The case for collaborative learning: Introducing opportunities in the higher education setting

Public Health England and the Department of Health (2015) have documented that parents are requesting consistent professional advice throughout pregnancy and the early weeks following birth, as their care is transferred from midwives to health visitors. In addition, commissioners are increasingly seeking to integrate services to provide joined-up care and improve health outcomes for parents and families. This paper discusses the benefits, to both parents and health professionals, of collaborative working, together with the challenges faced by midwives and health visitors in the current climate. It explores the benefits of collaborative learning between the two disciplines in the higher education setting, with an example of a successful collaboration at the University of Central Lancashire

Women's views of continuity of information provided during and after pregnancy: A qualitative interview study

Straightforward transfer of care from pregnancy to the postpartum period is associated with health benefits and is desired by women worldwide. Underpinning this transfer of care is the sharing of information between healthcare professionals and the provision of consistent information to women. In this qualitative study, two aspects of continuity of information were examined; first the information passed on from midwife to health visitor regarding a woman and her baby before the health visitor meets the woman postnatally and second, the consistency of information received by women from these two healthcare professionals (the main healthcare providers during and after pregnancy in England). To be eligible for the study, women had to have had a baby in England within 12 months prior to the interview. Participants also needed to be able to read and speak English and be over 18 years old. Recruitment of participants was via word of mouth and social media. Twenty-nine mothers were interviewed of whom 19 were first time mothers. The interviews took place in the summer and autumn of 2016 and were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework Analysis. Two overarching themes were identified: not feeling listened to and information inconsistencies. Women reported little experience of midwives and health visitors sharing information about their care, forcing women to repeat information. This made women feel not listened to and participants recommended that healthcare professionals share information; prioritising information about labour, mental health, and chronic conditions. Women had mixed experiences regarding receiving information from midwives and health visitors, with examples of both consistent and inconsistent information received. To avoid inconsistent information, joint appointments were recommended. Findings from this study clearly suggest that better communication pathways need to be developed and effectively implemented for midwives and health visitors to improve the care that they provide to women

Lund University Students, Christianity and Lund Cathedral

Lund Cathedral, founded in the beginning of the 12th century, is part of the history of Sweden, being visited by people of different cultural and religious backgrounds. Although its popularity among tourists, said institution is facing difficulties to attract young Swedes to their activities, among them, Swedish students of Lund University. The inspiration for this thesis came from my internship at the cathedral, performed last year. Needless to say, a church willing to communicate with young Swedes, as it is the case, needs to gain a better understanding on the reasons why that target group behave in the ways they do. By acquiring such knowledge, stereotypes on how Swedish students of Lund University think of Christianity and the Cathedral, for instance, can more easily be surpassed. This is a case study of aforementioned religious institution, which will focus upon how the latter is perceived by that target group. Different qualitative methods were used in the research process, which were mainly in-depth interviews and participant observations. Briefly said, the research concluded that the majority of the university students interviewed is not inclined to attend church activities because visiting the church has not been part of their upbringing and hence, going to the church is not seen a normal part of their weekly routines. Furthermore, it was stated that the academic environment does not encourage religiousness, especially when it comes to Christianity

A qualitative study exploring parental perspectives and involvement in health visiting services during the Health Visitor Implementation Plan in the South West of England

Internationally, there is a strong interest in engaging the public more widely in both the development and governance of public services. This study aimed to explore family perspectives on the introduction of a new policy initiative called the 'Health Visitor Implementation Plan' (Department of Health [2011] Health Visitor Implementation Plan 2011-15: A Call to Action) and their experiences of the new health visitor service provision. The policy aimed to increase the health visitor workforce by 4200 additional practitioners between 2011 and 2015, in parallel with introducing a new service model to provide comprehensive and accessible support for parents with children 0-5 years. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected via semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 22 parents between March 2013 and March 2014. Questions focused around the extent to which the new service met parental expectation and need. Participants were recruited through Children's Centres and interviewed during established group sessions. Analysis was conducted using thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. The participants were asked to share their experiences of the health visiting service and their views on this national policy initiative. Although asked to comment on the policy at nation and local level, their responses were predominantly around personal experience. Parents welcomed the increase in workforce capacity and positive experiences centred on health visitors who were caring, knowledgeable, skilled and facilitated positive outcomes. Many of the negative experiences were seen to be due to poor relationships between the parent and the health visitor. Parents were influenced by the communication skills and personal attributes of the individual health visitors, including time to listen. The strength of parental opinion indicated that parents are willing to contribute to service development, consequently policy makers and health visitors themselves need to have clarity around the purpose and mechanism of parental involvement if meaningful partnership is to become a reality

Design Thinking for Social Innovation in Health Care

Design has a potential to envision alternative futures for health care through new forms of innovation. In this paper, we propose a strategic framework for fostering a culture of design thinking for social innovation in health care. Drawing upon the theory of design (and its thinking), in conjunction with global and national health care strategies and policies, we critically reflect on pedagogical approaches for enhancing the curriculum in design as a means of discussing the need for new thinking in health. Findings to date suggest that new mechanisms of knowledge acquisition, application, and exploration are needed to address the complex challenges facing social and health care. Referring to the national health care strategies, connections are made with design thinking, social innovation, health and social care to facilitate a transition from applying design as a process to applying design as a strategy for cultural transformation

