Experiences and views of nursing home nurses in England regarding occupational role and status

Abstract

Experiences and views of nursing home nurses in England regarding occupational role and statusThe aim of this paper was to explore nursing home nurses' perceptions of what influences their occupational status. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was taken, during which 13 nurses from 7 nursing homes for older people located in England were each interviewed up to 5 times using an episodic interview technique. Findings suggested that economic policies regarding funding longterm care, and perceptions of the nature of work undertaken in nursing homes, may together negatively impact the occupational status of nurses working in these settings. This reduced occupational status is proposed as a factor which shapes nurses' perception of this role. Low occupational status may also impact on these nurses' ability to enact the role. Finally, the paper documents how nursing home nurses may attempt to manage issues of status in order to retain occupational esteem.

The Changing Role of Health Care Professionals in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Literature Review of a Decade of Change

“…Although previous research findings suggest the shift to relation-oriented care can be considered to be a positive one, there appear to be multiple obstacles that prevent this shift from fully being implemented in all parts of healthcare. For instance, Thompson et al ( 2016 ) suggest that a lack of economical investments, combined with negative public perceptions of health care professions (e.g., “low-skilled work”), negatively influence caregivers' own confidence in their ability to fulfill their roles effectively. In addition, since patients often have to pay for their own health care, this causes them to view their caregivers as service providers, rather than medical experts.…”

“…The authors also mention that routine work may prevent health care professionals from showing their true expertise. This in turn may again negatively influence their own self-image, which prevents them from forming optimal relationships with patients (Thompson et al, 2016 ). Thus, it seems that the negative image surrounding health care professionals may inhibit them from developing meaningful relations with patients.…”

“…In recent years, there's been a continuing interest in the role of health care professionals in nursing homes (e.g., Hasson et al, 2008 ; Huizenga et al, 2016 ; Thompson et al, 2016 ). Although the profession in itself is by no means entirely novel, some research suggests that the role of the health care professional in nursing homes may have been changing over the last few years (e.g., Huizenga et al, 2016 ).…”

A collaborative approach to developing student placements in care homes

“…However, nurses working within CHs do not always have access to the same support and education as their NHS counterparts (Cook et al 2016). These inequalities contribute to the negative perception of CH work and culture (Thompson et al 2016a). Recently, recommendations have been made about provision of training to upskill CH staff (NHS England 2016b).…”

“…Historically older people's nursing has been viewed as unattractive, repetitive and unskilled work (Neville et al 2014) This is reinforced in care home (CH) nursing which is widely viewed as low status (Thompson et al 2016a). However, nursing in the CH sector is increasingly recognised as complex and challenging as a consequence of the resident population presenting with multimorbidity, increasing acuity, frailty and end of life care needs (European Commission 2015).…”