From Invisible Work to Practical Impact: Strengthening Care Coordination in Healthcare

Professor Davina Allen from the School of Healthcare Sciences has used a series of Cardiff University-managed Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) awards to translate research on care coordination into practical tools and educational resources that support healthcare organisations and nursing practice.

Patient care is increasingly complex, involving multiple professionals, services and transitions between settings. Nurses play a central role in ensuring that patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Yet much of the organisational work required to coordinate care remains largely unrecognised despite its importance for patient safety, care quality and service efficiency.

Research led by Professor Allen identified and conceptualised this often-overlooked aspect of nursing practice, demonstrating its significance in managing patient journeys through healthcare systems. The research established organisational competence as a distinct and important dimension of contemporary nursing practice and provided a language for describing work that had previously remained largely tacit and invisible.

Building on these insights, IAA funding enabled the development and testing of TRACT, a framework that supports the assessment, planning and management of the organisational aspects of patient care. It also supported the creation of digital learning resources, educational materials and a textbook.

Initial IAA awards supported the co-development and pilot testing of TRACT within NHS settings. Subsequent awards enabled the creation of online platforms and learning resources, partnership working with Burning Red, collaboration with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and engagement with organisations including the All-Wales Nurse Staffing Group and Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). The programme also provided valuable development opportunities for early-career researchers from a range of disciplines.

Together, the research, implementation activities and educational resources have helped transform a previously overlooked and largely tacit aspect of nursing into an identifiable, legitimate and teachable area of professional expertise.

Current activity includes further development of digital learning resources and engagement with staffing system providers to explore the integration of TRACT with workforce planning systems. These activities aim to support wider adoption of organisational competence and strengthen care coordination across healthcare services.

TRACT website: https://burgundy-magenta-89bn.squarespace.com/

The Invisible Work of Nurses: https://theinvisibleworkofnurses.co.uk/