This contributed volume is based on the "European Core Competences Framework for health and social care professionals working with older people" (ECCF), developed and verified in a unique international cooperation between 26 universities and universities of applied sciences in 25 European countries, part of the European Later Life Active Network (ELLAN). In addition to the framework, the book outlines the necessary qualifications and describes the roles of professionals working with older people in health and social services. It explores healthy ageing for older people from different perspectives and describes the seven roles of health and social care professionals (Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Organizer, Health and Welfare Advocate, Scholar, and Professional), before going on to define 18 related competences and elaborating them in performance indicators.Beyond the ECCF, the book explains the widely used CanMED role model and puts forward theories to support a client centered and integrated approach on health and social care in order to change attitudes toward older clients and offer better care and support. It also provides health and social care professionals, for example nurses, allied health professionals and social workers with new contextual information and cultural awareness. It gives a voice to students by addressing selected perspectives for professional development. The book includes questions for reflective learning helping to make the book a vital practical instrument for use in the educational context throughout Europe.Europe’s ageing populations represent a major challenge for both public health and social care systems. 18% of the population is 65 years old and over, and this proportion will increase in the coming years. As a result, more and more health and social care professionals will work with older people in different settings – at home, in the community, in hospitals or in long-term care settings.Older people, and especially the frail, face a host of interrelated issues, e.g. cognitive restrictions, functional restrictions, psychosocial problems, multimorbidity, polypharmacy and social isolation. These problems call for an integrated approach to health and social care, which this book supplies. It is intended for health and social care professionals, students and educators, for a better understanding of Europe’s ageing society and of the impact on care and services. Furthermore, the ECCF offers educational institutes a unique resource for curriculum development, education, training and assessment.
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Perceptions and values of care professionals are critical in successfully implementing technology in health care. The aim of this study was threefold: (1) to explore the main values of health care professionals, (2) to investigate the perceived influence of the technologies regarding these values, and (3) the accumulated views of care professionals with respect to the use of technology in the future. In total, 51 professionals were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied. All care professionals highly valued being able to satisfy the needs of their care recipients. Mutual inter-collegial respect and appreciation of supervisors was also highly cherished. The opportunity to work in a careful manner was another important value. Conditions for the successful implementation of technology involved reliability of the technology at hand, training with team members in the practical use of new technology, and the availability of a help desk. Views regarding the future of health care were mainly related to financial cut backs and with a lower availability of staff. Interestingly, no spontaneous thoughts about the role of new technology were part of these views. It can be concluded that professionals need support in relating technological solutions to care recipients' needs. The role of health care organisations, including technological expertise, can be crucial here.
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Over the last two decades, much work has been done for developing person-centred approaches in social and health services in order to deliver better treatment and care for older people. Communication is pivotal in person-centred care and services. Communication skills are necessary to understand the needs and wishes of the older people and their families and be able to decide for the best person-centred care. Competences of the communicator role are maintaining relationships and effective communication, empowerment and coaching.
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Universities of applied sciences in Europe face the challenge of preparing students in health and social care for working with older people and contributing to the innovations needed in light of the ageing of society, along with changes in the health and social care systems in many coun- tries. Dealing with the special needs of older people and the increasing burden of chronic diseases requires specific competencies for health and social care professionals, as well as an integrated approach to health and social care. Research has found that many educational programs lack adequate preparation for students in health and social care when it comes to the correct competences. To identify the competences needed for all health and social care professionals in Europe, who work with older people, the European Later Life Active Network (ELLAN) has conducted research and developed a verified competence framework. This “European core competences framework for health and social care professionals working with older people” describes roles and competences that stu- dents in health and social care programs need to learn in order to provide good care and support for older people. Within the ELLAN consortium, 26 universities of applied sciences from 25 European countries collaborated in this research and development process. The framework has been ver- ified by two Delphi rounds among a group of 21 experts and a group of 21 researchers from 19 countries. The framework includes awareness of diversity and different cultural backgrounds. This makes it a useful docu- ment for educational purposes all over Europe.
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The main objective of this report is to analyse and inform about international labour mobility, particularly within Europe, from the perspective of the Dutch Health and Social Care Sector. The report starts by describing the introduction of a new care system in The Netherlands. The government does not participate directly in the actual provision of care. This is a task principally for private care suppliers. Furthermore, the legal position of the Health and Social Care professions, regulated through the Individual Health Care Professions Act, and questions like the international recognition of degrees and the evaluation of foreign diplomas are discussed. This is followed by a clarification of the Dutch education system, particularly, relating to the study of medicine, nursing education and social work education. Subsequently, some core data on the ageing Dutch population are presented. The grey pressure increases and this will have an impact on health spending, health support and the future labour market. Then what follows is a description of the development of employment in the Dutch Health and Social Care Sector, per branch as well as the professions that are engaged in it. The general picture, at this moment, is that the Health and Social Care labour market is reasonably in balance. This trend will continue in the near future; shortages are expected only in the long term. All research done on the subject indicates that international mobility of medical and social professionals is still low in the Netherlands. The question remains whether a more active recruitment policy would be a solution for the expected long term shortages. The report concludes with a look at recruitment policy and some of its developments at the global, national and local level.
