The Value and Application of Critical Thinking in Health and Social Care Practice

(Radu-Constantin Sofronescu)

Critical thinking is an essential component of professional decision-making in health and social care. It enables practitioners to navigate complex environments where competing needs, ethical dilemmas, and system constraints frequently arise. This reflection explores the value of critical thinking through a practice-based scenario involving decision-making under pressure, and considers how reflective and analytical thinking contribute to better outcomes for service users.

Hospital Discharge Planning

In a busy hospital ward, a social work team is asked to assess an elderly patient, Mr L, for discharge. Mr L has recently recovered from pneumonia but has a history of dementia and lives alone with limited family support. The ward is under pressure to free up beds due to winter demand, and nursing staff are requesting a rapid discharge to free space for incoming patients. An initial care plan has been drafted by a junior team member, recommending temporary discharge to home with minimal support.

However, concerns are raised by an occupational therapist who notes that Mr L has disoriented episodes and requires significant assistance with daily living tasks. The question becomes whether to delay discharge and request a further assessment, or proceed as planned, prioritising system flow. Here, critical thinking becomes the foundation for ethical, evidence-informed decision-making.

Applying Critical Thinking in Practice

Critical thinking involves questioning assumptions, analysing available information, and evaluating the consequences of decisions (Thompson, 2020). In this scenario, it requires professionals to examine the discharge recommendation critically: Is the home environment safe? Does the care package meet Mr L’s needs? Is there a risk of hospital readmission if support is inadequate?

Rather than defaulting to procedural efficiency, the social care team applies a structured reasoning process. They gather additional input from allied health professionals, re-assess Mr L’s cognitive functioning, and review historical case notes. A broader picture emerges: Mr L had previously declined home visits, had no smoke alarms, and was known to leave appliances switched on. These factors increase his risk of harm if left unsupervised.

By evaluating this wider context, the team rejects the initial plan and advocates for a temporary residential care placement, allowing time for further assessment and safe discharge planning. This decision may delay discharge, but ultimately protects Mr L from potential neglect or injury.

The Value of Critical Thinking

This scenario illustrates the practical value of critical thinking: it prevents rushed, high-risk decisions and centres professional judgment around service user wellbeing. In health and social care, outcomes are rarely determined by checklists alone. As Schön (1983) highlights, practitioners often operate in “messy” or ambiguous situations where evidence, ethics, and policy must all be considered together.

Critical thinking also supports multi-agency collaboration. In Mr L’s case, meaningful dialogue between the occupational therapist, social worker, and medical team challenged an overly simplistic care plan. Without this critical reflection, the plan might have gone unchallenged — highlighting how critical thinking underpins professional curiosity, safeguarding, and reflective practice (Munro, 2011).

Furthermore, critical thinking encourages ethical awareness. Rather than prioritising system needs (e.g. bed availability), the team remained focused on individual rights and dignity, in line with the Care Act 2014’s emphasis on wellbeing and person-centred care (Department of Health and Social Care, 2014).

Reflection and Future Practice

This example demonstrates that critical thinking is not a passive skill; it is an active, ongoing process of analysis, reflection, and ethical reasoning. Practitioners who engage in critical thinking are better equipped to identify risks, advocate for vulnerable individuals, and challenge assumptions — both their own and others’.

To continue developing this skill, health and social care professionals should engage in reflective supervision, peer learning, and case discussion forums where reasoning processes can be made visible and improved (Brookfield, 2017). Embedding critical thinking into daily practice also requires time and organisational support — as decisions made in haste or under pressure can lead to poor outcomes and increased risk.

Conclusion

Critical thinking is fundamental to safe, ethical, and person-centred practice in health and social care. It allows professionals to look beyond the obvious, challenge poor decisions, and act in the best interests of those they support. In complex environments, critical thinking is not just valuable — it is essential.

References

Brookfield, S.D. (2017) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Department of Health and Social Care (2014) Care Act 2014: Statutory Guidance. London: DHSC.

Munro, E. (2011) The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report. London: Department for Education.

Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.

Thompson, N. (2020) The Critically Reflective Practitioner. 3rd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.