Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic interest into its potential impact on mental well-being has intensified. Within the social care sector, the pandemic has increased job demands and prolonged ...stress taking a disproportionate toll on the workforce, particularly social workers. This article compares the mental well-being and quality of working life of social workers in the United Kingdom (UK) before and during the pandemic. Data were collected in 2018 (N = 1,195) and 2020 (N = 1,024) using two cross-sectional surveys. To account for the differences between the datasets, propensity score matching was employed prior to effect estimation, utilising demographic and work-related variables common to both datasets. The differences between the two time-points were estimated using multiple regressions. Both mental well-being and quality of working life were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018. This suggests that during the highpoint of the pandemic in the UK, increased support, and changes to working practices, such as reprioritisation of work and other initiatives, may be responsible for increased mental well-being and quality of working life. While acknowledging the known pressures on UK social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic this evidence suggests a mixed picture of the pandemic with lessons for managers and employers.
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NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
This paper reports and discusses the weekly Clapping for Carers – described as ‘front‐line heroes’ that took place across the United Kingdom during the first national lockdown of the coronavirus ...pandemic. Data are drawn from a UK‐wide online survey of health and social care workers, completed in May to July 2020. The survey received 3,425 responses of which 2,541 were analysed; free‐text comments were categorised. One question asked specifically: ‘Do you think the “Clap for Carers” was a helpful response from the public?’, and 815 comments were provided. Responses were extracted from these 815 free‐text comments and categorised as follows: unequivocally Yes, predominantly Yes, mixed feelings, predominantly No and unequivocally No. Most comments revealed mixed feelings about the helpfulness of Clapping with only a minority being entirely supportive. The free‐text comments offer some explanations for these views with many feeling that Clapping distracted from the severity of the pandemic and the inadequate resources. The free‐text comments reveal workforce concerns that the support demonstrated for the frontline workforce in Clapping might be transitory and that it may not translate into workforce improvements and political commitment to further funding of health and social care. Some saw the value of Clapping as illustrative of community cohesion. There was little mention of Clapping for heroes, and where it was the notion of heroism was rejected. The demonstration of public support in Clapping for Carers may have directly benefitted the public, but only indirectly the workforce. Future recruitment data may help discern if public support has translated into a desire to join the workforce.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
The main defining attribute that delineates focus groups from other methods of collecting data is that data are generated through participants communicating with each other rather than solely with ...the group moderator. The way in which interactions take place across group interviews and focus groups varies, yet both are referred to as focus groups, resulting in a broad umbrella term for its numerous manifestations.
To reflect on how focus groups are adopted and reported, including the use of the term 'focus group'.
The authors recognise that the term 'focus group' is sometimes used synonymously with 'group interview' but argue that this practice must be challenged. They suggest using terms that indicate the type of space and synchronicity of the focus group, prefixed with 'in-person' or 'conventional' to identify traditional focus groups. They also suggest separating virtual group interviews into 'synchronous' and 'asynchronous', based on whether the participants and researchers can engage with each other in real time.
There is a need for qualitative researchers to reach a consensus about the nature of focus groups and group interviews, as well as where their differences and similarities lie.
The authors hope to encourage nurse researchers to think about these issues when labelling, planning, analysing and reporting studies involving focus groups.
Bullying occurs frequently—and with significant negative outcomes—in workplace settings. Once established, bullying endures in the workplace, requiring the interaction of a bully perpetrator and an ...intended target who takes on the role of victim. Not every target becomes a victim, however. The purpose of this study is to investigate the processes by which targets, intended objects of bullies’ affronts, become victims, those individuals who experience ongoing emotional injury in response to bullies’ affronts, and to clarify how bullying victimization impedes inclusive excellence in the workplace.
The design for this study was pragmatic utility, an inductive research approach grounded in assumptions of hermeneutics.
