Urogynaecology service at a district general hospital in the United Kingdom-changing needs or a better understanding?

The UK population is ageing rapidly, with 51% of the population predicted to be over 65 years of age by 2030 compared to 2010 [1]. The urogynaecological problems in women increase with age affecting over 20% of the adult population [2]. The National Health services (NHS) will have to transform to deal with very large increases in demand for and costs of health and social care. A study forecasting the prevalence of urogynaecological problems in the US forecasted a 50% increase in the service for urogynaecological conditions2. Role of integrated continence services within acute hospitals is gaining interest. A remarkable shift in NHS services will need good joined up primary and specialist care, community care and social care, with effective out of hour’s service. Urogynaecology offers a mix of problems affecting pelvic floor in a woman. It involves treating women with urinary and/or anal symptoms (urgency, incontinence, incomplete emptying) [3], pelvic organ prolapses (POP) and impact of these symptoms on sexual function. It is a relatively new sub-speciality which requires a holistic approach to a patient symptoms and expert skills to overcome demands from aging female population and fulfilling patient expectations.

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Grace Under Pressure: Resilience, burnout, and wellbeing in frontline workers in the UK and Ireland during the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic

10.31234/osf.io/4tp35 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Clair Sumner ◽

Elaine Kinsella

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Social Order ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Online Survey ◽

Social Care ◽

Care Community ◽

Frontline Workers ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

Uk Government ◽

The Uk

The coronavirus pandemic has necessitated extraordinary human resilience in order to preserve and prolong life and social order. Risks to health and even life are being confronted by workers in health and social care, as well as those in roles previously never defined as “frontline”, such as individuals working in community supply chain sectors. The strategy adopted by the UK government in facing the challenges of the pandemic was markedly different from other countries. The present study set out to examine what variables were associated with resilience, burnout, and wellbeing in all sectors of frontline workers, and whether or not these differed between the UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI). Individuals were eligible if they were a frontline worker (in health and social care, community supply chain, or other emergency services) in the UK or RoI during the pandemic. Part of a larger, longitudinal study, the participants completed an online survey to assess various aspects of their daily and working lives, along with their attitudes towards their government’s handling of the crisis, and measurement of psychological variables associated with heroism (altruism, meaning in life, and resilient coping). A total of 1305 participants (N=869, 66.6% from the UK) provided sufficient data for analysis. UK-based workers reported lower wellbeing than the RoI-based participants. In multivariate models, both psychological and pandemic-related variables were associated with levels of resilience, burnout, and wellbeing in these workers, but which pandemic-related variables were associated with outcomes differed depending on the country. The judgment of lower timeliness in their government’s response to the pandemic appeared to be a key driver of each outcome for the UK-based frontline workers. These findings provide initial evidence that the different strategies adopted by each country may be associated with the overall wellbeing of frontline workers, with higher detriment observed in the UK. The judgment of the relatively slow response of the UK government to instigate their pandemic measures appears to be associated with lower resilience, higher burnout, and lower wellbeing in frontline workers in the UK.

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Psychosocial impact on frontline health and social care professionals in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047353 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e047353

Author(s):

Henry Aughterson ◽

Alison R McKinlay ◽

Daisy Fancourt ◽

Alexandra Burton

Keyword(s):

Personal Growth ◽

Social Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Work Related ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

Communication Challenges ◽

The Uk

ObjectivesTo explore the psychosocial well-being of health and social care professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignThis was a qualitative study deploying in-depth, individual interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for coding.ParticipantsThis study involved 25 participants from a range of frontline professions in health and social care.SettingInterviews were conducted over the phone or video call, depending on participant preference.ResultsFrom the analysis, we identified 5 overarching themes: communication challenges, work-related stressors, support structures, personal growth and individual resilience. The participants expressed difficulties such as communication challenges and changing work conditions, but also positive factors such as increased team unity at work, and a greater reflection on what matters in life.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence on the support needs of health and social care professionals amid continued and future disruptions caused by the pandemic. It also elucidates some of the successful strategies (such as mindfulness, hobbies, restricting news intake, virtual socialising activities) deployed by health and social care professionals that can support their resilience and well-being and be used to guide future interventions.

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The value of psychiatrists in leadership and management

BJPsych Advances ◽

10.1192/apt.bp.115.015156 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 263-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jennifer Perry ◽

Fiona L. Mason

Keyword(s):

Social Care ◽

Self Awareness ◽

Management Styles ◽

Leadership And Management ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Uk ◽

Medical Leadership ◽

The Impact ◽

Organisational Level

SummaryThe health and social care landscape in the UK is changing, and there is now, more than ever, a real need for doctors to embrace leadership and management. Evidence shows that medical leadership is associated with better outcomes for patients. Psychiatrists are particularly well suited to such roles, given the interpersonal skills and self-awareness that they develop in their training. In this article, we examine the role of the psychiatrist in leading at a patient, team and organisational level and the impact this has. We also discuss different leadership and management styles.

