Benefits of the Poster in Real Healthcare Commissioning - Essay Example

?Healthcare Commissioning Table of Contents Introduction 3 Critical Appraisal 4 Distribution 4 Critical Evaluation 6 Benefits of the Poster in RealHealthcare Commissioning 7 Lesson Learned from the Poster 8 Analysis of the Non-Included Aspects in the Health Care Commissioning Process 8 Critical Appraisal 2 9 Description 9 Critical Evaluation 12 Benefits of the Poster in Real Life Commissioning 13 Lesson Learned from the Poster 13 Analysis of the Non-Included Aspects in the Health Care Commissioning Process 14 Conclusion 14 References 16 Bibliography 18 Introduction Commissioning is a process through which certain facilities, machineries, or plants, which have been set up installed or semi installed, are inspected to assure if the equipments are functioning properly according to the planning and determined objectives (House of Commons, 2010). Commissioning is conducted under special care of National Health Service (NHS) and with assistance of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). NHS assures the quality of the healthcare service which would be provided to the people of the United Kingdom. Commissioning is an essential and structured way of deciding how and on whom public money should be spent (House of Commons, 2010). Healthcare commissioning tends to secure a variety of high quality ‘healthcare service’ for the public to be rendered when required. The commissioning functions like a custodian for the patients while paying the tax, which intends to ensure the best value of resource utilisation (House of Commons, 2010). Healthcare commissioning aims to provide better health conditions and thus enhance the social well-being in the community. The 2010 election in UK gave birth to a new Government, which gave liberation to the National Health Service (NHS) to provide better health care services. This health service department is established to serve the citizens of the nation with better quality healthcare facilities. NHS is one of the ‘publicly funded healthcare’ organisations in the UK. NHS currently operates all over the UK, with different names in different areas which are directly accountable to the Government of UK. Notably, if required, one can go for treatment in the NHS centres which are located in the different regions under the UK, but he or she should be sent back to their hometown once they have recovered (O'Flynn and Potter, 2011). In order to attain the objective, these organisations have been frequently making use of certain awareness posters to generate knowledge regarding healthcare. This study will include two of those posters to analyze the nature of the posters by focusing on the various commissioning scenario presented through the posters in healthcare services. The study also involves a critical appraisal and critical evaluation of those posters by analysing their strengths and weaknesses in the present situation of the healthcare commissioning. Critical Appraisal 1 Distribution The poster related to the survey on the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) cases describes the future scenario of the community which would be mostly affected by the problem. The poster describes that there is a rapid increase in the number of STI cases in the local community of England in UK. The daily newspapers of the country also state about the same scenario of the country. The healthcare department of PCT of Milton Keynes has conducted a survey on the number of the STI cases which revealed a higher number of cases than the last year. A report by an NGO has also depicted similar output revealing the fact that the number of STI incidents were clearly increasing within the socio-economic region. Structured questionnaires were surveyed by the NGO and PCT with the intention of identifying the symptoms of the STI. The result depicted that most of the people in the local community are at risk with almost 60% of the people suffering from the initial symptoms which may lead to the STI in the near future. The committee decided to call for proper evaluations and measures so as to prevent the rising number of the STI related issues. The poster has also involved the commissioning process in which a local committee or NGO has been arranged to govern and supervise the different suggestions, meetings and criticism of the members (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). Once the process of selecting the service provider is concluded, the taken decisions and the resolutions are passed as a proposal that would be further sent to the Government for approval. After the Government approval, the commission process includes the sanction of the fund for NHS for the next three years contract. The PCT would select the most efficient service provider with the lowest price quotation and who would be well trained in the field of the problem. At last the result target would be given to the renowned bidder to reduce the achieved prevalence of the STI by 25% in each year. The PCT would then review the service provider after every three months to identify any kind of negligence or violation in the contract, which would lead to the cancellation of the contract and ensure the further required actions (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). The poster has also included certain commissioning principals such as, giving importance to the user’s requirement at the first place, building a good partnership with the community members, identifying the long term view of the output of the community, continuous monitoring and supervising of the service to evaluate the output and measuring its effectiveness which also includes the utilisation of adequate finance to get a proper and efficient output. To ensure sustainability and empowerment of the patients, the establishment of ‘Foundations for Effective Commissioning’ is suggested (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). Critical Evaluation The poster has been developed based on the commissioning cycle concerning the process of healthcare commissioning. These steps also come under the six principals of the decision making. The commissioning cycle includes certain steps to do a project or survey on a particular issue, i.e. assessment of needs, description of the services, analysis of the gap, deciding priorities, risk management, strategic options, contract implementation, provider development and managing service provider’s performance. Needs assessment is the process of identifying the need of the healthcare in the area of the PCT population. The next step in the commissioning cycle is the identification of the gap of the present service provider with the previous service provider of the region. The next step is to take the strategic decisions based on the priorities of the process taking into account the importance of the desirable actions. The next activity is to manage the risk by assuring the balance between the key healthcare issues and the risk associated with providing the healthcare services where the PCT has to bring all these above activities together to develop a strategy for the commissioning plan. Implementation of the contract is the next step in the cycle, which assures the execution of the strategies through effective actions (House of Commons, 2010). The poster has covered most of these aspects. The PCT poster has depicted the healthcare need assessment of the local community based on the rational investigation. PCT has also analysed the ratio of the number of the cases due to STI. The presentation has further identified the risk due to the STIs and assessed the need for the healthcare under the risk management. Under strategic options, the PCT poster has also shown the strategies that the organisation has taken by appointing local community and NGOs and by selecting an efficient service provider. Under contract implementation and provider development the poster has documented the effectiveness of the bidder or the service provider taking into consideration the essentiality possessed by the Government approval. The poster has effectively depicted the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of the service provider. From an overall perspective, the poster has attributed almost majority of the aspects of the commissioning cycle, however the poster has no such information which would give a clear idea about the gap between the current and the previous services rendered by the service providers. It also lacks in providing a proper idea of the STIs and its effects. In addition, the poster does not include the symptoms to be considered while assessing or identifying STI cases as well as the actual risk of the issue and its effects (House of Commons, 2010). Benefits of the Poster in Real Healthcare Commissioning The poster made by PCT includes the various important aspects of the healthcare needs in England. The poster has effectively demonstrated that the rate of STI cases is very high in the local community which is still growing at a very rapid pace. The poster has also revealed that a survey has been conducted to identify the population of STI infected victims in the region. Based on the output of this survey the PCT has appointed an effective service provider and has also funded the NHS which can be observed from the poster. This poster would be very much helpful in real healthcare commissioning as it would give a clear idea of the problem in the society along with many other similar kind of problems which would in turn make it easier for the healthcare department to take necessary actions in preventing the STI and similar issues in the socio-economic setting of the region (Royal College of Nursing, 2004). Lesson Learned from the Poster The poster by PCT has given a clear idea about the need of the assessment of healthcare in any community. It has also conveyed a message that awareness among the young or a particular group is required to minimise such problems. In addition, the poster has given a lesson that the survey on any healthcare need has to be maintained through certain steps and systems. It has also adequately depicted the idea about the responsibilities of the PCT as well as NHS. Thus, this poster has efficiently depicted the need for awareness amid the youth generation regarding any STIs treating it as a noteworthy social health problem (Martin and Smith, 2010). Analysis of the Non-Included Aspects in the Health Care Commissioning Process The poster has included most of the needed aspects of the commissioning process; however, it lacked in including the effects of the issue considered in the poster, i.e. the effects of the STI. Furthermore, the poster was inadequate in depicting the social and health related risks associated with the STI problem. The poster has also not included the symptoms so that an individual or the healthcare department can identify the problem and render efficient healthcare services to the victims. The gap between the previous and current service providers, if there was any, was also not covered in the poster (Royal College of Nursing, 2004). Critical Appraisal 2 Description