The pragmatic utility process involved the investigators’ synthesis of descriptions from a broad, interdisciplinary published literature. Integrating knowledge from their previous research and practice experiences with the pragmatic utility process, they derived qualitative features of victims’ experiences, differentiating target from victim in bullying encounters.
For those targets who ultimately are victimized, response to bullies’ affronts extends far beyond the immediate present. Redolence of personal, lived experience revives bygone vulnerabilities, and naïve communication and relationship expectations reinforce a long-standing, impoverished sense. That sense couples with workplace dynamics to augment a context of exclusion.
Findings suggest that, as Heidegger contended, we are our histories. Personal history demonstrates a significance influence on the manifestation of bullying victimization, acting to distance them from their workplace peers and to impede inclusive excellence.
•This article addresses the processes inherent in workplace bullying victimization and the ways that bullying victimization sets up systematic exclusion of those affected.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Maternity services cannot be postponed due to the nature of this service, however, the pandemic resulted in wide-ranging and significant changes to working practices and services. This paper aims to ...describe UK midwives' experiences of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study forms part of a larger multiple phase research project using a cross-sectional design based on an online survey. The online survey used validated psychometric tools to measure work-related quality of life, wellbeing, coping, and burnout as well as open-ended questions to further understand the experiences of staff working during the pandemic. This paper reports the qualitative data collected from the open-ended questions. The qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis and the four main themes that emerged were 'relentless stress/pressure', 'reconfiguration of services', 'protection of self and others', and 'workforce challenges'. The key conclusions were that midwives experienced a reduction in quality of working life and significant stress throughout the pandemic due to a range of factors including staffing shortages, restrictions placed on women's partners, changes to services and management support, all of which compounded workforce pressures that existed prior to the pandemic. This research recommends consultation of front-line midwives in relation to possible changes in practice and workforce planning in preparation for crises such as a pandemic and to ensure equitable and supportive management with access to practical and psychological support.
Women with a straightforward pregnancy are encouraged to plan their birth in any of the following birth settings: home, freestanding midwifery unit, alongside midwifery unit or an obstetric unit ...(NICE, 2014). Most recently published maternity strategies internationally, within the UK, and in particular, the Strategy for maternity care in Northern Ireland 2012-2018 (DHSSPS, 2012), place a strong emphasis on the normalisation of pregnancy and birth as a means of improving outcomes and experiences for mothers and babies. However, women and maternity care professionals require guidelines to assist them in their decision-making in planning their place of birth. The aim of this paper is to outline the process involved in the development of evidence-based guidelines for the admission to midwife-led units (MLUs) through collaboration with key maternity care stakeholders including: HoMs, midwives, consultant obstetricians, consultant anaesthetists from the Health and Social Care Trusts, a GP, midwifery advisor, a representative from the Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland (NI) Practice and Education Council, a workplace union, and service users from a range of women's and parent groups. Following approval from the RQIA's (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority) GAIN Operational Committee to fund the project, requests for nominations to join the Guideline Development Group (GDG) were sent to the maternity care stakeholders and organisations, as well as women's and parent groups across NI. In total, 35 individuals became members of the GDG participating on the working or steering group, with a small number of participants taking part in both groups. The process included 12 meetings of the GDG between February 2014 and July 2015, with a specific remit to review and critically appraise relevant, up-to-date evidence relating to planning birth and the admission of a woman at the point of labour to either an alongside midwife-led unit (AMU) or freestanding midwife-led unit (FMU). The criteria were informed by the evidence and expert opinion, and made following robust inclusive discussion and challenge. Peer review was undertaken by two professors of midwifery, an obstetrician and a midwife lecturer. The process outcome was an evidence-based guideline for admission to midwife-led units, including the specific criteria for planning birth within MLUs, AMUs and FMUs. The development of this evidence-based guideline will enable women and maternity care professionals in their decision to plan an MLU birth. MLUs utilising this guideline may have an increased number of women accessing their services and, therefore, will require regular review to ensure adequate midwifery staffing levels.
