“Sliding Doors”: innovative approaches to supporting culture change

Abstract

Purpose

Reshaping Care for Older People (RCOP) and Integration of Health and Social Care are central to providing a care system in Scotland that meets older people's current and future needs. Their implementation requires a workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and values to engage with older people across health and social care sectors, which requires a change in professionals’ thinking about services. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council and a learning and development consultancy designed and delivered innovative education resources to support health and social care staff across Scotland to understand the new agenda and recognise its meaning for practice.

Findings

Two related resources were developed: workshop using actors to depict scenarios from older people's lives to support participants to reflect on the new policy direction and outcomes-focused approaches; and an online resource using the same characters that can be delivered locally for groups and individuals. Participants were enabled to identify what they need to do differently and how they can support one another to make necessary changes. A formal evaluation has been commissioned.

Originality/value

The resource characters represent the people the new policy is designed to affect. By following their lives through an educational drama approach, health and social care staff can understand the difference RCOP and the integration agenda can make and recognise their part in effecting change.

Citation

Walker, G. and Gillies, L. (2014), "“Sliding Doors”: innovative approaches to supporting culture change", Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 154-164. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICA-11-2013-0046