Interprofessional teamworking: what makes teams work well?

The issue of interprofessional working is currently one of key importance in the field of health and social care. This research project explored how and why co-operative and positive working relationships and practices developed within one interprofessional health care team in the north-east of England. Three themes emerged from the study, which appeared to be indicators for positive team working. These were the personal qualities and commitment of staff; communication within the team and the opportunity to develop creative working methods within the team, all of which were seen by team members as significantly different from their previous experiences of interprofessional working.