DN9 Student Number - 15680

Partnerships in Care

The focus of this assignment is to explore the concepts of partnerships in care;

the main focus of this is the relationship between health care practitioners and

their patients whilst in the community setting.

Over the past few years nursing and other professionals have been changing the

way they practice in order to build teams which work well together, this is known

as a partnership. These partnerships in care have been of the drivers behind the

changes, these being technological and pharmacological advances in medicine,

demographic changes, social changes and most importantly the expectations of

the public. Government reforms have reflected these changes within their policies

and have made a series of recommendations for their implementation for

healthcare professionals.

The word 'partnership' has a number of meanings. Jewell (1994) has suggested

that the terms 'patient involvement', 'patient collaboration' and 'partnership' tend

to be used interchangeably , while Brownlea et al (1980) suggest that there is no

real consensus on what participation means. Therefore, it would seem that the

meaning of partnership can be confusing.

Baly, Robottom & Clark (1990) suggested that a partnership or team is, "More

than a collection of individuals, it implies that a number of people are working

cooperatively together to achieve a common goal". Baly, Robottom & Clark go on

to state that teamwork is, "…a group of people with diverse but related

knowledge and skills who associate for the purpose of directing, coordinating the

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DN9 Student Number - 15680

separate parts as well as the sum total of their expertise in order to create new,

and maximise existing opportunities for achieving their common goals".

Gastrell & Edwards (1996) mention that partnership is a very complex process
that is often taken for granted. Over the past couple of years partnership in
primary care has become a necessary ingredient to improve the overall quality of
patient care. According to New World, New Opportunities (DOH 1993), the
importance of teamwork and the philosophy of care is about multidisciplinary
teams working effectively in the community. Barker (1996) suggests that it is the
way in which the whole care package is delivered that has changed.

The NMC states that we must protect confidential information as nurses (2004).

And before touching or dealing with any care around the patient we must gain

consent (NMC, 2004). To protect confidentiality, pseudonyms will be used in this

assignment and therefore the patient whose care is to be focussed upon will be

called _____________. This is to protect her identity, in line with the Nursing

and Midwifery Council’s Code of Professional Conduct (NMC, 2004).

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