The overarching aim of this study is to understand how practicing H&SC professionals perceive their own professional identities and how this relates to what they consider their professional roles and boundaries, which will be addressed by answering the following inter-related research questions:
1. How do practicing H&SC staff conceptualize their professional identity, and the professional identity of other professions with whom they work
or learn?
2. Do practicing H&SC staff perceive that ‘professional identities’ are reinforced, challenged or changed by inter professional education and / or
collaborative practice?
3. What implications do conceptualizations of professional identities and IPE have for the implementation of educational initiatives aimed at
improving teamwork between professions for the ultimate aim of improving service user care?
Using a case study approach, one further research question is addressed to help answer the three main research questions cited above:
4. What impact does the implementation of a large-scale inter professional programme have on staff involved in delivering the programme?
