Health & Social Care: Reflection on Interprofessional Teamwork

This report explores interprofessional teamwork within health and social care, focusing on a case study involving a pregnant woman named Maria and her partner, Derek, who both have learning disabilities. The author reflects on their role as a health visitor, tasked with supporting Maria throughout her pregnancy and ensuring the well-being of her unborn child. The report details the challenges encountered, such as Derek's irresponsibility, unsanitary living conditions, and Maria's lack of prenatal care. It emphasizes the importance of safeguarding children, interagency collaboration, and minimizing risks to clients. The report also incorporates system theory and Kolbe's model of reflection to analyze the learning experience and improve future practice, highlighting the importance of teamwork and ethical considerations in providing holistic care to vulnerable individuals.

WORKING IN HEALTH
AND SOCIAL CARE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Kolbe's model of reflection:.........................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
APPENDIX......................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Health and social care term refer as to provide the emotional and physical cooperation to
the one who needed it most (Leichsenring, 2019). Inter professional teamwork in health care
refer as different knowledge and skill possess people collaborate to accomplish the common
goals. Every individual in the team actively contribute as they make decision and promotes the
team work in order to achieve the optimal healthcare result. This report covers the role of the
team member along with the reflection of the individual who plays a role in inter professional
health care activity. In this report it lays out my role as health visitor to support the families to
maintain the health of their young children.
MAIN BODY
Overview of the case study:
Case study we have chosen is maria's story as she is eight month pregnant, she is 25 year
old and her partner Derek who is 37 year old. It is seen that both maria and Derek are suffering
from the learning disability as they are not able to grab or adapt the things fast. Also, maria is
unemployed and Derek is also not concern about his career, this is the reason they have not done
any preparation to welcome their baby.
I am playing the role of midwife to educate the maria about several thing in which they
are lacking, or to enable them to develop a sense of responsibility towards their baby. My role is
to support the maria during her pregnancy to reduce any complication so that she deliver her
baby without any problem (Moule, 2020). During the care taking period I encounter the several
things as Derek's irresponsible behaviour towards maria and their baby, also he spent money on
their friends, because of short of money maria is not able to go for routine check-up. I have also
come across that their place is dirty and untidy, they do not maintain the hygiene which is not
good or delivery of their baby. Health visitors role is essential in order to introduce the pregnant
women to the health system so that she will follow all the precautions and guidance to safely
deliver the baby.
Health visitor works for safeguarding the children from any threat, these standards are the
expectation which the health visitor follow in order to accomplish their goals. It is important for
the heath visitor to educate their client related the health care system. It is found in the case study
that maria is living in untidy place as their kitchen is not clean which means that they are

cooking in such a filthy place which might cause serious problem in them. Such food which is
cooked in untidy environment is not nutritional, therefore it will be disastrous for maria and for
her child (Fleming and et.al 2019). As health visitor it is my duty to educate her to maintain the
hygiene so it will be good for her and for her child as well. Some standards for the health visitors
are as follows:
Safeguarding and protection of children:
In England it is stated that the child protection is legally strengthen by the children
protection act 2004 and 1989. This law are implemented in order to promote the children
welfare, as to protect the child from any threat and to prevent any impairment of child’ growth. It
is stated that it is important for the health visitor to communicate with the client's family
members throughout the preconception, and in a postnatal time. As it is the duty of the health
visitor to visit the client in order to safeguard the children and to conduct a range of activities in
order to educate the family about the several risks. In maria's case it is essential for me to make
her comfortable so that she will feel connected to me which enables her to share her feelings and
personal aspects with me. Legislation for health visitor involves that the health visitor must need
to be aware of their duty in order to protect the child, also need to enable the pregnant women to
think from her feelings so that health visitor will inform the women about their health care plan,
so she prepared herself regarding this. As for my role as health visitor it routinely involves the
working with the client with a new baby from the antenatal period to the 5 years of age (Malbon,
Carey and Meltzer, 2019).
Interagency collaboration:
Number of studies suggested the health visitor’s safeguarding activities in the context of
interagency collaboration. It involves the integrated models that allow the health visitor to work
along with the other safeguard professional, as it helps to develop the effective communication in
order to complete the assessment. Therefore it is suggested that if the health visitor are not able
to solve the client’ problem then they can converse with others in order to guide the client. As for
me maria’ case, I have seen that her house I untidy and she has learning problem, in such my role
is to inform her that if she does not live in clean place then it will cause the major problem for
her and for her baby, also to indentify the risks so I will proceed to make plan for maria which
she will follow to safeguard her child.

