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The effectiveness of the prevention through design (PtD) approach to the management of health and safety (H&S) risks on construction sites is widely acknowledged. This approach underlies the construction, design, and management (CDM) Regulations in the United Kingdom that provide for a Principal Designer (PD) role with a statutory duty to plan, manage, and monitor the preconstruction phase of projects and to coordinate matters of H&S during that phase. Although there is a growing body of research literature on PtD practice, there is a gap in the general issue of the practical implementation of the CDM Regulations in general and the performance of the PD in particular. The purpose of this paper is to report research undertaken with the aim of plugging this gap. The part examined concerns the challenges that beset the performance of the PD role and the drivers behind such barriers. A qualitative research design was adopted using, for data collection, 14 focus group discussion sessions involving 89 participants with direct experience of practical implementation of the regulations. The research uncovered three broad categories of barriers to the performance of the PD role: inadequacies in the client's general approach to its duties; supply chain fragmentation and insurance challenges; and performance-related challenges stemming from limitations in PD technical competence and interpersonal skills. The research is the first study focused on the H&S risk management processes and the organizational and operational barriers to effective management and coordination of H&S matters by PDs. The research outcomes are of obvious relevance to H&S management practice in not only the United Kingdom but also European Union countries and other countries with similar regulations. As management of design H&S risks at the preconstruction stage is an inherent feature of the PtD concept, they could also inform PtD practice with respect to coordination of the work of the different design specialisms involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Falling retention in UK general practice is a well-described problem but there has been little previous research into its underlying causes. Poor psychosocial work conditions may help explain falling workforce morale and early retirement from the profession. Aims To explore the impact upon morale and retirement decisions of changes in psychosocial aspects of UK general practice over the course of a career. Methods Biographical narrative interviewing method (BNIM) was used to obtain and analyse career narratives of 12 London general practitioners (GPs), aged 55–65, half of whom had retired. Findings were theorized using the Job Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model. Results A spontaneous, consistent theme was evident across all 12 interviews: changes in the psychosocial work environment had contributed to a steady decline in morale. Sequential, multilayered reductions in autonomy were the most commonly cited causes for reduced enthusiasm. Increasing demands in the form of both a rising workload as well as a complaints culture drained energy and morale. The GPs described increasingly fragmented teams and therefore reduced social support for the role. Nonetheless, retirement decisions were not straightforward, provoking complex emotions. Conclusions The combination of increasing demands with reduced autonomy puts practitioners under intense strain, diminishing the satisfaction they derive from their work and affecting retirement decisions. The Job Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model is an empirically tested model that could be used to inform improved work design in general practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the future lung cancer screening could involve biomarker tools, including biomarker blood tests. The blood for these tests could be collected at home using an at home sample collection kit. Research has shown those at risk of developing lung cancer (aged 55+, high deprivation, ever-smokers) worry about using the kits and "getting it wrong". An instructional video could alleviate this worry but to be effective this video must be relatable and acceptable. A three phased detailed design process working with those most likely to be at risk from lung cancer, to ensure the video worked for them. Phase 1: Development, two consecutive surveys, exploring views on using the kits and existing instructional videos (n=37). Phase 2: Production, two online focus groups, exploring the style, content, and narrative of the video (n=13). Phase 3: Evaluation, a face-face focus group evaluating the acceptability of the video, selecting a relatable voiceover and identifying any necessary edits before dissemination (n=6). Phase 1 found issues getting enough blood and getting the blood in the tube, as well as a preference for sound in instruction videos and real people demonstrating the task. Phase 2 identified a need for reassurance and motivation, as well as a relatable actor and setting. It had to be "someone like me" demonstrating the process. Analysis of Phase 2 built a detailed storyboard and narrative, through an iterative process, informing video production. Phase 3 found the video was not only acceptable, relatable, and reassuring but for many would be vital to ensure effective use of the kit. Working in a collaborative manner with future users of the kits was key to this process and has led to the development of an acceptable and relatable instructional video, that should increase successful use of the kits through effective communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the 2015 and 2016 Great Britain National Health service (NHS) England New Care Models Programme which focuses on Integrated Case Management (ICM); development of enhanced services within a community setting; and developing clinical leadership. It mentions that ICM is comprised of community nursing, adult social care, and social prescribing.

