Factors Affecting the Provision of Medical Care - Essay Example

Legislation, Policy and Guidelines impacting on Healthcare Delivery Delivery of healthcare has been impacted over the years by different policies, guidelines and legislature. One of the legislations includes the “health and social care act”. It is an act or legislation that was enacted by parliament in the year 2012 (Klein 66). “NHS Constitution” is another legislation impacting on health. It was published in the year 2012. “The NHS White Paper” is another policy enacted in the year 2010. Some of the policies include, treating of patients and health users with compassion, dignity and respect and offering free health services. The guidelines include the values enshrined in the constitution of NHS. Impact of Key Requirements on Service Service delivery in health is guided by a number of requirements which are important in delivering of health services to the public. One of the impacts is that health services have become more centered on patients. Service delivery to all regardless of their affiliations, age, sex, race, marital status and disability has created a positive impact that has promoted equality in delivery of health services to the public. A high standard of professionalism and excellence, as a requirement, has a positive impact which ensures that the public is able to access services which are quality and standard. Accountability has created a positive impact since the public has more trust in the NHS. Access to services from health centers is free, which is a positive impact as it ensures service delivery to all (Klein 70). Key Reports and Legislation before and during the history of the NHS The history of NHS is marked by legislation and reports that have led to changes in the NHS over the years. Before the NHS came into being, the first legislation was the “Poor Law 1601”. The law cared for the poor and was a great relief to those who could not work e.g. the old, lame, blind and impotent. Poor people who were able to work were to be employed in industries and tools for work were provided to them. Vagrants and poor people who were idle were to be sent to correction centers and prison. Children who were poor were to become apprentices (Klein 40). In the year 1834, “The poor law amendment act” was enacted by parliament. The law ensured that poor people were sheltered in workhouses where they were fed and clothed. Poor children sheltered in the workhouses would be taken to school. All those sheltered in the warehouses were, however, required to pay back by working each day. The law was enacted due to the increasing burden of sheltering, clothing and feeding poor people (Klein 43). When NHS was started, new legislation was passed. In the year 1942, a report sponsored by Beveridge was enacted. The report proposed reforms in social care. In 1946, the “National Health service act” was enacted. It led to the establishment of NHS. In the year 2006, “Patient choice” was an act from the “health act” that ensured patients have the right to choose which hospital to be treated in. currently we have the “health and social care act” that was enacted in the year 2012 (Klein 66). The act proposed that the NHS board should be independent, administration costs in the NHS should be reduced and it also promoted patient’s right to choose any hospital they desired. Recent Government policies and Legislation One of the most recent policies from the government in the health service is treating of patients and health users with compassion, dignity and respect. It was published in the year 2013 and is part of NHS and social care. The policy provides guidelines that stipulate that patients should be accorded care and should be respected. They should also be treated with compassion. Another Government legislation is the “health and social care act” of 2012, which ensures independence of NHS and that costs incurred in administrating NHS have been reduced (Klein 66). Changes made by the various legislations Legislations enacted over time in the NHS have led to changes in accountability, funding, structure, provision and access to services. Legislation enacted over time has ensured that funding in the NHS has increased from four hundred and thirty seven Euros in the year 1948 to one hundred and eight billion Euros in the 2012/2013 budget. The structure of the NHS has also changed after “clinical commissioning groups and Healthwatch” were introduced. This is after “primary care trust and strategic health authorities” were abolished (Klein 67). NHS is accountable to the public at large, patients and the community they serve. There have, however, been new laws that also ensure that it is accountable and money meant for NHS is accounted for. This is done through the commission on audit which ensures that all NHS branches or bodies are accountable. Provision of health and social care was a privilege for the poor, who would access it for free, but new laws have ensured that health and social care is free for all regardless of their age, financial status, race, gender and sex. Health services are provided by a qualified staff that maintains professionalism. Most of the doctors have been contracted to work with NHS. Legislation has also ensured that time required for waiting has drastically reduced. No one is supposed to wait for more than eighteen weeks after being referred to the hospital for treatment or surgery. Life expectancy, control of diseases, service delivery and treatment of diseases are some of the criteria used to evaluate changes that have been made in NHS by legislations over the years. NHS has led to high life expectancy, diseases have been controlled and professional quality services are provided to all. Values for a Heath care Practice Some of the values necessary in providing healthcare practice include the 6Cs. They include compassion, care, competence, courage, communication and commitment. They also include the six values that have been outlined in the constitution of NHS. They include compassion, commitment to care that is of quality value, improving lives, ensuring everyone counts and working for the good of the patient. There are other values from the “care value base” which are necessary. They include promoting communication, promoting practices that are not discriminative, supporting and promoting rights of individual’s, confidentiality and recognizing identities and beliefs of individuals. Values enshrined in the NHS constitution are more valuable because NHS is basically considered as the second best health care in the world. It also provides the best health services (Klein 20). Reflective Practice Reflective practice refers to the process by which one poses and thinks about their practice. Some of the reflection models include, “single and double loop learning model, Kolb’s reflective model, Gibb’s reflective model, Johns’ reflective model and Rolfe reflective model,” Kolb’s theory is based on learning that is experiential and that is centered on the conversion of information to facts (Klein 99). Reflective practice plays a role, which impacts value in health, by ensuring that health professionals enhance their abilities in making effectual communication and making rational decisions. Works Cited Klein, Rudolf. The New Politics of the NHS: From Creation to Reinvention. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2013. Print. Read More