Opening up conversations: Collaborative working across sociomaterial contexts in nursing in London

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Nursing recruitment and retention are critical challenges in London's health and social care system.
• The Capital Nurse programme aimed to address these issues through strategic interventions.
• Understanding nurses' experiences within such initiatives is vital for effective workforce planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how nurses utilized networks to tackle recruitment and retention challenges in London.
• To evaluate the impact of the Capital Nurse programme on collaborative working and professional development.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative evaluation of the Capital Nurse programme.
• Conducted 30 narrative interviews with executive, clinical, and student nurses in 2019.
• Utilized actor-network theory concepts, focusing on sociomaterial contexts.

Main Results:

• Executive nurses strategically leveraged sociomaterial contexts within London's health system.
• Collaborative working across London health organizations was initiated to enhance recruitment and retention.
• Sociomaterial products (organizational and educational) were developed to support nurses' career progression.

Conclusions:

• The Capital Nurse programme facilitated successful collaborative working within and across organizations.
• Evidence suggests a positive change in inter-organizational nursing collaboration for improved patient care and workforce stability.
• Findings highlight the success of nurses forming networks to drive practice changes and address recruitment/retention issues, with implications for other healthcare settings.