EQUASS kokybės standarto taikymas užtikrinant socialinių paslaugų kokybę: individualios priežiūros darbuotojų patirtys
Recenzentas / Rewiewer |
Licencinė sutartis Nr. MRU-EDT-1350.
The topic of the Master's thesis is The Application of the EQUASS Quality Standard in Quality Assurance of Social Services: Experiences of Personal Care Workers. The aim of the study is to reveal the experiences of personal care workers in relation to the application of the EQUASS quality standard in the provision of social services. Research methods: analysis of scientific literature and legal acts, data collection through semi- structured interviews. The study was organised between November and December of 2023. Content analysis was used to analyse the survey data using an interpretive approach (Mayring, 2023). The research method used was non-probability sampling, i.e., a criterion sample (working in a social care institution with at least 3 years of applying the EQUASS quality standard; providing social services in the homes of the service users; with at least 5 years of social work experience). The sample consisted of 8 personal care workers who fulfilled all the above criteria. The empirical study found that before the EQUASS standard was introduced, personal care workers: - understood from the satisfaction/dissatisfaction expressed by service users in questionnaire surveys or by assessing the views expressed by service users. - Ensured that the service was responsive to the needs of service users by listening to them. At the level of the institution, the aim of ensuring the quality of social services was manifested through the use of other professionals with whom issues and problems were discussed. Close cooperation with a social worker or nurse was highlighted as an important factor. The choice of the EQUASS standard in the institution was driven by external (increasing European Union requirements for the quality of social services and the desire to remain competitive on the labour market) and internal (the manager's initiative and the staff's desire to improve their skills) conditions. The impact of the EQUASS standard is evident in the increased teamwork, the prioritisation of the needs of service users and the establishment of criteria for assessing the quality of social services and the use of evaluation of the services provided. The application of the EQUASS standard is associated with increased prestige, improved quality of services, a wider range of social services, and systematic quality assessment. Although personal care workers appreciate the increase in their workload, they also point to the increased incentive to learn, the desire to maintain the appreciation they have earned, and staff solidarity. At the level of service users, improvements in living conditions in their own homes are noted, such as adapting the physical environment, increasing the choice of assistive devices, and ensuring access to health services. Providing comprehensive information on the range of services on offer enables service users to benefit from integrated services. The main difficulties encountered by personal care workers in the establishment in applying the EQUASS standard were: the increased volume of documentation to be completed, the lack of IT skills, staff resistance to change, and the development of relationships with service users. The application of the EQUASS standard in institutions promotes the continuous development of staff competences through innovation, training, self-learning, and the sharing of best practices. The future perspectives of the EQUASS standard are linked to ensuring the continuity of its application and the continuous improvement.