Hospice UK: Schwartz rounds

Much of the guidance on best practice in supporting staff in hospices refer to Schwartz Rounds.   They provide a way for all staff across an organisation to come together to share their experiences related to working in a hospice and some of the emotions as a result of this.  They are not therapy groups or solution focused, and all contributions are valued.  This piece from e-Hospice describes one hospices experiences of running a Schwartz groups virtually.

Read more here

New Book: Team Building

Aimed at people who are short on time, this condensed and accessible book provides guidance on how to ensure that team building works well and, as a result get the best from their team.

Rothwell, B. 2009.  Team Building.  Directory of Change Speed Reads.

Contact the library for a loan

Article: Developing resilience: the role of nurses, healthcare teams and organisations

This article explores resilience and suggests ways in which resilience can be developed by individuals and in collaboration with others, resulting in resilient healthcare teams and organisations.  It aims to help healthcare staff develop their resilience, while also improving their understanding of the complex factors that can affect their coping capacity.

Barratt, C. 2018  Developing resilience: the role of nurses, healthcare teams and organisations. Nursing Standard, October 33 (7) p 43 - 49.

Contact the library  for a copy

New Book: Leadership, management and team working in nursing

Written in a clear and straight forward language the book covers team working, negotiation skills, mentoring, and how to create a learning environment.  It also looks at developing confidence as a manager and leader.  This 3rd edition has been updated to include the revised standards of proficiency from the NMC.

Ellis, P. 2019.  Leadership, management and team working in nursing.  3rd Edition. Sage

Available on loan from the library or individual chapters can be requested.  More details in the library catalogue

Article: Exploring the rewards and challenges - a qualitative study of a multi-disciplinary children's hospice care team

The research took place in a UK children's hospice, involving semi-structured interviews with 34 staff, and 3 focus groups with 17 staff.  Participants identified rewards and challenges related to the direct work with children and families, team dynamics, organisational structure, individual resilience and job motivation.  Many participants identified training needs to help them feel more confident and  also expressed concern about work related stress for themselves and colleagues which they felt unable to discuss at work.  The authors concluded opportunities for regular reflection to come together for support and learning are important and demonstrate an organisational commitment to staff wellbeing and development.

Taylor, J. and Aldridge, J. 2017.   Exploring the rewards and challenges of paediatric palliative care work - a qualitative study of a multi-disciplinary children's hospice care team.  BMC Palliative Care,

Available to download here

Article: How to improve team culture

Published in the British Journal of  Healthcare Assistants, this article re-prints the findings of the Royal College of Physicians who carried out a series of reports looking at how they could turn around the low morale and disengagement felt by junior doctors.  This article explores the principles that are essential to creating a positive team culture including celebrating success and acknowledging contributions; promoting openness and honesty, flattening hierarchy and challenging unprofessional behaviours.  It offers practical steps for improving team culture with limited resources.

Royal College of Physicians, 2018.  Team Culture.  British Journal of Health Care Assistants,12 (1) p 23 - 27

For a copy of the article please fill out the online request form

 

Article: Building effective teams

Published in the British Journal of  Healthcare Assistants, this article re-prints the findings of the Royal College of Physicians who carried out a series of reports looking at how they could turn around the low morale and disengagement felt by junior doctors.  It discusses what a team is, how it impacts on patient care, what makes a good team, and how good teams operate. 

Royal College of Physicians, 2017.  Building effective teams.  British Journal of Health Care Assistants, 11 (12) p 610 - 615.

For a copy of the article please fill out the online request form

Article: The experience of providing end of life care at a children's hospice: a qualitative study

This study explored the experiences of staff providing end of life care in a children's hospice.   The findings revealed that the hospice provided a model of excellence in supporting staff and reducing the challenging aspects of end of life care through peer and organizational support.  Key recommendations for improving the experience included advanced communication training, and more knowledge sharing with palliative care specialist colleagues in the acute setting.

McConnell, T. & Porter, S. 2017, The experience of providing end of life care at a children's hospice: a qualitative study. BMC Palliative Care, (16), 15 [online] 

To request this article complete the online form

[Article] Leadership of a palliative care team - a personal view

What does the role of a palliative care team leader involve?  The authors discuss the attributes a good team leader requires and what the ideal palliative care environment should comprise of.

Najun, M. & Centeno, C. 2014.  Leadership of a palliative care team - a personal view.  European Journal of Palliative Care 21 (6) p 166 - 169.

To request a copy, click here, fill in form and return to library.

[New Book] Staff support groups in the helping professions: principles, practice and pitfalls

This book looks at the use of support groups to foster emotional resilience, deal with potential conflict and support reflective practice.  The authors and contributors explore the influences that help and hinder the setting up and running of staff support groups, and attempt to counter the often negative reactions that the term "staff support" can evoke.  They demonstrate that support groups can be a valuable and sophisticated intervention that need careful preparation and skilful management to succeed, and in turn can not only benefit individuals but departments and organisations as a whole.

Hartley, P. & Kennard, D. 2009.  Staff support groups in the helping professions: principles, practice and pitfalls.  Routledge.

EACH Library Members - email the library to request a loan.

[Article] Hospice staff support groups: thinking inside and outside the box.

Literature on staff stress and burnout in hospices has identified the source of stress in hospice workers to be mostly work-related issues, rather than caring for the dying. Staff support groups have traditionally been one method of providing support to hospice workers, however it's recognised they don't work for everyone.  This article examines staff support in hospices and recommends how to make support groups as effective as possible.

D'Antonio, J. Hospice staff support groups: thinking inside and outside the box. 2013 Grief Matters. 15(2) pp. 46-48.

 

To request a copy, click here, fill in form and return to library.