Strength in working together: Can it really happen?

Purpose of the study:
Nurses working within a Palliative Care Outreach Service have an autonomous role that places in question the concept of team. How does a service support autonomous nursing practice whilst promoting team cohesion? Outreach nurses in the Newcastle Mater Palliative Care Service redefined their actual nursing practice within the team guided by the intent of the Standards for Providing Quality Palliative Care for all Australians.

Study methods:
An interview framework was developed based on the Standards and seventeen palliative care nurses were interviewed. Each interview was taped, transcribed and analysed for themes. The themes which evolved from the analysis and identified as being of importance to most participants were listed under six headings: coordination of patient care; collaborative teamwork; collaboration with other service providers; handover process; skills, knowledge and resources, and the team leader role. Following the interviews, each staff member participated in one of four focus groups. These groups were held to validate the information collected as being representative of the Outreach Team’s views and to prioritise the identified themes by voting.

Summary of results:
An outcomes management process and timeframe was identified and agreed upon to progress the first two themes prioritised by the focus groups. Working groups self-nominated and team leaders were identified. It is expected that review of nursing practice and the redesign of service delivery will ensure quality palliative care for patients and their carers in the Newcastle Mater Outreach Service.

Conclusion:
Strength in working together, can it really happen? We believe it can. The enthusiasm of the outreach team in identifying their current nursing practice and experiencing the value of working collaboratively supports autonomous nursing practice whilst promoting team cohesion.