Archived case study

Nursing and social work students learning together on health and social care integration agenda

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Innovation

Nursing and Social Work students spend the day together, learning about the realities of the health and social care integration agenda, with a focus on older people. The Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, and Social Work, along with the Scottish Social Services Council and NHS Education for Scotland ran a day teaching students about the culture changes coming about Reshaping Care for Older People (called Sliding Doors).

At the event were 66 students from the nursing and adult social work programmes. This was the first time they’d been brought together to learn.

What prompted innovation?

A key policy strategy for health and social care provision in Scotland is the Integration Agenda which calls for close collaboration between organisations and services providing health and social care. Achieving this involves changing the way people think about and approach their work.

What makes innovation different?

We use actors, but in a classroom situation, to bring a key health and social care integration issue together. It has a large range of objectives that were not easy to teach before.

Changes in practice

The two Schools now work more closely together, despite there not being formal connections between them

Impact

Student evaluations have been positive, and we identified an attitudinal change in both nurses and social work students both towards people with dementia, and towards each other’s professions.

Dissemination

Publicised through the Scottish Social Services Council newsletters and other places.