Deployment and impact of support staff in schools : characteristics, working conditions and job satisfaction of support staff in schools (strand 1, waves 1-3 in 2004, 2006 and 2008)

This study was designed to obtain up to date and reliable data on the deployment and characteristics of support staff and the impact of support staff on pupil outcomes and teacher workloads. The study covered schools in England and Wales. It involved large scale surveys (Strand 1), followed by a multi method and multi informant approach (Strand 2).It provided detailed baseline data by which to assess change and progress over time. It sought to understand the processes in schools which lead to the effective use of support staff. This report presents results from the three waves of Strand 1 which took place in 2004, 2006 and 2008. At each wave there were three questionnaires: the Main School Questionnaire (MSQ), the Support Staff Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Teacher Questionnaire (TQ). The DISS project was funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Welsh Assembly Government

SERVING THE NEEDS OF THE AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER POPULATION

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is marked by challenges in social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior which results in difficulties in many occupations (American Psychological Association [APA], 2013; Crabtree & Demchick, 2018). Occupational therapy is part of the multidisciplinary team providing services to children with ASD. The purpose of this doctoral experiential placement was to gain advanced clinical practice knowledge for serving children with ASD. Additionally, a product focused on enhancing interprofessional collaboration was developed

Unlocking skills in hospitals: better jobs, more care

Enabling less highly-trained hospital workers to play a bigger role could improve jobs for doctors and nurses, save public hospitals nearly $430 million a year and fund treatment for more than 85,000 extra people, argues this report. Overview Hospitals are under pressure. They face rising demand, a squeeze on funding and skills shortages in key areas. They have to change. One problem is that too many health professionals squander their valuable skills on work that other people could do. In most cases, it doesn’t take 15 years of post-school training to provide light sedation for a stable patient having a simple procedure. Nor does it take a three-year degree to help someone bathe or eat. But tradition, professional culture and industrial agreements often dictate that highly-trained health professionals spend their time doing straightforward work. This wastes money, makes professional jobs less rewarding and often does not improve care. There are many ways that hospitals can get a better match between workers and their work. This report looks at three examples. The first is using more nursing assistants to provide basic care to patients. The second is letting specialist nurses do common, low-risk procedures currently done by doctors. The third is employing more assistants to support physiotherapists and occupational therapists. These changes can maintain or improve the safety and quality of care. They are among the easiest to take up. Hospitals don’t have to be reorganised or new professions created. They would save public hospitals$430 million a year. That could fund treatment for more than 85,000 extra people. These ideas are supported by solid evidence. They have been tried successfully in Australia, with good results for patients. Hospital CEOs we surveyed for this report strongly support them. Despite all this, progress is painfully slow. Formidable barriers in the form of regulations, culture, tradition and vested interests stand in the way. We need a new mechanism to overcome these barriers – a way to get from isolated trials to broad change. Creating that mechanism is even more important than the examples in this report. People may disagree with specific examples. But no-one can argue that all hospital work is done by the right person, or that a good way currently exists to get change throughout the system. Two things are needed. Hospitals, regulators and professional bodies must improve rules and regulations. State governments must invest money and expertise in spreading good practices. If we don’t update workforce roles, there will be a cost. Hospitals already struggle to provide enough care. Waiting lists are long and demand is growing fast. It’s hard to keep some hospital workers in their jobs. Government budgets are also under pressure. If action isn’t taken to make hospitals more efficient, tougher decisions about who will miss out on care are inevitable. Current workforce roles were designed in the days of the horse and buggy. The choice to update them should be easy. It means more and better care, more rewarding jobs for hospital professionals and a more sustainable system

Interprofessional collaboration within teams comprised of health and other professionals: a systematic review of measurement tools and their psychometric properties

Background and Purpose: Measuring collaboration within interprofessional teams allows professionals to evaluate their practice, set benchmarks and improve outcomes. In the context of healthcare, most research has focused on teams comprised solely of health professionals, with limited attention given to collaboration between health and other professionals. Given the escalating complexities of healthcare, and the growing need for interprofessional collaborative practice involving team members external to health care, this represents a considerable gap in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to identify tools that measure collaboration within interprofessional teams comprised of members from health and other disciplines, and evaluate their psychometric properties. This review focused on the area of children’s services, to assist professionals working in this area with their collaborative practice. Methods: A systematic search including nineteen electronic databases was conducted. Eleven articles (describing ten tools) were identified for inclusion and were critically appraised. Results: Overall, it was found that few psychometrically sound tools exist for more diverse professional groups working together. The PINCOM-Q was found to be the most appropriate tool for the context of children’s services, and with the highest critical appraisal score, as reported. Conclusions: Recommendations are made for further development of existing tools before practical implementation. Further research could develop new and innovative tools to accommodate the evolving composition of future interprofessional teams

Point of View: Physiotherapy in Malawi – a step in the right direction

Physiotherapists in Malawi are in short supply and the demand for this service is increasing. This profession is instrumental in the rehabilitation of patients following accident and disease. Early input from a physiotherapist can be life changing; for example, timely physiotherapy could prevent a patient from becoming wheelchair-bound for life. This article explores the role of physiotherapists, in the context of what they do, the medical conditions that benefit from physiotherapy and the services available in Malawi. The clinical focus will be on orthopaedic, musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, since those are the specialties of the authors. With the start of the physiotherapy degree programme at the College of Medicine, University of Malawi, huge steps have been taken to address this neglected profession

Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools : The Impact of Support Staff in Schools (Results from Strand 2, Wave 2)

This study was designed to obtain up to date and reliable data on the deployment and characteristics of support staff and the impact of support staff on pupil outcomes and teacher workloads. The study covered schools in England and Wales. It involved large scale surveys (Strand 1), followed by a multi-method and multi informant approach (Strand 2). It provided detailed baseline data by which to assess change and progress over time. It sought to understand the processes in schools which lead to the effective use of support staff. The DISS project was funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)