The contribution of social workers within the hospital setting
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into the contribution of social workers within the hospital setting: An ethnographic study of hospital social work, examining what social workers aim to achieve for patients and how they accomplish their work.
IRAS ID
170953
Contact name
Daniel Burrows
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 28 days
Research summary
The study will be exploring the work of hospital social workers, examining the impact they aim to have on patients' experience of illness and recovery and how they work within the multi-disciplinary setting of the hospital. The key research question will be:
What do hospital social workers seek to accomplish for patients and what skills and knowledge are required?
The following supplementary questions will be used to explore the data:
- What tasks do hospital social workers carry out, and what skills and qualities are required to carry these tasks out?
- What effects do social workers’ actions potentially have on the lived experience of patients?
- How do social workers address the power differentials between themselves, patients, carers and other professionals?
- Do hospital social workers influence the views and practices of other professionals in the hospital?
- To what extent does the social work role involve advocacy of the patient’s psychosocial needs to other professionals?
- What are the barriers to effective interprofessional working between social workers and medical staff, and under what conditions is interprofessional working most effective?The study will involve using qualitative methods, including observation of and interviews with social work practitioners, health care professionals and patients. Most of this work will take place on NHS sites, although interviews may take place elsewhere, according to the convenience of the participant.
REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
15/WA/0257
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion