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Donnelly, Sarah
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Donnelly, Sarah
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Donnelly, Sarah
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 19
- PublicationWhat are the mechanisms that enable the reciprocal involvement of seldom heard groups in health and social care research? A rapid realist review protocol(Health Research Board, 2018-02)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Background: The University College Dublin (UCD) PPI Ignite Connect Network will fundamentally embed public and patient involvement (PPI) in health-related research, education and training, professional practice and administration in UCD’s institutional structures and procedures. A significant focus of the programme of work is on actively engaging and developing long-term reciprocal relationships with seldom heard groups, via our ten inaugural partners. Methods: This rapid realist review will explore what are the mechanisms that are important in actively engaging seldom heard groups in health and social care research. The review process will follow five iterative steps: (1) clarify scope, (2) search for evidence, (3) appraise primary studies and extract data, (4) synthesise evidence and draw conclusions, and (5) disseminate findings. The reviewers will consult with expert and reference panels to focus the review, provide local contextual insights and develop a programme theory consisting of context–mechanism–outcome configurations. The expert panel will oversee the review process and agree, via consensus, the final programme theory. Review findings will follow the adopted RAMESES guideline and will be disseminated via a report, presentations and peer-reviewed publication. Discussion: The review will update and consolidate evidence on the mechanisms that enable the reciprocal engagement and participation of ‘seldom heard’ groups in health and social care research. Via the expert and reference process, we will draw from a sizeable body of published and unpublished research and grey literature. The local contextual insights provided will aid the development of our programme theories. This new evidence will inform the design and development of the UCD PPI Ignite program focused on ensuring sustained reciprocal partnerships.413 - PublicationSurvey of Bereaved Relatives:Voices MaJam(Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St. James's Hospital, UCD and TCD., 2017-06)
; ; ; ; End-of-life care is an experience that touches the lives of everyone on a personal or professional level. Of all people that will die in Ireland this year, 43% will die in adult acute hospital settings. Acute hospitals are busy places with a predominant focus on diagnosis, treatment and cure. However, caring for people who are seriously ill is also an important responsibility. The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St. James’s Hospital are striving to ensure that people who are diagnosed with a life-limiting illness or who die in our care, experience a place of sanctuary where they are cared for in comfort and dignity and their families are supported in their bereavement. The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St. James’s Hospital have targeted end- of-life care as an area for improving the quality of care for patients and their families. To enable this, both hospitals have actively sought to improve end-of-life care through their active participation in the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme, an initiative of the Irish Hospice Foundation. Measuring the quality of care provided is recognised as being fundamental to quality assurance and provides information to further enhance patient and family care. This study sought to ascertain the quality of care provided to patients and their families during their last admission to hospital from the perspective of bereaved relatives.216 - Publication'I'd prefer to stay at home but I don't have a choice': Meeting Older People's Preference for Care: Policy, but what about practice?(University College Dublin. School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, 2016-06-03)
; ; ; Background: Research indicates that most older people would prefer to live in their own homes and have support services provided to enable them to do so for as long as possible (Barry, 2010). However, there is an evident tension between this objective and the promotion of 'ageing in place', with the consequent heavy reliance on the Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) in the Irish context (Donnelly and O¿Loughlin, 2015). This study set out to explore the perspectives and experiences of social workers in Republic of Ireland working with older people to identify issues/barriers in accessing community supports and to examine older people's involvement in decision-making, including those with a cognitive impairment/dementia. Methods: A mixed methods study design was adapted and the study consisted of two phases: Phase 1 consisted of an on-line survey of social workers using Survey Monkey. Phase 2 consisted of in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with at least two social workers from each Community Health Office area. Results: Geographical inconsistencies were revealed in social workers ability to access community supports and clear tensions were found as home supports are only delivered within the framework of what is available. A growing emphasis on responding only to those with the most severe level of need, coupled with increased budgetary constraints, means that little or no support can be accessed through home help services to assist older people with domestic tasks.Social workers also reported that many older people with a mental health issue and/or dementia were excluded from decision-making processes related to their care. Conclusions: Older people's preference for receiving care and support in their home and community is not being realised often resulting in unnecessary or premature admission to nursing home care.1489 - PublicationAdult Safeguarding Legislation and Policy Rapid Realist Literature Review(Health Services Executive, 2017-05)
; ; ; ; ; The investigation of, and intervention into the alleged abuse of older people has become a dominant feature of social work in Ireland. The international definition of elder mistreatment adopted in most western countries including Ireland, is: ‘Elder abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm to an older person’ (WHO, 2008; WHO/INPEA, 2002). Operationalising this abstract definition is to describe types or categories of abuse that older people can be subjected to - physical, sexual, psychological, financial and neglect. Although valuable, the limitations of these narrow and mutually exclusive categories are increasingly recognised (Anand et al., 2013; O’Brien et al., 2011; Naughton et al., 2012). There is a major lack of understanding of the voice and experiences of older people in relation to abuse (Anand et al., 2013; Charpentier and Souliéres, 2013; WHO, 2002b). Irish research has demonstrated that older people conceptualise elder abuse as the loss of voice and agency, diminishing status in society, violation of rights and wider societal influences that undermine a sense of individualism and ‘personhood’ (O’Brien et al., 2011; Naughton et al., 2013).1282 - PublicationAge Related Inequalities and Covid19(2020-09-23)Invited speaker to Social Work in the Community first webinar on Covid and Inequality, Collaboration between Department of Health(NI) and University of Ulster.