To identify and minimise the risk for clients:
Health care’s role is to support their client throughout their pregnancy journey or to care
for the child so that they grow without any issue. As for me it is essential for me and for my team
to promote the ethical consideration and therapeutic processes. It is their duty to make the client
comfortable through the time or to communicate with them so client will be able to face every
situation. Under the laws it is stated that health visitor must required to identify any risk to the
patient or to suggest the suitable practice to the client so they prevent from it. If health visitor are
not able to solve the risk or issue then it is their responsibility to report it to their senior.
Regarding the maria's case study it is said that maria is not able to pay the medical bills due to
her poor condition, also she is lacking in many things as she does not know how to take care in
such situation. It is up to me to guide her at every stage or to monitor her physical condition, so
she safely delivers her baby. I need to ensure that the care for her is essential and cultural
sensitive, so it do not hurt her emotionally. Its my duty to enable her to converse with me and to
share all her feelings so that I will support her emotionally (Harding and et.al2019).
System theory:
This theory refer as patient's safety and health measures are come under the healthcare
system. It is the duty of the health care staff to provide treatment and essential measure in order
to improve the health of the client. This theory suggests that it is important to know the cultural
belief and aspect so that it will smooth-en the whole health care process.
As a inter professional team we worked on different aspect that makes us to achieve our
target or to fulfil all the requirement of our client. Me and my team members come to the point
that we will use the holistic approach to manage the maria's case, we also decided that we are not
proceeding to make any assumption, our plan for the maria's pregnancy involves all the ethical
consideration which reflects are professionalism in order to handle the case. During working on
the case we also shared our knowledge so it will help us to carry out individual task efficiently,
we also discussed the maria's learning disability condition in order to make plan for her and for
her safely delivery.

Kolbe's model of reflection:
Kolbe's reflective model define as the experiential learning, this model is based on the
own experience which is further reviewed and analysed in order to grow in the future. Kolbe's
learning cycle possess the four main stages which are as follows:
Concrete experience: It defines the new experience which is occurred and also the
reinterpretation of the previous experience (Glasby, 2017). In this stage it is suggested to reflect
on the experiences so that it will give the analysis to the person in order to learn from their past
mistakes and do needful in their future. During working on this case me and my time already sets
our goals, based on this we have selected the role according to our understanding. When I was in
the institute our professor divide us to carry out the group project, in such we are able to
effectively converse with each other. So it develops the understanding in each also enable us to
carry out the team work in efficient manner. While working on the group project we made a
mistake as me and my team member does not set the role of each other in result other two
members done the same work because of this we were not able to deliver our project on the time.
So to protect from such situation in this maria's case we already decided our roles and
designation which help us to support the maria throughout the health care process (Joynes,
2018). As a health visitor my role is clear as to support the maria or to visit her through her
pregnancy journey or to educate her about the hygiene so it will be good for her and for the sake
of her child.
Active experimentation: In this stage it is about to make the planning to apply the learning
ideas in practical. During the learning session I develop the knowledge as how to work under the
legislation. As for the health visitor’ role it is important for me to follow all the suitable
standards in order to accomplish the goals of health care. Me and my team decided as which part
to carry out, we all play a responsible role in order to take care of maria, I make the plan for the
maria as to do some activities which she needed to do in her eight month. As I learn, during my
learning period, as how to make the plan and designed the goals in order to meet the final result.
In this maria's case I already encountered the loop whole by discussing with the maria, as there is
no such communication between maria and her partner which negatively impacting her
(Greenhalgh, 2018). In such me and my team decide to set the goals and activity so that both

