Dissertation/Thesis
Social work in NHS hospitals: Opportunities and challenges
| Title: | Social work in NHS hospitals: Opportunities and challenges |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Phillips, Carrie, Deacon, Lesley, Burrows, Daniel |
| Publisher Information: | BASW |
| Publication Year: | 2024 |
| Collection: | University of Sunderland: SUnderland REpository (SURE) |
| Subject Terms: | Health and Social Care |
| Description: | 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. |
| Document Type: | Thesis |
| File Description: | application/pdf |
| Language: | English |
| Relation: | https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/18143/1/181354%20Social%20work%20in%20NHS%20hospitals.pdf; Phillips, Carrie , Deacon, Lesley and Burrows, Daniel (2024) Social work in NHS hospitals: Opportunities and challenges. Project Report. BASW, Birmingham. |
| Availability: | https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/18143/ https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/18143/1/181354%20Social%20work%20in%20NHS%20hospitals.pdf https://basw.co.uk/policy-and-practice/resources/social-work-nhs-hospitals-opportunities-and-challenges |
| Accession Number: | edsbas.3BEF48AC |
| Database: | BASE |
| Description not available. |