Meeting the Information and Training Needs of the Social Care

WorkforceAndrew Booth, Director of Information

Resources and Helen Bouchier, Information Officer, ScHARR, University

of Sheffield

Background

• Government imperative for health and social care interface “joined-up” working

• Social Care information provision was at best patchy, at worst non-existent

• National and regional initiatives to improve information provision

• Trent Institute for Health Services Research was seeking to broaden its remit

Three Initiatives

• Social Care Information Outreach (SCIO) Project [funded by TIHSR]

• Social Care Information Skills and Training in Electronic Resources (SCISTER) [funded by TIHSR]

• Social Care Access to Research Evidence (SCARE) [supported by Trent Focus, TIHSR and Regional Knowledge Unit]: – – Case Study – SCARE Briefings [funded by SCIE]

Social Care Information Outreach (SCIO) Project

• To review literature on evidence-based practice and related training in social care;

• To identify Trent social care practitioners’ research skills training and exposure to ideas of evidence-based practice;

• To determine interest in professional development based on research or information skills training.

Questionnaire Survey

• Opportunistic sample - five LAs – children and families, adults, mental health, disabilities and older people, variety of levels and roles.

• Not truly random sample. • Postal questionnaires (early July

2002), most responses returned by end of July.

• 161/595 questionnaires were returned (27% response rate).

Interviews

• Semi-structured interviews (May-July 2002).

• 20 face-to-face interviews plus 7 over the telephone.

• Face-to-face interviews recorded with extensive note-taking; Telephone interviews not recorded but extensive notes taken.

• Responses analysed qualitatively for overarching themes.

Results – Evidence based practice a good idea?

• Evidence needed before service development or resource allocation

• Hopefully reduce wasting of time, money and effort with clients getting services they need.

• Services should be based on identified need rather than just someone’s “good idea”.

• Chances of a positive outcome greater when evidence informs service planning.

• Process adds to professionalism and credibility of sector.

Results: What needs changing?

• Heavy workloads, • Lack of accessibility • Lack of allocated time• Practitioners and managers need

training (but who will pay?). • Responsibility for assessing and

using research should be with organisation.

• Budgets/politics dictate services rather than research evidence.

• Social care fails to recognise and disseminate good practice.

Results: pitfalls of evidence-based practice

• Suspicion of research, its accuracy and lack of local relevance.

• Time to produce research - no longer relevant to client situation and government policy.

• ‘Fashionable’ clients might receive more services than “research poor”.

• Difficult (impossible?), to apply research, given practical nature of work and need for flexible individualised approach to clients.

Results: Recent Evidence Based Practice

• 139 respondents (86%) had specific instances of need to find research or other material to support decision-making.

• Internet most popular (36%) source for evidence. • Large proportion (30%) spoke to or visited colleagues in

their own organisations or in external organisations. • Less than 20% took literature-based approach by reading

research (18%) or other information (14%), using library (6%), conducting (or intending to conduct) own research (3%) or doing literature search (1%).

Social Care Information Skills and Training in Electronic Resources

(SCISTER) To develop an evidence based practice course

for social care. Three formats:1. Course for Social Care Practitioners

(Piloted July 2003)2. Course for NHS Librarians (Sept 2003)3. Web-based self-directed course with

materials for cascade training to NHS librarians (Forthcoming - 2004)

Main findings

• Need to separate into Information for Practice track and Information for Management track

• Greater interest/affinity for qualitative research• NHS librarians very enthusiastic about developing

services to Social Care but concerns about resourcing

• Increasingly useful toolkit of Social Care resources (including SCARE briefings!)

SOCIAL CARE ACCESS TO RESEARCH EVIDENCE BRIEFING 

The purpose of this briefing is to provide a summary of relevant information and resources so that practitioners and policy makers can locate in-depth information of interest to them.

SOCIAL CARE BRIEFINGS

Social Care Briefing topics

Briefings 1 - 5 Preventing falls in care homes Access to primary health care

for people with learning disabilities

Aiding communication with people with dementia

Transition from children’s to adult’s services for people with physical disability or chronic illness

Short breaks for children with learning disabilities

Briefings 6 - 10 Parenting capacity and

substance misuse ADHD – what is it and what

works in its treatment Preventing teenage pregnancy

in the looked after population Palliative care in care homes Discharge of older people from

hospital to community care

What is a Social Care Briefing?

Information summary to inform/update practice at health/social care interface

Gateway to more in-depth informationHas a focused questionInvolves searching of many sourcesInformation obtained is filtered for

documents of high quality

What does a briefing contain?

Brief subject summary, its importance and ethical issues

User viewsAction points for practitionersImplications for policy and practiceGood practice examplesFurther information and resources

What information sources are used?

Medical and social sciences databasesOrganisation websitesVoluntary body websites searchSources used and their relative importance

vary between briefings

The Briefing Process

Search results Expert comments User views

Draft briefing

Editorial Team comments

Expert comments

Final briefing

Placed onwebsite

Online discussion

Briefing updated

Quality Issues

How is the evidence sorted?

Date and type Use of expert comments and

suggestions User input Style/presentation issues

SCIE’s Sources of Knowledge for Social Care

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5

Organisational knowledge gained from management and governance of social care

Practitioner knowledge gained from the conduct of social care

Policy community knowledge gained from wider policy environment

Research knowledge gathered systematically with predetermined design

User and carer knowledge gained from experience of service use and reflection thereupon

See: http://www.scie.org.uk/sciesproducts/knowledgereviews/KR03summaryonlineversion071103.pdf

Briefing Evolution

Organisation, titles and sections

Changes in source searching and use

Quality control – work of experts and Editorial Team

Moderated discussion list

Conclusions

First Social Care briefing has been born – but assessment and development are continuing

Future briefings will be shaped by expert, user and practitioners input

Social Care knowledge is in the process of being reviewed and classified: future briefings will reflect this

www.shef.ac.uk/~scharr/scare/home.htm

The Way Forward?

• Adding Information Skills Course to Trent Institute Training Portfolio

• Negotiating a further year of SCARE Briefings

• Working on Web version of the SCISTER course, AND

• Using SCISTER materials to deliver first full NeLH FOLIO course for NHS librarians on Information for Social Care

Further Reading

Booth, S. H., Booth, A. and Falzon, L. J (2003) The need for information and research skills training to support evidence-based social care: a literature review and survey. Learning in Health and Social Care, 2 (4): 191-201.

Acknowledgements: Sonja Booth, Louise Falzon (SCIO); Caroline White, Jo Cooke and Fiona Addison (SCISTER), Trent Institute and Trent Focus, SCARE Steering Group and Social Care Institute for Excellence