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Introduction: Nowadays the Western mental health system is in transformation to recovery-oriented and trauma informed care in which experiential knowledge becomes incorporated. An important development in this context is that traditional mental health professionals came to the fore with their lived experiences. From 2017 to 2021, a research project was conducted in the Netherlands in three mental health organizations, focussing on how service users perceive the professional use of experiential knowledge. Aims: This paper aims to explore service users’ perspectives regarding their healthcare professionals’ use of experiential knowledge and the users’ perceptions of how this contributes to their personal recovery. Methods: As part of the qualitative research, 22 service users were interviewed. A thematic analysis was employed to derive themes and patterns from the interview transcripts. Results: The use of experiential knowledge manifests in the quality of a compassionate user-professional relationship in which personal disclosures of the professional’s distress and resilience are embedded. This often stimulates users’ recovery process. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the use of experiential knowledge by mental health professionals like social workers, nurses and humanistic counselors, demonstrates an overall positive value as an additional (re)source.
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This project builds upon a collaboration which has been established since 15 years in the field of social work between teachers and lecturers of Zuyd University, HU University and Elte University. Another network joining this project was CARe Europe, an NGO aimed at improving community care throughout Europe. Before the start of the project already HU University, Tallinn Mental Health Centre and Kwintes were participating in this network. In the course of several international meetings (e.g. CARe Europe conference in Prague in 2005, ENSACT conferences in Dubrovnik in 2009, and Brussels in April 2011, ESN conference in Brussels in March 2011), and many local meetings, it became clear that professionals in the social sector have difficulties to change current practices. There is a great need to develop new methods, which professionals can use to create community care.
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Objective To explore how to build and maintain the resilience of frontline healthcare professionals exposed to COVID-19 outbreak working conditions. Design Scoping review supplemented with expert interviews to validate the findings. Setting Hospitals. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, bioRxiv and medRxiv systematically and grey literature for articles focusing on the impact of COVID- 19-like working conditions on the physical and/or mental health of healthcare professionals in a hospital setting. Articles using an empirical design about determinants or causes of physical and/or mental health and about interventions, measures and policies to preserve physical and/or mental health were included. Four experts were interviewed to reflect on the results from the scoping review. Results In total, 4471 records were screened leading to an inclusion of 73 articles. Recommendations prior to the outbreak fostering resilience included optimal provision of education and training, resilience training and interventions to create a feeling of being prepared. Recommendations during the outbreak consisted of (1) enhancing resilience by proper provision of information, psychosocial support and treatment (eg, create enabling conditions such as forming a psychosocial support team), monitoring the health status of professionals and using various forms and content of psychosocial support (eg, encouraging peer support, sharing and celebrating successes), (2) tasks and responsibilities, in which attention should be paid to kind of tasks, task mix and responsibilities as well as the intensity and weight of these tasks and (3) work patterns and working conditions. Findings of the review were validated by experts. Conclusions Recommendations were developed on how to build and maintain resilience of frontline healthcare professionals exposed to COVID-19 outbreak working conditions. These practical and easy to implement recommendations can be used by hospitals and other healthcare organisations to foster and preserve short-term and long-term physical and mental health and employability of their professionals.
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The realization of human rights standards depends in part on the commitment of local actors. It can be argued that local public service professionals such as social workers can also be regarded as key players. The possible role of social workers becomes imperative if these professionals are working in a policy context that is not congruent with human rights. If existing laws or policies cause or maintain disrespect for human rights, social workers are in a position to observe that this is having an adverse impact on clients. When social workers are regarded as human rights actors, the question arises how they can or should respond to law and policy that impedes them in carrying out their work with respect for human rights. This article adds to existing theories on social workers as human rights actors by examining the practices of social professionals working in such a challenging policy context. The research took place among professionals in social district teams in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Following a series of decentralizations and austerity measures the social care landscape in the Netherlands has changed drastically over the last few years. As a result, social workers may find themselves on the one hand trying to realize the best possible care for their clients while on the other hand dealing with new laws and policy expectations focused on self-reliance and diminished access to specialist care. The article explores how social professionals’ responses to barriers in access to care affect human rights requirements. In doing so, this socio-legal study provides insight into the ways in which everyday social work relates to the realization of human rights at the local level.
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Transitions in health care and the increasing pace at which technological innovations emerge, have led to new professional approach at the crossroads of health care and technology. In order to adequately deal with these transition processes and challenges before future professionals access the labour market, Fontys University of Applied Sciences is in a transition to combining education with interdisciplinary practice-based research. Fontys UAS is launching a new centre of expertise in Health Care and Technology, which is a new approach compared to existing educational structures. The new centre is presented as an example of how new initiatives in the field of education and research at the intersection of care and technology can be shaped.
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