Interprofessional Ethics Across the Life Course in Health and Social Care: A Scenario-Based Approach

Interprofessional teams of health and social care professionals encounter, and respond to, significant ethical challenges and complexity in their everyday work. This scenario-based book explores how to enact ethical values and virtues, while working across the four pillars of professional activity – practice, education, leadership and research. Effective responses to care needs and everyday complexity require teamwork and a holistic approach to individual, family and community needs. They require health and social care professionals having an in-depth appreciation of their own professional roles, responsibilities and contributions, as well as those of other professions.

This book enables readers to engage with, and reflect on, a range of ethical decision-making situations that can occur across the lifecourse and impact interprofessional teams. Each chapter is based around particular authentic scenarios derived from the experiences of care-recipients and family members involved in the co-production of the book and taking place in a range of care contexts – from maternity care to community; from hospital to residential care; and from accident and emergency areas to hospice.

Introducing and discussing interprofessional issues from an ethical stance, this is an essential text for health and social care students and practitioners, and a resource for interprofessional (IPE) facilitators with a commitment to ethics in health and social care practice, research, education and leadership.

Ann Gallagher, Professor and Head of Department of Health Sciences, Brunel University of London, and Visiting Professor, University of Genoa, Italy

Ann’s research and education expertise is in the area of ethics in health and social care. Her professional background is in nursing (adult and mental health). Ann is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nursing Ethics.

Nigel Davies, Hon. Professor, Brunel University of London

Nigel is a nurse with NHS clinical and executive leadership experience, followed by university teaching and research roles. He was Professor of Interprofessional Learning at Brunel before recently taking early retirement.

Nicky Mathastein-Bowen, Senior Lecturer (Nursing), Brunel University of London

Nicky is an adult-trained nurse whose clinical background is in Emergency and Critical Care. She has a passion for interprofessional learning and working to promote collaboration to improve health outcomes.

Sherwyn Sicat, Lecturer (Social Work), Brunel University of London

Sherwyn has a background as a Child Protections Social Worker. He is interested in Interprofessional Learning and in effective multiagency safeguarding.