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Theorising anti-racism in health and social care

Critical and Radical Social Work ◽

10.1332/204986021x16109919364036 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Esme Choonara

Keyword(s):

White Supremacy ◽

Social Care ◽

Black Lives Matter ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Us ◽

Per Se ◽

The Uk ◽

Different Levels

The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 in the context of a COVID-19 pandemic that was already disproportionally impacting on the lives of people from black, Asian and other minority ethnicities in the UK and the US has provoked scrutiny of how racism impacts on all areas of our lives. This article will examine some competing theories of racism, and ask what theoretical tools we need to successfully confront racism in health and social care. In particular, it will scrutinise the different levels at which racism operates – individual, institutional and structural – and ask how these are related. Furthermore, it will argue against theories that see racism as a product of whiteness per se or ‘white supremacy’, insisting instead that racism should be understood as firmly bound to the functioning and perpetuation of capitalism.

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The Professional Standards Authority: overseeing the health and social care regulators

Manchester Medical Journal ◽

10.7227/mmj.0023 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Beech

Keyword(s):

Social Care ◽

Professional Standards ◽

High Court ◽

The Public ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Uk ◽

Nurses And Midwives

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) reviews the fitness-to-practise decisions of all nine health and social care regulators in the UK. In 2016–17, the authority reviewed 4,285 determinations. If the PSA deems a particular decision to be ‘insufficient for the protection of the public’ (previously the test was ‘unduly lenient’), that decision can be referred to the High Court, where it can be reviewed and, if appropriate, overturned. To help illustrate this aspect of the work of the PSA, this report presents the case of a midwife whose fitness to practise had been considered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the statutory regulator of nurses and midwives. The PSA considered that the outcome had been unduly lenient (i.e. it was considered under the earlier test), and the High Court agreed. The matter was remitted back to a differently constituted committee of the NMC, where it was decided that the appropriate outcome was that her name should be removed from the register, thereby effectively ending the career of the midwife.

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Experiences of preparing children for a death of an important adult during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053099 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. e053099

Author(s):

Elizabeth Rapa ◽

Jeffrey R Hanna ◽

Catriona R Mayland ◽

Stephen Mason ◽

Bettina Moltrecht ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Social Care ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Healthcare Team ◽

Mixed Methods Design ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Uk ◽

Parental Belief ◽

Depth Interviews

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to investigate how families prepared children for the death of a significant adult, and how health and social care professionals provided psychosocial support to families about a relative’s death during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/settingA mixed methods design; an observational survey with health and social care professionals and relatives bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, and in-depth interviews with bereaved relatives and professionals were conducted. Data were analysed thematically.ParticipantsA total of 623 participants completed the survey and interviews were conducted with 19 bereaved relatives and 16 professionals.ResultsMany children were not prepared for a death of an important adult during the pandemic. Obstacles to preparing children included families’ lack of understanding about their relative’s declining health; parental belief that not telling children was protecting them from becoming upset; and parents’ uncertainty about how best to prepare their children for the death. Only 10.2% (n=11) of relatives reported professionals asked them about their deceased relative’s relationships with children. This contrasts with 68.5% (n=72) of professionals who reported that the healthcare team asked about patient’s relationships with children. Professionals did not provide families with psychosocial support to facilitate preparation, and resources were less available or inappropriate for families during the pandemic. Three themes were identified: (1) obstacles to telling children a significant adult is going to die, (2) professionals’ role in helping families to prepare children for the death of a significant adult during the pandemic, and (3) how families prepare children for the death of a significant adult.ConclusionsProfessionals need to: provide clear and honest communication about a poor prognosis; start a conversation with families about the dying patient’s significant relationships with children; and reassure families that telling children someone close to them is dying is beneficial for their longer term psychological adjustment.

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Good practice in health and social care provision for LGBT older people in the UK

LGBT health inequalities ◽

10.2307/j.ctt1t89jh6.16 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 145-158

Author(s):

Sue Westwood ◽

Andrew King ◽

Kathryn Almack ◽

Yiu-Tung Suen ◽

Louis Bailey

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Social Care ◽

Good Practice ◽

Care Provision ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Uk

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Beyond healthcare leadership? The imperative for health and social care systems

Leadership in Health Services ◽

10.1108/lhs-02-2020-0005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 351-363

Author(s):

John Duncan Edmonstone

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Leadership Development ◽

Social Care ◽

Current Model ◽

Healthcare Leadership ◽

Content Type ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

The Future ◽

Care Systems ◽

The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to make the case that there is a need to move beyond a focus on an approach to leadership development which is confined to health care only. It argues that, given the economic, financial, social and organisational context within which health and social care organisations in the UK operate, there is a need to develop leadership within health and social care systems, rather than within the existing “siloed” sectors. Design/methodology/approach The paper considers the context within which health and social care organisations in the UK operate; examines the nature of those organisations; makes the case for focusing on the health and social car system through systems leadership; and identifies the need for leadership, rather than leader development. Findings There is a danger of health and social care organisations “walking backwards into the future” with eyes fixed on the past. The future lies with treating health and social care as a system, rather than focusing on organisations. The current model is individual leader focused, but the emerging model is one of collective multi-agency teams. Originality/value The paper seeks to go beyond a health-care-only focus, by asserting that there is a need to regard health and social care as a single system, delivered by a multiplicity of different organisations. This has implications for the kind of leadership involved and for how this might be developed.

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