The joint practitioner—a new concept in professional training

Abstract

Professional training leading to a joint qualification in nursing and social work is a new development which has produced the ‘joint practitioner’ in services for people with learning difficulties. It stems from the historic move in recent decades to community-based services integrating health and social care. There are now five courses in England preparing students for joint qualification. The article discusses the course at South Bank University in London; it looks at the kinds of practice in which the first cohort of ‘joint practitioners’ is now engaged, and their views and those of their managers concerning the values and benefits of joint training to the individual practitioners and the services in which they work. The article suggests that the rationale for joint training and some of the lessons from the earlry experience could be considered in relation to other areas of health and social care in which a holistic approach to the needs of vulnerable people and the provision of services through multiprofessional teams are strongly indicated.

Key Words:

• People with learning difficulties
• joint training
• learning disability nursing
• social work