Derek and maria will take part so they will proceed to develop good relation and welcome their
baby.
Reflection observation: It is the stage in which the individual analyse as what went wrong
during their learning period. For me it is the important to address the issue which I encountered
during my learning period. In a group project we were not able to solve the problem, but for this
we do not ask for help from our professor, which result in a worst project therefore it is the
mistake which I've made. But from this experience I decided to ask other as well wherever I
encountered the complex problem. Therefore, it helps me to set the desired goals for the maria
and it also helps me to support her throughout her labour period (Papadopoulos, Koulouglioti
and Ali, 2018).
Abstract Conceptualization: Self reflection gives the idea to improve in one self in order to
reach to the desired goals. As I handle the maria's case as a health visitor which helps me to learn
many things. Through this process I gain the confidence in order to carry out such project in
future. Me and my team were more focused during the case, as we educate the maria about to
maintain the hygiene or after giving birth to child it is her and her partner Derek's responsibility
to take care of their child. So I learn a lot and able to practice this experience in the next project
(Aveyard, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that working in a inter professional work system
enables the person to develops the sense of responsibility in them. Health care facilities are
provided in order to protect the person and to provide them better treatment. This report
illustrated the case study, in which it involves the reflection over the inter professional team
member who played a role of health visitor to help the client.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Aveyard, H., 2018. Doing a literature review in health and social care: A practical guide.
Bunn, F. and et.al 2018. Supporting shared decision making for older people with multiple
health and social care needs: a realist synthesis. BMC geriatrics. 18(1). pp.1-16.
Fleming, P. and et.al 2019. Individualised funding interventions to improve health and social
care outcomes for people with a disability: a mixed-methods systematic
review. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 3.
Glasby, J., 2017. Understanding health and social care. Policy Press.
Greenhalgh, P., 2018. How to improve success of technology projects in health and social
care. Public Health Research and Practice. 28(3).
Harding, A.J. and et.al2019. What is important to people living with dementia?: the ‘long-list’of
outcome items in the development of a core outcome set for use in the evaluation of non-
pharmacological community-based health and social care interventions. BMC
geriatrics. 19(1). pp.1-12.
Joynes, V.C., 2018. Defining and understanding the relationship between professional identity
and interprofessional responsibility: implications for educating health and social care
students. Advances in Health Sciences Education. 23(1). pp.133-149.
Leichsenring, K., 2019. Providing integrated health and social care for older persons–A
European overview.In Providing Integrated Health and Social Care for Older
Persons (pp. 9-52). Routledge.
Malbon, E., Carey, G. and Meltzer, A., 2019. Personalisation schemes in social care: are they
growing social and health inequalities?. BMC Public Health. 19(1). pp.1-12.
Moule, P., 2020. Making sense of research in nursing, health and social care. Sage.
Papadopoulos, I., Koulouglioti, C. and Ali, S., 2018. Views of nurses and other health and social
care workers on the use of assistive humanoid and animal-like robots in health and social
care: a scoping review. Contemporary nurse. 54(4-5), pp.425-442.
Online:
Health care system, 2021. [online]. Accessed through<https://pallipedia.org/health-care-
system/>.
APPENDIX
CARE PLAN

Need Intervention Profession
(Who will
complete the
task?)
Timescale Outcomes Progress
Maria is 25
years old.
She is
pregnant.
Maria needs
a Midwife to
ensure the
quality of
work due to
her health
condition. It
would be
better for
Maria to
manage daily
life if a
midwife is
appointed.
Midwife 60 days Improve the
complication
s faced by
pregnant
women.
Research a
developed
education.

Need Intervention Profession
(Who will
complete the
task?)
Timescale Outcomes Progress
Maria and
her husband
Derek have
been
diagnosed
with a mild
learning
disability.
Maria would
require a
Midwife,
during her
pregnancy,
to stay
healthy with
the baby.
Midwife 10 days The women
who have
received the
care of
Midwives
have gone
through
“spontaneous
vaginal
birth”.
Rising
challenge of
preparing
parents with
a more
independent
role to
expertise in
maternity.

Need Intervention Profession
(Who will
complete the
task?)
Timescale Outcomes Progress
Maria was
unemployed
and Derek
had been
made
redundant
from being
in his job as
a caretaker
within a
local school.
Maria and
her husband
have been
looking for a
Midwife due
to up
building the
ability to
understand.
Midwife 15 days They are
trained to
help women
during labor.
Development
of a special
care baby
unit.

Need Intervention Profession
(Who will
complete the
task?)
Timescale Outcomes Progress
Maria is in a
low mood
and is often
worried that
the home
environment
would
adversely
affect the
growing
baby.
The need for
a midwife as
claimed by
Maria that
would be
willing to
take
responsibilit
y.
Midwife 17 days They offer
postnatal
care to
pregnant
women.
Increase the
awareness of
the clinical
learning
environment.