Australian Health Reform: Social Workers - Research Paper Example

The Australian health system is now at crossroads. This is due to the significant challenges in meeting the nation’s health needs at this time of economic uncertainty. The government records this as a time of unusual opportunity to take transformative actions. According to Martin (2003, p. 20), though the Australians benefit from health products that are among the best in addition to health care of high quality, there is a significant extent for development of these health care centres. The necessity to take action on reforming the health care is growing daily. Though the new and existing challenges are hindering the health and individual’s wellbeing, they are also pressurising the general health care sustainability that is available to all Australians. Some of the challenges faced include health inequalities among the disadvantaged communities, ageing population, emergence of prevalent diseases, raising costs of health care and the existence of a stretched workforce. According to Benn (1999) if action is not quickly taken, these challenges will amount to limit access, waiting times lengthened and this will eventually raise the cost of health care services. This situation will worsen the Australian outcomes in relation to health and therefore increase the economic cost and poor health to the entire nation. For both chronological and structural reasons, the system is poorly equipped to acclimatise to these pressures. This study analyses the Australia’s reform policies in relation to the numerous social policy initiatives over the past decade. This group of policies and programs is of a significant importance from several points of view. First, it tends to target certain kind of groups that need assistance in terms of income to needy people such as those with disabilities, single parents and the unemployed. Secondly, the reform policies have had a notable impact on the welfare of the social agencies and the workers as well. Finally, reforms on welfare have had a huge effect on inequality and peoples’ attitudes to those in need (Carey 1996). The recent split of the Commonwealth and state government inflicts arbitrary boundaries on both the consumers and the health care professionals who intend to manage care incidents in a more flexible and synchronised approach. Arrangements made in relation to funding are neither encouraging care continuity nor providing care in the appropriate setting. However, dealing with these factors requires a widespread reform. Without enduring the challenges involved, there are concrete foundations which encourage progress. Across the heath care sector there exists a strong desire for considerable reform which also influences the government and the whole community. The Australian government has distinguished the basic link between good health and increasing employees’ productivity as well as participation. The loyalty to national reform characterised in 2008 meeting of the Council of Australian Government (COAG) suggests a chain of reforms that may begin revolution of the health scheme in future. This meeting was based in discussing and agreeing with the government on the ways of implementing the health reforms. One dominant feature of the system is the splitting up of powers and responsibilities between the states government and the Commonwealth government. The later is accountable for funding the medical services, health programs and community support programs. According to Dixon (1996) the health system also consists of a considerable private insurance sector that operates alongside the universal system. This provides variety of services that are not included in the Medicare. The system is characterised of high levels of health, low levels of life-expectancy and low mortality rates. In order to achieve these outcomes, advanced medical technologies are required as well as highly trained professionals and refined infrastructure that will be useful in the provision of technical compound diagnosis and treatment (Dickey 1985). The new Australian Health Reform These recent structural changes in the way the Australian health services are managed and funded have also tempted to modify the relationships linking doctors and managers. It is still debated if the new reforms have a significant impact on the service delivery to the patients in reference to quality, cost of treatment and the accessibility. However, there is little information regarding the effect of changes to the lives of specialists working in these health centres. In order to decide whether the changes have affected these specialists, their perception is first considered in terms of how they control management, their involvement interest in service delivery and if they consider having changed due to the available services and resources. The reforms resulted to heavy workload on the side of the social workers as what had been introduced earlier. These services included offering emotional support and counselling and organising conferences. Other duties include completing psychosocial appraisals, performing and managing family meetings and advocating on behalf of elders as well as writing health related reports for instance on hospital discharge. According to Dickey (1980) this provision of community services has undergone various reforms recently. The reforms are facilitated by relying on government on the programs and services delivery. These services can be achieved efficiently by involving the private sector rather than the public sector. Significant changes have been seen on the part of the community and the service structure and these changes need to be accounted for in an attempt to achieving the best practice. They include changes in employment patterns, the shifting demographic configuration of communities, change in family life structure and finally the changing principles of social care. Chambers (1992, p. 500) describe that these changes impact a move towards family and community support and independence