Applying models of co-production in the context of health and wellbeing. A narrative review to guide future practice

Background: Recent years have seen a dramatic growth in interest in the nature and extent of co-production in the health and social care sectors. Due to the intense proliferation of work on co-production, there is intense variation in practice in how co-production is defined, understood and used in practice. Methods: We conducted a narrative review to explore, and provide an overview of, which models of health and social care co-production have been developed, applied and critiqued over the last few decades. Results: Seventy-three peer reviewed articles met our inclusion criteria. In this set of articles, we identified three broad types of models: conceptual/theoretical; practice-oriented; and presenting a typology. We found that practice-oriented models, predominantly from the Health Services Research and Quality Improvement literature, had largely not drawn on conceptual/theoretical models from the disciplinary fields of Public Administration & Management and Sociology. In particular, they have largely neglected theoretical perspectives on relationships and power and agency in co-production work, as well as the concepts of Service-Dominant Logic and Public Service-Dominant Logic as ways to think about the joint, collaborative process of producing new value, particularly in the context of the use of a service. Conclusion: Our review has identified distinct literatures which have contributed a variety of models of health and social care co-production. Our findings highlight under-explored dimensions of co-production that merit greater attention in the health and social care contexts. The overview of models of co-production we provide aims to offer a useful platform for the integration of different perspectives on co-production in future research and practice in health and social care

Examining the social construction of surveillance: a critical issue for health visitors and public health nurses working with mothers and children

Aims and objectives In this paper we will critically examine surveillance practices of health visitors (HV) in the UK and public health nurses (PHNs) in Canada. Background The practice and meaning of surveillance shifts and changes depending on the context and intent of relationships between mothers and HVs or PHNs. Design We present the context and practice of HVs in the UK and PHNs in Canada and provide a comprehensive literature review regarding surveillance of mothers within public health systems. We then present our critique of the meaning and practice of surveillance across different settings. Methods Concepts from Foucault and discourse analysis are used to critically examine and discuss the meaning of surveillance Results Surveillance is a complex concept that shifts meaning and is socially and institutionally constructed through relations of power Conclusions Health care providers need to understand the different meanings and practices associated with surveillance to effectively inform practice. Relevance to clinical practice Health care providers should be aware of how their positions of expert and privilege within health care systems affect relationships with mothers. A more comprehensive understanding of personal social and institutional aspects of surveillance will provide opportunities to reflect upon and change practices that are supportive of mothers and their families

Power to the people: To what extent has public involvement in applied health research achieved this?

Public involvement in applied health research is a pre-requisite for funding from many funding bodies. In particular the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in the UK, clearly states that it values lay knowledge and there is an expectation that members of the public will participate as research partners in research. As a result a large public involvement infrastructure has emerged to facilitate this. However, there is concern that despite the flurry of activity in promoting public involvement, lay knowledge is marginalised and has limited impact on research decision-making. This article asks to what extent has power shifted from the scientific research community to the public? It discusses the meaning of power and models of public involvement and examines the development of public involvement in applied health research. It identifies public involvement in a range of decision-making: identifying priority areas for commissioning research; making decisions about which projects are funded; decisions about details of research design. Whilst there is evidence that the public voice is present in the composition of research proposals submitted to NIHR and in the decision-making about which projects are funded and how they are carried out, there is less evidence of a change in the power dynamic manifest in social relations between the scientific research community and the public. As a result the biomedical model remains dominant and largely unchallenged in research decision-making

Co-designing health services for people living with HIV who have multimorbidity:a feasibility study

This study explored the feasibility of using an experience-based co-design service improvement methodology to develop a new approach to managing multimorbidity in people living with HIV. Patients with HIV and multimorbidity and staff were recruited from five hospital departments and general practice. Staff and patient experiences were gathered through semi-structured interviews, filmed patient interviews, non-participant observation and patient diaries. A composite film developed from interviews illustrated the touchpoints in the patient journey, and priorities for service improvement were identified by staff and patients in focus groups. Twenty-two people living with HIV and 14 staff took part. Four patients completed a diary and 10 a filmed interview. Analysis identified eight touchpoints, and group work pinpointed three improvement priorities: medical records and information sharing; appointment management; and care co-ordination and streamlining. This study demonstrates that experience-based co-design is feasible in the context of HIV and can inform healthcare improvement for people with multimorbidity.</p

Nursing work and sensory experiences of hospital design: A before and after qualitative study following a move to all-single room inpatient accommodation

The embodied experience of nursing practice is rarely studied. Drawing on data from an internationally relevant larger study conducted in 2013–14, here we explore the sensory dimension of the embodied experiences of nursing staff working on two acute NHS hospital wards before and after a move to all-single room inpatient accommodation. We undertook a secondary analysis of 25 interviews with nursing staff (12 before and 13 after the move with half [13/25] using photographs taken by participants) from a mixed-method before-and-after study. This analysis focused on the sensory dimensions of nursing staff's experiences of their working practices and the effect of the built environment upon these. Drawing on Pallasmaa's theoretocal insights, we report how the all-single room ward design prioritises ‘focused vision’ and hinders peripheral perception, whilst the open ward environment is rich in contextual and preconscious information. We suggest all-single room accommodation may offer staff an impoverished experience of caring for patients and of working with each other