Social work in NHS hospitals: Opportunities and challenges
Phillips, Carrie, Deacon, Lesley and Burrows, Daniel (2024) Social work in NHS hospitals: Opportunities and challenges. Project Report. BASW, Birmingham.
Item Type: | Reports, briefing/ working papers (Project Report) |
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Abstract
This report draws on data from Freedom of Information requests, interviews with hospital social workers, and a UK-wide online survey.
Key findings
Social workers are often employed by the local authority but support discharges from acute NHS hospitals.
Almost 40% of staff in hospital social work teams do not hold a formal social work qualification.
Flexible and agile working is common, but this has had a detrimental impact on communication between social work and clinical staff in the hospital, and between social workers and patients, by reducing familiarity and opportunity for face-to-face conversation.
Hospital social work has changed due to Covid-19 restrictions, as social work teams were often moved out of hospitals and have not returned.
Discharge to Assess is also changing the nature of hospital social work, as long-term decision-making in a hospital setting is discouraged and patients are moved out of acute hospital settings sooner.
Social workers bring value to the multi-disciplinary hospital team, by centring the importance of individual choice and of the patient’s relationships.
Social workers also report having a greater focus on the patient’s past and their potential future, than clinical colleagues.
PDF (Social Work in NHS Hospitals - research briefing)
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More Information
Depositing User: Carrie Phillips |
Identifiers
Item ID: 18143 |
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/18143 |
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Catalogue record
Date Deposited: 26 Sep 2024 12:55 |
Last Modified: 26 Sep 2024 12:55 |
Author: | Carrie Phillips |
Author: | Lesley Deacon |
Author: | Daniel Burrows |
University Divisions
Faculty of Education and Society > School of Social SciencesSubjects
Social Sciences > Health and Social CareActions (login required)
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