since they may be looked at as an assault on the ability of the welfare system to confer change in social conditions. Other changes will include the introduction of information management and technology that will enable reforms in future through improved safety and quality of services provided by the social workers. Foale (1995, p. 190) show that this is also important since it ensures timely sharing of information linking social workers and their patients, the security as well as privacy of personal health information. These changes in services have made social workers to organise private and charitable institutions in order to serve people in need. They continue to tackle the needs of society in addition to bringing the nation’s social issues to the public’s attention. Many rights are enjoyed by Australians today since early social workers saw desolation and injustice acts and took action, this inspired others who followed. Most of the benefits taken for granted were introduced by social workers who were working with both families and institutions as they spoke out on the abolition of exploitation and disregard by the government and the community as a whole. Some of the introduced rights towards social workers include; one, the protection of civil rights to all in spite of race, gender or sexual orientation. Two, that all the workers should enjoy unemployment insurance, compensation and social security. Three, describe that human treatment is available to patients suffering from mental disorders. Four, show that Medicare is offered to the disabled, poor and the elderly and that they should be readily available to them in terms of better services and reach. Five, child abuse and maltreatment should critically be avoided by the entire community. Finally, is that mental illness and abuse of substance care should progressively lose its stigma. The government has therefore set some objectives meant to achieve the goals of meeting the needs of social workers. This includes; one, collaboration which should be timely and should involve dialogue linking the social workers, community members, people in the business entities and all individuals (Brown 1986, p. 250). Two, there should also involve community engagement which involve engaging the community as the major agent in directing the national health reform. Smith (2002) state other objectives involve focusing on the outcomes regarding the reform efforts and finally, being accountable and expressing transparency in the reform progress. Transparency should be reported to all Australian citizens (Barker 2009). Social workers services to Australians This profession of social work promotes social change to individuals and also tends to solve rising problems which involve human relationships. It also empowers and liberates people by enhancing their well-being. The principles of human right are therefore very importance in reference to social work (Agnew 2004). Social workers perform their duties differently and this helps to attend to numerous, intricate connections linking individuals and their surroundings. The mission of this is to facilitate individual development and their complete potential to deal with matters of their environment in addition to enriching their living it also avoid dysfunction. Social work is focuses mostly on solving problems that arise due to changes in environment and the way of life. Therefore, social workers are agents of change in the society as well as in the lives of people, families and communities. Social work can also be referred to as a consistent scheme of values, theory and practice. In terms of value, Social work rose from charitable and autonomous principles, and the values are supported with respect for fairness, significance, and self-respect to every individual. From the time when the organisation begun, the work practices has paid attention on fulfilling human needs and developing their potential. They there fore need relevant knowledge of working with elders such as the theories of lifespan for example adult development. The most important skills needed is the verbal communication, mediation, teamwork and discharge skills. According to Godden (1982, p. 90) the human rights and social justice provide motivation and explanation for social work accomplishment. In unity with the poor and disadvantaged, the occupation endeavour to lessen poverty in addition to releasing susceptible and exploited people with the aim of promoting social enclosure. The values of social work are personified in both the profession’s national and international codes of ethics and have to be adhered to. The theory of social work support its tactics on efficient process based on evidence and knowledge resulting from research and evaluation of practice this includes indigenous information particular to its framework. The theory recognises the complication of relations linking individuals and their environment, and the ability of human beings to be influence by as well as changing the numerous influences upon them such as bio-psychosocial factors. This system deals with human development theories and their activities. It also includes social structures that analyse difficult circumstances and to ease organisational, social and cultural changes and individual change as well. Impact of changes to Australians health services The practice of social work deals with the obstacles, imbalances and discrimination that is present in the community today. It reacts to disasters as well as solving everyday’s personal and social problems. These changes enable social workers to use various skills, procedures, and actions dependable with the holistic focus on human beings and their environments. Interferences of social work range from primarily personal focus, psychosocial procedures to participation in social policy, planning and finally development. These developments include counselling, clinical social work, group work, social pedagogical work, and family treatment and therapy as well as efforts to help people