Laura Peat

NAME Laura Peat
JOB Hospital social worker, older people
AREA OF WORK Older people
EMPLOYER City of Edinburgh Council
QUALIFICATIONS BSc social work and DipSW, University of Edinburgh (2004)

I wanted to do a job that allowed me to work with people in a caring role, and experiencing a number of different social care placements during my degree helped me decide to be a social worker. When I graduated I joined the council's locum register and was contacted by one of the hospital social work teams to do some temporary cover.

I am currently working on a psycho geriatric ward where I deal mostly with referrals for older people who require nursing home care. This is often because their carers can no longer look after them properly due to the deterioration of their mental or physical health. I meet the service user along with his or her carer to find out what his or her understanding of the situation is and assess the service user's needs. Since there is often dementia and deteriorating mental health involved, it is important for me to get a complete picture of the individual's case history. Once I have made the assessment, I look for suitable local services to place the service user. My involvement tends to last three to four weeks or until the individual has a care package set up to allow them to go home or into a care home.

My most unforgettable moment...

...was when a service user attacked his carer and we had to call the police. The older people I deal with can become confused and disorientated, and occasionally aggressive. What made an impact on me was the calm manner the carer had and the professional way everyone dealt with the service user. Our clients really appreciate the work we do for them so it's rewarding to know that you are making a positive difference to what can often be a distressing time for service users and their families. The work has its downsides - it's tough when you face individuals with terminal illnesses and it can be frustrating not being able to follow a case through to its conclusion.