Mapping the UK renal psychosocial workforce : the first comprehensive workforce survey

Seekles, ML; Ormandy, P; Coyne, E

Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence of psychosocial problems in CKD patients has led to an acceptance that a focus
on the emotional wellbeing of the patient should be included in the provision of comprehensive CKD care. It is
unclear if an increased attention for psychosocial needs in guidelines and policy documents has led to a rise in
psychosocial staffing levels or change in composition of staff since the last workforce mapping in 2002. This paper
offers a critical analysis and in-depth discussion of findings and their implications, in addition to providing an
international perspective and exposing gaps in current knowledge.


Methods: Data on psychosocial staffing levels was taken from a survey based on the Scottish Renal Association’s
(SRA) staffing survey that was sent to all units in England, Wales and Northern-Ireland in 2016. In addition, data
from a psychosocial staffing survey designed by and distributed via psychosocial professional groups was used. This data was then completed with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and collated to describe the current renal
psychosocial workforce in all 84 UK renal units. This was compared to results from the last renal workforce mapping
in 2002.


Results: The results from this mapping show great variability in models of service provision, significant exceeding of benchmarks for staffing levels, and a change in staffing patterns over the past 15 years. Adult psychology services have increased in number, but provision remains low due to increased patient numbers, whereas adult social work and paediatric services have decreased.


Conclusion: A lack in the provision of renal psychosocial services has been identified, together with the absence of
a general service provision model. These findings provide a valuable benchmark for units, a context from which to
review and monitor provision alongside patient need. Along with recommendations, this paper forms a foundation
for future research and workforce planning. Research into best practice models of service provision and the
psychosocial needs of CKD patients lies at the heart of the answers to many identified questions.

Citation

Seekles, M., Ormandy, P., & Coyne, E. (2019). Mapping the UK renal psychosocial workforce : the first comprehensive workforce survey. BMC Nephrology, 20, 100. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-019-1287-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 10, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 21, 2019
• Publication Date: Mar 21, 2019
• Deposit Date: Mar 20, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 3, 2019
• Journal: BMC Nephrology
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Volume: 20
• Pages: 100
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-019-1287-0
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-019-1287-0
• Related Public URLs: https://bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/
• Additional Information: Projects : Examining renal Social Work: service models, patient outcome measures, and impact of the social work role.