obtain services and resources in the community (Hughes 2002, p. 90). Social interventions also include management of agents, community organisations and engaging in social and political work to impact social policy and economic development. This focus of social work is widespread, though the issues of main concern of social work practice differ from country to country and from time to time depending on cultural, historical, and socio-economic conditions. The roles of a professional social worker include offering services such as counselling, case management, policy analysis and practice development etc. Mental health social workers deal with patients with problems associated with psychological issues to help the resolve their issues ad improve their quality of life (Fenna 2004). This practice involves personal counselling or therapy. In order to advocate for a fair and effective health care system, the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance (AHCRA) has cohabited with other 46 companies that provide health care to consumers. The health care need reforms especially in the social work sector that has been faced with various problems. Social workers tend to base on practice wisdom and legal protocols and not on the application of knowledge gained from research theories. Graycar et al. (1987, p. 360) argue that Australian social work originated from the Charity Organisation Society and as a franchise of British social work. Social work especially the one dealing with the old requires knowledge on the health conditions related to age in addition to the physical disability. Social workers play an important role in cheering the life of old people as a preventive approach and of which can reduce the disability that is connected to orthopaedic problems. This has increased life expectancy in both old groups and people living with HIV virus. According to Gregory (1984, p. 10) various ideas emerge from the review and contain few repercussions for the practice of social work and especially with older people. First, it has been noted that mental and physical health has a strong relationship. This means that health conditions related to age place a great risk to the old and their mental health such as depression. Second, the elders’ health conditions affect the entire family since members find themselves as caregivers to the old. Axinn and Mark (2008) say families therefore need information and education on the conditions affecting the old in addition to the helping them negotiate the system of sensitive and rehabilitative care. Social workers therefore provide a complete case management meant to harmonise the medical, environmental and economic conditions in the first analysis, treatment and release into the community. Practice methods and the field of practice are the primary forms that describe social work. Social work developed from the framework of human issues such as health, child protection and income supports. The system has been in the vanguard of introducing suitable strategy and practice in various fields such as the provision of childcare centres. The system also work with other disciplines in order to set up the part it can play in health matters. Residential care and community care is regulated in relation to the funding government, the required standards and the official approval process to be followed in order to sustain funding (Fisher 1999, p. 200). There are various local authorities and community organisations meant to address special needs and have earlier been involved less in the problems that older people face. These issues have greatly changed to care in the society and home settings, rehabilitation, advocacy and policy. The service models in ageing have both been personally and therapeutically spotted. This shows that the problems tackled as well as the lack of involvement of social work in policy expansion in terms of caring for the aged. According to Gleeson (2000) the increasing number of aged people in Australia today is associated with more methods of meeting their needs for instance income from other sources apart from pension and housing. Other needs include maintaining physical health as well as mental health. This method sanctions older people though it is also seen as shift from services that the government ought to be providing. The enlargement creates more space for the social workers in addition to confronting social work to alter its practices. Conclusion Both the health services and health systems are composite in their procedures; they generally involve the provision of numerous products. There are various characteristics of the service needed to assess and determine the systems value. These characteristics show that mounting a framework for responsibility is exceptionally complex. Therefore, the choice of the structure, actions and associated standard in the new Australian Health Care Agreements is not a technocratic or a process that is value neutral. It instead involves alternatives on what will be considered, majoring on some aspects of value over others. In the circumstance where a system with certain roles for various groups of the system on the hands of the government, where by the government decides which particular part of the structure will be the subject matter to benchmarking. The issue is not resolved by permitting every interest to have its display. COAG sign effectively vitiate responsibility practice by overpowering assessors with various elements. COAG has also set up the Health and Ageing Working Group which is useful in discussing the relevant roles and responsibilities of both state and the Common wealth government in addition to funding arrangements. The government should therefore aim at agreeing on practical structure in terms of offering the national health reform and a schedule that will be used for measuring the progress. This method should include all sectors such as the community, private organisations and the government entities. 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