This poster has described the problem of teenage pregnancy in the UK and its effects. The poster depicts the statistics of the teenage pregnancy in the region. It has shown that according to the Department of Education on an average around 39000 girls under the age of 18 years become victims of the issue every year. It has also shown that the 50% of those girls head towards an abortion. With the increasing number of teenage pregnancy in the UK, the number of dropouts from schools also increases. The poster includes the data regarding the approximate age of the girls reported of getting pregnant every year, which says the age group of the girls is maximum 15-17yrs. A few of the national surveys have also depicted that, girls aged 10yrs are also suffering from the problem, however, at a lesser rate. The poster has given an assessment where it shows that the PCT has organised a workshop among the parents, youths, and the students to avoid such problems related to STIs. This workshop presented questionnaire surveys in order to confirm the reason of teenage pregnancy. The output of the workshop affirmed the reason for the teenage pregnancy as lack of awareness regarding sex and sex educations among the youth of the nation. The organisation of PCT has also achieved a conclusion which stated that the sex and relationship education has to be applied as a strategy to prevent the issue (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). The poster has also included the commissioning process they have used and the measures they have taken regarding the problem. The PCT has taken the procurement method to choose the service provider to manage the problem as can be observed from the poster. It has shown the commitment towards the service provider as they have promised to reconsider the provider after every three years provided the prevalence of the issue decreases by 30%. The PCT has sent their request to various sex education trainers and health promotion associations, and they have finally selected a local education agency, as the agency has the experience of working for the same cause and as they have tended to render their service at a relatively lower cost. They have also built a group of students, youths, parents, sex education trainers in order to conduct a proper sex education campaign for all the teenagers of the local community on a periodical basis (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). The poster has also included certain commissioning principals which stated that the needs of the users have to be considered as the first priority. It also suggested that the partnership has to be confident and with a good relationship where a continuous evaluation of the service would render fruitful outcome. The poster has also included the commissioning principal which showed that the PTC has to be very careful while spending money to get a better outcome. The poster further reveals that the PCT organisation have used the LEAPS model to avoid conflicts, which ensures clear communication as L stands for Listen, E stands for Emphasising, A stand for Ask, P stands for Paraphrase, and S stands for Summarise (NHS Surrey Board, n.d.). Critical Evaluation The poster has followed all the aspects of a commissioning cycle. For instance, the poster has shown a proper need assessment process along with the requirement of surveying the problem and also the strategies of management to control the issue. The poster has depicted that PCT has taken certain steps against the issue. For instance, the PCT has conducted a research based on the problem and have also arranged a workshop to spread adequate awareness regarding sex and unwanted pregnancy for the teenagers. With the given outcome, they have chosen a service provider to handle the matter taking all the requirements and important aspects in consideration including the aspects of efficiency, cost effectiveness, experience and need of the users among others. However, the poster lacks in providing with exact reasons for these unwanted pregnancies and has also avoided accounting the symptoms to identify the problem before it takes place at a large scale. They have done the survey on the teenage pregnancy and have taken certain measures but they have not given any remedy for those who have already become victims of the problem. The poster has included the term abortion but did not give any idea about the risks associated with the process concerning the health of the girls. It is worth mentioning that the poster has given a clear idea about the need of sex education gauging it with the issue of teenage pregnancy. However, the poster did not account for a comprehensive idea about sex education and its implications among the youth of the nation (NHS Diabetes, 2011). Benefits of the Poster in Real Life Commissioning This poster is all about teenage pregnancy which has become a huge problem in the world today, especially in the UK. The prevalence of teenage pregnancy is observed to be rapidly increasing in UK. The poster has shown the rate of teenage pregnancy data collected from the Office of National Statistics. With the achieved data, the PCT has organised a workshop to make people aware of the problem. This poster would be helpful for the youth of the nation, for the parents of these young people, and for the schools as well, due to the fact that this poster would make them aware of the social issue in terms of teenage pregnancy. The poster has also provided the information that the concerned organisations have set up a group of concerned people who would