Abstract
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, social work and social care practitioners had some the worst working conditions of any sector in the UK. During the pandemic, data revealed that social care ...occupations had higher COVID infection and mortality rates than the general population. The article reports the changing working conditions (measured via the Work-Related Quality of Life scale) and well-being (measured via the Short Warwich–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) of UK social care and social workers across three timepoints between May 2020 and July 2021 through an online cross-sectional survey of working conditions and well-being. Analysis of variance demonstrated that both well-being and working conditions were significantly poorer in July 2021 (phase 3 n = 1,606) than the previous two phases (n = 2,523 and n = 2,424, respectively), suggesting that both working conditions and well-being worsened within the social care and social work workforce across the pandemic. Furthermore, each of career satisfaction, working conditions, control, general well-being and home–work interface predicted poorer well-being at Time 3. Whilst chronically poor working conditions can lead to poorer individual psychological and physiological health outcomes, our findings highlight continually poor conditions in this sector, with potential further impacts on organisations and the service users that social care workers support. It is therefore important that individuals, organisations and government develop mechanisms to support these critical workers during and following the pandemic.
It is well known that having working conditions which are in a poor state over an extended period of time can impact the physical and mental health of employees. Across the pandemic, UK social workers and social care employees have been described as key and/or critical workers by the UK government. However, for a variety of reasons those working in these sectors had higher COVID-19 infection and death rates than the general population. The aim of this article is to chart the working conditions of UK social work and social care workers between May 2020 and July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that working conditions and well-being got consistently worse across the pandemic. Also, in July 2021, job satisfaction, working conditions, control, general well-being and home–work interface each predicted poorer psychological well-being. We suggest that, because of the relationship between poor working conditions, well-being and the physiological and psychological health of social workers and care workers, interventions should be put in place to support the deteriorating working conditions of these key workers. Doing so would lead to better outcomes for individual workers, their employers and ultimately service users.
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NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Abstract
Social work, like many other human service professions, is ageing. This article reports and discusses the findings of a UK social work survey undertaken in 2018 (1,397 responses). It ...investigated how organisational policies and individual factors were affecting individual social workers’ decisions about working in later life. The survey measured (i) social workers’ attitudes to ageing at work and self-reported planning around retirement; (ii) mental health and well-being, quality of working life and home and work interface and (iii) intention to leave work and retirement planning. Statistical analysis enabled examination of how the interrelationship of these factors and relevant individual characteristics interact within the systemic work environment. Findings revealed that all participants had considered factors that might cause them to retire early. Framing the findings in an ecological conceptual model suggests that age-inclusive professional and organisational cultures, age-positive human resource management, support from line managers, fair working conditions and the ability to manage health and well-being, might enable social workers to extend their working lives in line with government policy. These findings provide insights for social work workforce policymakers and for employers to assist in their development of organisational and individual adjustments to sustain well-being in the social work profession.
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NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Summary
Stress and mental health are among the biggest causes of sickness absence in the UK, with the Social Work and Social Care sectors having among the highest levels of stress and mental health ...sickness absence of all professions in the UK. Chronically poor working conditions are known to impact employees' psychological and physiological health. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected both the mode and method of work in Social Care and Social Work. Through a series of cross-sectional online surveys, completed by a total of 4,950 UK Social Care and Social Workers, this study reports the changing working conditions and well-being of UK Social Care and Social Workers at two time points (phases) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Findings
All working conditions and well-being measures were found to be significantly worse during Phase 2 (November–January 2021) than Phase 1 (May–July 2020), with worse psychological well-being than the UK average in Phase 2. Furthermore, our findings indicate that in January 2021, feelings about general well-being, control at work, and working conditions predicted worsened psychological well-being.
Applications
Our findings highlight the importance of understanding and addressing the impact of the pandemic on the Social Care and Social Work workforce, thus highlighting that individuals, organizations, and governments need to develop mechanisms to support these employees during and beyond the pandemic.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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