Emergency departments (EDs) in the UK are facing unprecedented increases in attendance, and the ability to safely assess, diagnose, treat, refer or discharge patients is a national challenge. This article discusses one component of a comprehensive ED strategy created to address serious concerns identified by regulators and develop and improve services in the department at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Kent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a framework for understanding the processes through which volunteers' perception of relational job design influences their turnover intentions and time spent volunteering. Data sourced from an international aid and development agency in the United Kingdom ( n = 534 volunteers) show that volunteers who perceive that their roles are relationally designed (1) report lower intentions to leave their voluntary organization due to their commitment to the voluntary organization; and (2) dedicate more time to volunteering because they are more committed to the beneficiaries of their work. These findings make a theoretical contribution by uncovering two mechanisms that explain how the positive consequences of relational job design unfold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This paper reviews the Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care™ literature, identifying and discussing the key characteristics that may contribute to successful implementation. Background It is 5 years since the official UK launch of the Productive Ward, and the Republic of Ireland commenced a phased, national implementation programme in 2011. Thus it is timely to reflect on the implementation lessons learned to date and described in the literature. Evaluation Using taxonomic mapping, this paper evaluates the current state of the literature that pertains to Productive Ward implementation experience; success factors; reports, and assessments. Key issues Seven common contextual characteristics were identified: robust and engaging communication; enabling and empowering roles; appropriate training; project planning and management; leadership; corporate/management engagement and support; and financial and human resource commitment. Conclusion The key characteristics identified have a direct impact on the implementation of the Productive Ward. The interplay between these key characteristics and how this interplay influences successful implementation of the Productive Ward warrants further research. Implications for nursing management Acknowledging and embracing the seven characteristics during implementation will positively improve the progress and success of the initiatives implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job crafting research has typically examined the antecedents and outcomes of individual-level crafting. In this study, we test a model of team-level or collaborative job crafting using data collected from 242 call centre teams and supervisors' ratings of team performance. The focus on teams with narrowly defined tasks and limited decision-making responsibility are unique features of this study. As predicted, collaborative crafting was found to relate positively to team efficacy, team control, and team interdependence, which in turn were found to relate positively to work engagement and team performance. The implications for theory development, future research, and practice are discussed. Practitioner points Even in a work environment characterized by low control, there remain opportunities for collaborative job crafting., Collaborative crafting is associated with higher employee engagement and team performance., Call centre supervisors and managers need to be aware of the potential benefits of collaborative crafting to ensure it is not inhibited by their behaviours (such as enhanced monitoring)., As positive consequences are associated with collaborative crafting, organizations should consider team training to enhance the collaborative crafting capability of teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NHS is challenged with making efficiency savings of £20 billion by 2015. In order to achieve a target of this magnitude, commissioners, clinicians and patients are required to work together to evaluate current service delivery and explore all options which have the potential to increase efficiency. This article describes the significant service redesign work undertaken in Rotherham by commissioners, clinicians and patients which has improved the way in which prescriptions are issued to patients requiring stoma products. The project has achieved impressive financial savings and, importantly, has improved patient experience. The project illustrates how new ways of working can significantly contribute to the £20 billion savings target, avoiding cuts in service provision while simultaneously improving the quality of service provided to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore how nurses are enrolled into and take part in programmes of efficiency and effectiveness. Using the philosophical theorizing about desire as a force or power, I focus specifically on what is understood as relations between desire and productivity in current Westernized health-care systems. Use is made of the idea from Spinoza that human emotions consist only of pleasure, pain, and desire as these act as a motive force. This is then linked with more contemporary work on the politics and discourses of desire. A report on the implementation of a productivity programme in the United Kingdom, The Productive Ward: Releasing time to care™, is explored for the ways its developers set about motivating nurses to endorse and enact the programme. In exploring the mechanics of desire in these processes, a view of desire as productive is promoted. Looking at desire as assembling actions, and an assemblage, moves the analysis to an interrogation of actions and practices used to enable and bring nurses to the process. Moreover, in working through the various modalities and operations of desire, the potential and limits of such projects are abstracted. Such potentials and limits are necessarily set by the intensification of power and desire in the capitalist economy, saturating areas of nursing, and health-care provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine whether employee learning strategies is a mechanism through which job design affects the employee innovation process. In particular, we test whether work-based learning strategies mediate the relationship between job design characteristics (job control and problem demand) and key components of the innovation process (idea generation, idea promotion, and idea implementation). Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from a survey of 327 employees in a UK manufacturing organization. Findings: Structural equation modeling confirmed the mediating role of learning strategies in the relationship between job design and idea generation. The effects of job control on idea generation were mediated by work-based learning strategies and the effects of problem demand on idea generation were partially mediated by work-based learning strategies. Problem demand also had a direct relationship with idea generation and idea promotion. The findings provide support for the general idea that learning is a mechanism thorough which job design affects outcomes. Implications: The results of the study show practitioners that creating jobs with high control or high problem demand can help to promote the employee innovation process; and that this is partly due to the role that such jobs play in stimulating the use of learning strategies at work. Originality/Value: This article develops and tests a new theoretical model that explains how learning is a route through which job design influences employee innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a decision support tool for outpatient services at Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT). Topics covered include the set of specialties that are frequently visited in a sequence, the development of an Excel based spreadsheet tool to compute demands for the selected specialties and the possible shift of endocrinology and ophthalmology from the hospital environment to the polyclinic.

Mainstream theories of career have been charged with a lack of ‘critical, multidisciplinary, gendered, and contextualised work’. This suggests that they would not readily be able to encompass the notion of the family-friendly career. This paper contextualises their shortcomings, notes some responses to them over time, and identifies some recent theorising that seems more likely to be able to contribute to ‘joined-up thinking’ on career and family-friendly issues. It then proposes the value of a systems approach and soft systems thinking to conceptualising a (family-friendly) career, and introduces the concept of a ‘family career’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the relationship between partnership working and social policy in Great Britain. Consequences in promoting good practice examples; Advantages and disadvantages of the integrated health and social care of mental health; Sufficiency of structural solutions in bringing changes of the work design.