Developing Capability for Effective Collaborative Practice Assignment

Module: Developing Capability for Effective Collaborative Practice Assignment
This may assist you in structuring your assignment.
3,500 words Essay
Use APA referencing.
Use Arial font and font size 12
Dent the paragraphs 0.2
Within the assignment you MUST incorporate a minimum of 4 reflections.
Consider using subheadings
 
Introduction: 250-300:
Introduce the main themes in the assignment
1) Collaborative Practice,
2) inter-professional working,
3) service environment for collaborative working,
4) Service User Involvement,
5) contemporary policy drivers. Please make it relevant to the UK!!!!
 
Essay Body:

1. Principles of Service User Involvement and Carer Involvement in the Context of Inter-Professional Working

            (Module Learning Outcome 1)

1. a) Write about what are the positive aspects of having service users involved in their care/treatment etc. What are the challenges?

 
Could you reflect upon SU involvement in your own practice?
 
What does the literature suggest about SU involvement?
 
 
A Reflection on my experience with service user involvement
In this reflective account, I will use the Gibbs reflective cycle that encourages me to think through the different stages of the experience.
Description:
I was placed in an assessment and rehabilitation unit as one of my second year spoke placement. It was a multidisciplinary unit that provided care and services for people who had stroke, Parkinson’s disease, falls and those prone to falls. As such, it consisted of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, Speech and language therapists, nurses, Doctors, administration staff, ambulance drivers, healthcare assistants and students.
As a student nurse in that setting, I worked with every member of the team, including the Patients.
Mrs X attended the falls clinic as a new Patient because she had been referred by her GP and the district nursing team, due to the fact that she had fallen twice in the previous four months. She came in anxious, resistant and non-compliant because she didn’t want to be in the unit.
I followed Mrs X through her assessment journey from nursing to physiotherapist, occupational therapist and finally to her consultation with the Doctor. I had conversations with her where she expressed that she didn’t want to come to the unit weekly to receive her treatment. I asked her if I could share it with the team and she gave her consent. Through this journey her resistance and negative body language was picked up by every single professional. I then facilitated her involvement by giving her a head start and hinted the different professionals that she is worried about being obliged to come for treatment because the unit was far, it is cold and gets dark early and her cats and dogs were going to be left alone for long hours. By the time we went into the Doctor’s room, the other professionals had already handed over Mrs X point of view to the Doctor. The Doctor had a lengthy chat with her where she expressed her worries in detail and both concluded and agreed on a care plan that involved Mrs X having services delivered at home by the home team. She came out of the consultation room smiling and looking physically relieved, showing extreme gratitude towards the professionals of the whole unit.
Feelings:
I felt compassion for Mrs X as she is quite elderly and lives alone in a far area to the unit. Knowing that there was a home team re-assured me that she didn’t have to travel twice a week to the unit. I felt a bit frustrated that the other professionals didn’t have the power to tell Mrs X about her care plan and so put out of her misery earlier enough. I didn’t like the fact that she was left in distress till her consultation with the Doctor and that it was only the Doctor who could tell her the good news. In the end, I felt relieve and glad that user involvement truly has positive aspects.
Evaluation:
In my evaluation of this experience, it was really good that Mrs X’s negative body language was picked up and immediately acted upon by every professional. The fact that information was instantly shared inter-professionally, behind the scene, helped her effective involvement. Mrs X was made to feel valued because everybody paid attention and listened to what she had to say, consequently, the result was instant.
The challenges of this experience are the rules of the organisation which meant only the Doctor can have the final say to tell the Patient about their care plan. This caused undue stress to Mrs X.
Analysis:
My analysis of Mrs X involvement in her own care plan is that she might be one of the fortunate people who strongly expressed their unwillingness quite clearly and very early on in an assessment consultation that she exercised her right to choose and took control. I wonder how many people have complied with treatments and services that don’t really suit them just because they couldn’t make their voice heard. This brings into question the Service user involvement awareness. How aware are people of the right to be involved in the own care? On what level do they get involved? In the case of Mrs X, she did not even know how to start to get involved. I had to give her a head start by hinting because not every professional provides an opportunity for user involvement.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I learnt how meaningful user involvement can positively affect user’s attitude and encourage compliance to services and treatment and user’s health in general. I also saw how her involvement in her own care ended up producing an extremely positive experience and outcome reached.
Action Plan:
This experience did impact on me in a positive way so much so that I will make it part of the basis of my practice. In the future, I will pre-empt user involvement by first of all observing for any signs of discontent. I will ask questions that require making preferred choices and make sure I listen and make enough time for user involvement.

1. b) What is inter-professional working? What is collaborative practice? Have you observed it in practice? Could you reflect on an incident whereby inter-professional working and collaborative practice was observed? Why was it successful or a challenge? What was the impact on the service or SU?

incorporate a written reflection within the main discussion.
Finally, you need to conclude this section with how you’ll work collaboratively and inter-professionally in practice and give some examples?

2. Effective Collaboration for Safe & Effective Services

            (Module Learning Outcome 2)
Write about what affects effective collaborative practice?
What in practice have you observed? Poor or effective collaboration? How is the service/SU impacted?
What does the literature suggest can affect effective collaborative practice?
Reflect upon your involvement in collaborative working. Have you worked collaborative with another Health Care Professional or service to enhance a SU’s care or experience?
 

3. Service Environment & Policy Drivers for Collaborative Practice (Please make it UK relevant)!!!!!!

            (Module Learning Outcome 3)
How does the environment you work in impact on your ability to collaborate with other Health Care Professionals? How could this be adapted?
How can you overcome barriers to collaborative working? If you are able to collaborate effectively what is it that facilitates this?
What does the literature suggest as to how the environment can support effective collaborative working? Do you agree with the literature?
Remember you can appraise the literature, so you could use the literature to offer an alternative opinion and critically reflect using your experiences in practice.
How do policy drivers promote collaborative working? Make sure you refer to appropriate UK policy.