Author Archives: Social Work in Health

A victory of rule rigidity and risk management over compassion and common sense

Posted on March 5, 2016

Last week there was  a 92 year lady on the ward who was unable to stand but wanted to go home where she lived alone. I was requested to do a Guardianship application even though she was cognitively sound. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Empowerment, Ethical issues, Service entry

Forget your professional ethics – just do it

Posted on February 19, 2016

I have a  woman in her 90s in hospital who I am expected to do a guardianship application for. She is very intelligent and cognitively above average, can actually do that counting backward by 7s thing! She lives in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethical issues, Vulnerable populations

‘System participants’ inform local action on hard to reach services

Posted on December 18, 2015

Equity of access to health services is a key goal for primary health care internationally and in Australia (WHO, 1978). The systems used to gain entry to health services can impede or facilitate access, engagement and health outcomes. Equity of … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Service entry, Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerable populations

Inadvertently locking out the most needy from health services

Posted on December 7, 2015

In 1971 Tudor Hart believed that the people who most needed health services were the least likely to receive them, and that turns out to be true. His ‘Inverse Care Law’ is valid today. Since then Marmot and Wilkinson have … Continue reading →

Posted in Service entry, Social Determinants of Health, Vulnerable populations

The bottom and the top in health and education

Posted on September 5, 2015

The view from the top is different from the view at the bottom. As with binocular vision it can be helpful to have access to both. Unfortunately this often doesn’t happen. In my research on health service entry I found … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Privatisation and falling standards of care

Posted on August 12, 2015

Instead of access to an experienced public service gero-psychologist who was available for assessing behaviour issues in ageing people in hospital, we now have to use an NGO. The NGO in this case has a lesser qualified, less experienced staff … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

Homelessness as a lifestyle choice

Posted on May 21, 2015

Interesting conversation with a Housing Department Officer yesterday. I  asked two questions: Is the department aware that many homeless people cannot complete their application forms? (The forms are intimidating , many people who live homeless are not fully literate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Homeless health, Uncategorized

Homeless health

Posted on May 6, 2015

A third of our small hospital’s patients are homeless and thus can’t be discharged. It is costing $700 per day to keep them on the ward. One has been here over 6 months, that’s  over $100,000. It would be so … Continue reading →

Posted in Homeless health, Uncategorized

Inclusivity and the ethics committee

Posted on October 13, 2014

How is your ethics committee dealing with inclusive research? Social work is a social justice project and in our teaching we alert our students to structural factors in our cultures and societies when they have limiting implications for the opportunities … Continue reading →

Posted in Empowerment, Ethical issues, Research, Vulnerable populations

Practising Social Inclusion

Posted on February 25, 2014

A Book Review Ann Taket, Beth R. Crisp, Melissa Graham, Lisa Hanna, Sophie Goldingay, Linda Wilson Routledge, New York, 2014 311 pp., ISBN 978-0-415-53107 $48.75 (paperback) This is where the left right divide often pivots. Should we bother with the wellbeing of … Continue reading →

Posted in Empowerment, Ethical issues, Research, Vulnerable populations