Policy, Process and Personalities: An Exploration of Interprofessional Working with Risk and Older People within a Multidisciplinary Team

Dates

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 12:30

Location

The Open University, Library Seminar Rooms 1 & 2

Dr Christian L. Beech, Senior Lecturer, College of Human & Health Sciences, Swansea University (open to all).

Presentations Title: Policy, Process and Personalities: An Exploration of Interprofessional Working with Risk and Older People within a Multidisciplinary Team. Dr Beech is a senior lecturer and programme director of the BSc Social Work programme. Christian has recently completed his PhD in Social Work, which he undertook part-time and which focused on inter professional working with risk and older people in multidisciplinary teams. Christian also undertook his social work training at Swansea qualifying with a Diploma in Social Work and a MSc in Applied Social Studies.

Following a career that spanned practitioner and management roles across children and adult services in a range of acute and community mental health services, Christian joined the university in 2007 after winning a secondment to lead a research project aimed at developing an evidence base for social work with older people. Since this time he has been involved in a range of research projects linked to older people and social work and now intends to focus his post-doctoral research on inter professional working between health and social care professionals.

This seminar will present the findings of a PhD study conducted in Wales with health and social care practitioners who were either physically or virtually located within multidisciplinary teams.  From the data, three main factors emerged which either influenced or were influenced by interprofessional working within multidisciplinary teams. These were Policy, Process and Personalities.  Policy, which was found to be often obtuse and ‘disconnected’ from the principles of the values and ethics that underpin professional practice. 

The Process of interprofessional working within multidisciplinary teams was found to be ad hoc yet an effective in facilitating an environment in which a range of professions could interact.  And finally, the Personalities of individual practitioners, that is their knowledge, attitudes and relational skills which were found to be crucial elements of effective interprofessional practice. This research highlights key implications for policy-makers, health and social care practitioners and the academy in developing future research and more effective educational interventions in order to deliver a more inclusive policy and practice framework.

If you missed this fascinating presentation you can view it here.