Cross-boundary working: implications for the multiprofessional team.

Abstract

This paper explores cross-boundary working and the impact it may have on the manner in which multiprofessional teams function. It draws on data collected for a study commissioned by the Department of Health, Human Resource Initiative entitled Evaluating New Roles in Practice (ENRiP). A series of case studies formed one part of the study that aimed to map the process of implementation of new roles in practice, identify the organizational barriers and levers that affected the implementation process and explore the meaning of the new roles from the perspective of postholders, patients and stakeholders. A naturalistic approach to enquiry was taken using a combination of participant observation, interviews and reflection. The article includes an overview of the current context in which cross-boundary work is developing, a review of current literature related to multiprofessional issues and team-working, a brief descriptions of the typology of new roles that emerged as one strand of the ENRiP study, and the impact that these roles had on both interprofessional and multiprofessional working. It concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice and the need to ensure that both education and policy are considered in planning for the future.