Study reveals benefits of multidisciplinary social care placements
Student nurses undertaking social care placements at the same time as those from other disciplines can make them more confident and autonomous professionals, and improve the overall care given to older people, a study has found.
Not the Last Resort, a nurse-led study published this week, has revealed the “transformative power” of interprofessional education in social care settings.
“It’s imperative that we develop innovative placement models and inspire students to see the immense potential of careers in social care”
Melanie Stephens
The name of the report aims to challenge the view that working in care homes can be viewed as a last resort by students and other professionals.
It comes as care leaders and organisations across the country are trying to support more student nurses into social care placements, to encourage them to pursue a career in the sector.
Since 2021, the University of Salford, University of Bolton, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester have conducted two studies across five care homes.
Forty pre-registration students from nursing and allied health professions were given the opportunity to experience an interprofessional training scheme as part of their placement in a care home.
Interprofessional education involves groups of students, from a range of healthcare disciplines, working and learning together.
Students, from the fields of adult, learning disabilities and mental health nursing, went on placement with colleagues from other professions like dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation.
On these placements, they worked as an integrated multidisciplinary team, which included attending weekly meetings with students, staff and residents to work on the goals that residents wanted to achieve.
The researchers found several positive outcomes from nursing students taking part in interprofessional education.
For example, participating in the initiative provided students with valuable learning opportunities, space to acquire new knowledge and contributed to their continuous professional development.
Interprofessional education actively promoted knowledge sharing in multidisciplinary teams, which in turn “breaks down professional silos” in care home settings, the study said.
Working among people from different disciplines did not just support nursing students, but also more senior nurses who were able to broaden their knowledge.
One care home manager and registered nurse said: “I’ve been a nurse now for 42 years and I like to think I know a lot. I know a little about a lot of things, but I learned so much from the other professions.”
Meanwhile, interprofessional education was found to make a positive impact on the development of students, making them more more confident, autonomous, reflective and enhancing their overall growth and understanding of person-centred care.
The study highlighted that the initiative also had lasting impacts in care homes.
For example, new techniques, equipment and guidance that were introduced during the placement period and continued to be utilised and benefit residents going forwards.
Researchers said their findings were consistent with the goals outlined in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which has promised to expand placement capacity and provide students with more diverse placement opportunities.
The study concluded that interprofessional education in care homes “offers significant potential to impact the social care sector by creating more avenues for individuals to pursue careers in this field”.
It said: “By participating, students develop a more positive perception of social care provision and interprofessional collaboration.
“This fosters a new generation of healthcare professionals with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the challenges and opportunities within care environments.”
The three-year study was led by Dr Melanie Stephens, associate professor in adult nursing in the school of health and society at the University of Salford.
Dr Stephens said: “Through evaluation, we found that participation in the initiative yields a positive impact not only on care home staff and residents, but also on learners’ knowledge, skill and personal development.
“The study has shown that residents benefit from improved quality of care, access to new interventions and equipment and an increase in their sense of wellbeing.
“It has also helped to challenge students’ negative perceptions of care homes.”
The findings of the study are timely as, in recent months, care leaders have been pushing for there be a greater focus on placements in social care settings.
The findings of the study come as, in recent months, care leaders have been pushing for there to be greater focus put on placements in social care settings.
In February, the King’s Fund published a major report which called on training providers to increase meaningful experiences of primary and community care, to encourage students to choose these avenues as a career path.
The report argued that providers could consider compulsory student placements in these settings.
Meanwhile, Skills for Care published guidance last month to encourage and support the development of placements for student nurses in social care settings.
Dr Stephens added: “With the strategic importance of care homes to the delivery of appropriate health and social care, and calls to expand and diversify the future workforce, it’s imperative that we develop innovative placement models and inspire students to see the immense potential of careers in social care.”