45 - PublicationCare Planning Meetings with Older People: Issues for Policy, Social Work Practice and Patient Participation Symposium on Decision-Making Practices in Gerontological Social Work ESWRA 2019, LeuvenIn recent years there have been national and international policy advances around capacity and decision-making and an apparent burgeoning human rights-based approach to the issue all of which have the potential to impact on the experiences of older people. There is little evidence however on whether these policies and principles are being translated into gerontological social work practice and whether traditional paternalistic approaches to decision-making are being challenged within our professional social justice remit. Although Care-Planning Meetings (CPMs) are an increasingly common part of gerontological social work within multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), it is uncertain how, and by whom, the voice and wishes of older people, including those with a cognitive impairment, are given due priority. In addition, there is little professional guidance on how to best plan and facilitate CPMs for older patients with cognitive and communication deficits and other often complex needs. An added challenge is the wide, often diverse, and conflicting range of perspectives held by health and social care professionals and other family members who may be involved in the decision-making process. The purpose of this presentation is to draw on best practices within the research literature as well empirical research on CPMs with older people carried out in the Irish context. This research highlights considerable variability in how older people participate and are involved in decision-making around their care. The findings show that family dynamics and existing relationships can also play a role in how older people participate and are involved. The facilitators and barriers to effective participation and decision-making for older people are considered and best practice guidelines for social workers in CPMs will be discussed which could help promote an individualised approach to participation that best reflects the older person’s will and preferences.
75 - PublicationEthics and Ethical Decision-Making in Adult Safeguarding Practice(2019-10-15)Invited Keynote presentation to HSE National Safeguarding Office Annual Learning Forum.
361 - PublicationSubmission to Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Nursing Homes and Other Institutional Care Settings: A Framework for Examining the State's Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic(2020-05-27)
; ; ; ; ; We write to propose a human rights-based framework for the examination of the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it has concerned and continues to concern people in nursing homes and other institutional (or, ‘congregated’) care settings.244 - PublicationPosition Paper on Adult Safeguarding, Legislation, Policy and Practice(Irish Association of Social Workers, 2022-10-25)
; ; The issue of adult safeguarding is of utmost importance for social workers and for the IASW. For those adults in need of safeguarding, the support and vindication of their integrity, autonomy, and human rights, as well as their protection and safety, may be dependent in large part on the role played by state agencies and civil society. Social workers have a particularly key role to play in adult safeguarding. The present position paper has been developed in the context of emerging legislation and new structures, policies, and services. In publishing the present position paper, which now supersedes a previous paper, the IASW seeks to influence the development and implementation of appropriate legislation, policy, and practice. This is in line with human rights values and best practices and based on our unique role, expertise, and experience as social workers, as well as being influenced by the voices and needs of the people we work with and their families. This is ultimately to seek to ensure that those adults who need professional safeguarding interventions, and their loved ones, receive the best possible services and protection.5 - PublicationSpeaking Up About Adult Harm: Options for Policy and Practice in the Irish ContextCurrent mechanisms for responding to the prevention and the protection of adults at risk of abuse in Ireland can be described as ad hoc and reactionary. For example, media reports exposing cases of abuse and neglect, such as Leas Cross and Áras Attracta, have resulted in the introduction of new safeguarding policies and inspection regulations. Whilst the current measures in place to identify and prevent harm and potential harm to adults at risk offer some protection, it is evident that deeply embedded resistance to cultural change within institutions and organisations demand that safeguarding procedures need to be placed on a statutory basis to ensure the safeguarding process is applied in a consistent and effective way.
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