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Factors Affecting the Involvement of Day Centre Care Staff in the Delivery of Physiotherapy to Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploratory Study in One London Borough
Author(s) -
Middleton M.J.,
Kitchen S. S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2007.00396.x
Subject(s) - staffing , borough , attendance , nursing , medicine , service delivery framework , exploratory research , agency (philosophy) , day care , service (business) , philosophy , economy , pathology , epistemology , sociology , anthropology , economics , economic growth
Background Physiotherapists for adults with intellectual disabilities often work in day centres, relying on care staff to support programmes. This study investigates factors affecting physiotherapy delivery in 4 day centres in one London borough. Materials and Method Semi‐structured interviews were carried out with day centre care staff, managers and physiotherapists. Results Service users’ needs were reported not to be met at three of the four centres. Barriers included low staffing levels, high absences and use of agency staff. Relevant variables included level of physiotherapist attendance, management priorities for care staff time, care staff confidence and whether a consistent team support delivery. Discrepancies emerged between staff and physiotherapists’ views on training needs. Conclusions Physiotherapy delivered in day centres is an important part of a complex care package. It requires effective multiagency working to meet the known – and potentially unidentified – needs of individuals and to ensure that care staff are adequately supported.