Collaborative working

Your need to cultivate inclusive and collaborative relationships

Good professional relationships can make the difference between practice that is successful and fulfilling, or frustrating and ineffective. You need to cultivate inclusive and collaborative working relationships with your service users and their carers, your colleagues and those with whom you only communicate occasionally.

Collaborative working within a team

Collaborative working within a multi-professional team can be the most effective and efficient way to combine the skills of many professionals for the benefit of service users. You may also be a member of an occupational therapy team, providing a service within an organisation.
 
Within a team collaboration is only truly gained when everyone is working to common goals, with a shared understanding of the means to reach them. This has to be based on a mutual respect between team members; understanding, recognising and valuing each others’ skills and values, endorsing what each member contributes to the team (Atwal 2002). Members of the team need to be clear about their own professional roles and values and to communicate these to other team members (Glen 1999 cited in Sheehan et al 2007).
 
In teams good leadership is not defined by authority, power or status, but by having and modelling the skills which develop and maintain an effective, cohesive and positive group, working to resolve any tensions that may arise between team members.

Communication is the key

Communication is key to collaborative working. A team needs to have a shared and inclusive language that does not isolate any team member or the service user. Good communication supports information sharing and collective problem solving, both formally and informally. This is vital for safe and effective care of your service users.

Collaborative working between organisations

Multi-agency collaboration is necessary to ensure the safe and smooth transfer of care from one organisation to another, or shared care across organisational boundaries.  Again much of this is based on mutual understanding and good communication.
 

7. Collaborative working - standards

7.1  You work collaboratively with your colleagues to maximise the outcomes of intervention

Criteria
7.1.1 You work with your immediate colleagues to improve your service and that of your organisation
7.1.2 You work with colleagues from other organisations to improve the intervention provided in your locality
7.1.3 You work with others within your area of expertise to promote knowledge, skills and good practice

7.2  You are able to contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a unidisciplinary or multidisciplinary team

Criteria
7.2.1 You actively seek to build and sustain positive professional relationships with other members of the team
7.2.2 You develop and use communication skills and a common language that promotes collaborative working
7.2.3 You communicate your professional role, skills and opinion to other team members
7.2.4 You recognise the professional roles, skills and opinions of others in your team
7.2.5 Where possible you work with other team members to reduce duplication of tasks and to provide a comprehensive service
7.2.6 You refer to other members of the team where appropriate, utilising the skills of the team members to the benefit of the service user
7.2.7 As a senior practitioner or leader, you model skills which develop and maintain an effective, cohesive and positive team.

7.3 You are able to work effectively with those who provide services in and across different sectors

Criteria
7.3.1 You work with representatives of other organisations to plan and provide co-ordinated, continuous and effective care
7.3.2 You work with representatives of other organisations to advance the independence of your service users
7.3.3 You work with representatives of other organisations to ensure the safety of your service users in situations of shared care or transfer of care
7.3.4 You work with representatives of other organisations to prevent or report situations of abuse
 
Right click and save Professional Standards Audit Tool - Collaborative Working
 
Right click and save Professional Standards Audit Tool - Progress Log
 
These standards link with:
Code of ethics and professional conduct, section(s) 5.3; (COT 2010a)
Guidance about compliance: essential standards of quality and safety, outcome(s) 6 (CQC 2010)
Quality standards for health and social care, section(s) 6.3.1; 6.3.2; 8.3 (DHSSPS 2006a)
Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, standard(s) 7 (HPC 2008)
Standards of proficiency: Occupational therapists, section(s) 1b (HPC 2007)
The NHS knowledge and skills framework and the development review process, core dimension(s) 1 (DH 2004)