be contributing in the activities of the group to prevent the problem. This certain approach can evidently be quite beneficial in minimising the health hazards to an extent by generating awareness amid the community members (Walshe and Smith, 2010). Lesson Learned from the Poster The poster is informative regarding teenage pregnancy awareness. The poster has also given an idea that the young people have to be well educated in terms of sex and ill-effects of unwanted pregnancy. Notably, such education should be initiated from the family and also in schools. A misinterpretation of the information about sex and pregnancy or the lack of information about these issues would lead to a severe problem for the youth of the nation (Healthcare Providers Service Organisation, 2011). Analysis of the Non-Included Aspects in the Health Care Commissioning Process The poster has not included the exact reason for the issue regarding teenage pregnancy avoiding the inclusion of the symptoms of the problem. Without adequate information, it would be quite difficult for people to unveil the actual reasons for teenage pregnancy along with the proper identification of the victims and the consequences of such issue. The poster should have also included the risk of abortion in girls to make them aware of the problem. The importance of counselling services is also missing in the poster (RCGP Centre for Commissioning, n.d.). Conclusion Healthcare services are the key factors for the achievement of a successful health system in a society. An enhanced healthcare commissioning ensures the wellbeing, safety and better health of the people in a particular society. Countries all around the world today are providing increasing value to the healthcare commissioning, among which the UK is considered as one of the leading societies to consider the services related to healthcare as essential for social developments. The youth of the UK are not adequately aware of the STIs and unwanted pregnancies; they are also subject to high risk of different STI cases. They are not getting proper education from their family as well as from the schools regarding sex and STIs. As the young people of the country are not getting proper guidance regarding the issue, they are being increasingly affected by these problems. With this concern, the poster has depicted that the prevalence of the STIs and the issue of teenage pregnancy is very high in the PCT region of UK. The posters have also shown that the statistics are gradually increasing where the outcome is higher than the last year survey, which can be termed as a major threat to the entire society of the country. Based on these issues the Government of the UK has given the liberation to the National Health Service (NHS) to provide with better healthcare services to the nation. The healthcare commissioning of UK has shown an efficient performance to enhance the health of the people in the country. The Primary Care Trusts (PCT) has also given ample support to the NHS in terms of finance. The NHS has also ensured that they would get involved in any financial activities related to the patients. In relation to the posters, PCT has also chosen an efficient service provider under NHS to handle the issue of the teenage pregnancy and the STI cases. PCT contributes financially to help the NHS to serve the needful to provide the healthcare services in a highly efficient manner. The PCT also evaluates the efficiency of the services rendered by the service provider to ensure that the best healthcare services in the nation. Branches of NHS are situated all over the UK with different names in diverse places to provide the support to people who require better healthcare services. The main objective of the poster is to highlight the problems, hence making people conscious and aware of these issues ensuring better health of the nation. The assignments of the PCT would also help general people such as, students, parents, teachers, and communities to enhance their knowledge regarding the misperceptions towards the issue and to take corrective measures regarding the aspect. The poster referred in this study and similar such posters, in future would be helpful to save the youth of the nation and have a better living in the future. References House of Commons, (2010) Commissioning Available at: [Accessed28 December 2011]. Healthcare Providers Service Organisation (2011). HPSO news. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. Martin, S. and Smith, P. C. (2010). Commissioning Health. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. NHS Surrey Board, No Date. South east coast – ethical framework. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. NHS Diabetes, (2011). Commissioning. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. O'Flynn, N. and Potter, J., 2011. Commissioning health care in England: an evolving story. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. Royal College of Nursing, (2004). Commissioning health care services for children and young people: increasing nurses’ influence [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. RCGP Centre for Commissioning, No Date. Effective healthcare commissioning. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 December 2011]. Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (2010). Healthcare Management. India: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Bibliography Burls, A., (2002). Ethics in public and community health. UK: Routledge. Crane, A. and Matten, D., (2007). 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