-locating professionals across three separate localities. The aim of this research is to identify the context and the factors enabling and hindering integration from a qualitative process evaluation.Methods Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with equal numbers of health and social care staff at strategic and operational level. The data was subjected to thematic analysis.Results We describe three key themes: 1) shared vision and leadership; 2) organisational factors; 3) professional workforce factors. We found a clarity of vision and purpose of integration throughout the partnership organisation, but there were challenges related to the introduction of devolved leadership. There were widespread concerns that the specified outcome measures did not capture the complexities of integration. Organisational challenges included a lack of detail around clinical and service delivery planning, tensions around variable human resource practices and barriers to data sharing. A lack of understanding and trust meant professional workforce integration remained a key challenge, although integration was also seen as a potential solution to engender relationship building.Conclusions Given the long-term national policy focus on integration this ambitious approach to fully integrate community health and social care has highlighted implications for leadership, organisational design and inter-professional working. Given the ethos of valuing the local assets of individuals and networks within the new partnership organisation we found the integrated neighbourhood teams could all learn from each other. Many of the challenges of integration could benefit from embracing the inherent capabilities across the integrated neighbourhood teams and localities of this city.

scholarly journals The patient advisor, an organizational resource as a lever for an enhanced oncology patient experience (PAROLE-onco): a longitudinal multiple case study protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Pomey ◽  
M. de Guise ◽  
M. Desforges ◽  
K. Bouchard ◽  
C. Vialaron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Clinical Oncology ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Ethical And Legal Issues ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Quebec is one of the Canadian provinces with the highest rates of cancer incidence and prevalence. A study by the Rossy Cancer Network (RCN) of McGill university assessed six aspects of the patient experience among cancer patients and found that emotional support is the aspect most lacking. To improve this support, trained patient advisors (PAs) can be included as full-fledged members of the healthcare team, given that PA can rely on their knowledge with experiencing the disease and from using health and social care services to accompany cancer patients, they could help to round out the health and social care services offer in oncology. However, the feasibility of integrating PAs in clinical oncology teams has not been studied. In this multisite study, we will explore how to integrate PAs in clinical oncology teams and, under what conditions this can be successfully done. We aim to better understand effects of this PA intervention on patients, on the PAs themselves, the health and social care team, the administrators, and on the organization of services and to identify associated ethical and legal issues. Methods/design We will conduct six mixed methods longitudinal case studies. Qualitative data will be used to study the integration of the PAs into clinical oncology teams and to identify the factors that are facilitators and inhibitors of the process, the associated ethical and legal issues, and the challenges that the PAs experience. Quantitative data will be used to assess effects on patients, PAs and team members, if any, of the PA intervention. The results will be used to support oncology programs in the integration of PAs into their healthcare teams and to design a future randomized pragmatic trial to evaluate the impact of PAs as full-fledged members of clinical oncology teams on cancer patients’ experience of emotional support throughout their care trajectory. Discussion This study will be the first to integrate PAs as full-fledged members of the clinical oncology team and to assess possible clinical and organizational level effects. Given the unique role of PAs, this study will complement the body of research on peer support and patient navigation. An additional innovative aspect of this study will be consideration of the ethical and legal issues at stake and how to address them in the health care organizations.

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