Health Policy and Practice - Coursework Example

Health Policy and Practice Key features of good health care policy Changes in health care today demand that careful planning, development and execution of interventions are followed to promote and maintain the health certain groups of individuals in the society. This therefore implies that a good health policy must be put in place to achieve the desired outcome. All health policies must have several key elements that are necessary in smooth and coordinated process of tackling health challenges. The Healthy lives, Healthy people policy possesses these features. So many lifestyle health problems threaten to reduce the quality of life and shorten the lifespan of people today this is why there is need to create laws and policies that govern the socio economic, environmental and individual factors that affect health. Just like any other good health policy, the Healthy lives, Healthy people policy exhibits some vital features which are discussed below. Healthy live, healthy people policy ensures effectiveness through provision of the best available and appropriate care by those mandated to do so. Reduced functional incapacitation clearly shows that care and treatment programs are effective. The ability to perform the intended action with minimal difficulty during the process will in most cases earn success, how best a policy observes this rule defines its level of effectiveness. It is important that resources are used conservatively with minimal wastage in the process of achieving the desired change in health care through healthy policies (WHO 2008). The Healthy lives Healthy people policy has clearly and adequately demonstrated efficiency by having the output commensurate to the resources and expertise used. The cost of running the policy is relatively cheap as compared with other policies of similar nature. Making any policy acceptable by the people it is meant to serve is one of the sure ways of achieving the set goals and promoting sustainability in health care services across all cohorts. Any good health policy must consider the responses and attitudes of people to the intended change and regulations in health factors that affect them. Finding out how the individuals think and feel about the policy is imperative in deciding whether the policy is acceptable and if it can be configured to include the opinions of these individuals (Armstrong et al. 2012). Confidentiality, respect and privacy are the main factors that make any policy acceptable in the society. It is not automatic that once a service is available then all people will utilize it, unless it is accessible then very few people will benefit. The Healthy lives, Healthy people policy has made health care easily accessible in a variety of was beginning from good infrastructure to quick information and adequate health care personnel (Vázquez et al. 2013). Among many solutions put in place to deal with health care inequalities in the society, making health services accessible reduces the cost and the lengthy procedures involved in getting health care. All health care policies must advocate for fairness of service to their clients, making sure that some groups or individuals are not mistreated on the basis of religion race, age or sex. It becomes a key feature to treat all healthcare consumers with equity. People with similar needs must be served equally without favouring any one of them on grounds of socioeconomic and ethnic differences (Sekabaraga et al. 2011). Healthy policies must be relevant in addressing issues of concern; it considers the overhead pattern and equilibrium of the best health services that could be attained. The needs and wants of the population are used in validating the relevancy of Healthy lives, Healthy people policy. Influencing the policy The Healthy lives, Healthy people policy was created to mobilize and prioritize resources in enabling the public to attain high quality life with an increased lifespan taking in consideration of all health issues in all age groups. The public today faces serious public health problems; the Healthy lives Healthy policy is therefore concerned with improving the health status of the less privileged in the society by extension helping them lead a more fulfilling and comfortable life. Individuals are supported throughout their life beginning from infancy to old age, in the process strengthening their confidence and self-esteem. Seizing opportunities for better health has reduced many deaths that were initially caused by preventable diseases and circumstances. Poverty in most cases has contributed to mental illness, communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, substance abuse, childhood emotional instabilities and irresponsible human behaviours that have contributed to the upsurge of preventable mortality rate. The health inequalities are modified by a wide range of factors that include; cultural, psychological, social, environmental and economic differences among the public. These factors affect an individual in all stages of life right from infancy, childhood, in teenage years and adulthood. An individual’s occupation and retirement largely influence the general health of the public. Early life is modified by both genetic and biological factors whose effects stretch further into later life of a person (MacKenbach et al. 2013). Various genetic errors and maternal ill-health during pregnancy will definitely affect the health of the child not just during the in vivo life but also after birth. Our lifestyles are also influenced by those people surrounding us by how they affect our behaviours. Peer pressure is significant in determining dietary habits among youths, for instance those people who like partying and eating a lot of junk food are likely to become obese. The Healthy lives, Healthy people support the idea of having life start well by promoting maternal health during pregnancy. Pregnancy is crucial in determining the health status of a child. During the first trimester any environmental exposure of the mother to teratogens will interfere with organogenesis. Quality maternal health promotes a healthy childhood growth. Early childhood mental illness, malnutrition, low birth weight and growth retardation are the main health problems that surface due to maternal ill health. Good maternal health is directly associated with a healthy pregnancy and baby. Environmental factors such as accidents and hazardous environmental substances also affect our development. The Healthy live, Healthy people policy provides for laws protecting children from road accidents and indirect environmental harm to children (Armstrong et al. 2012). Childhood obesity has been on the rise just like drug abuse among the teenagers and young adults. Unless this is controlled the health of the future generation is at risk. Healthy lives, Healthy people policy has pointed out the need to develop well for a healthy life in future and increased life span (Walley et al. 2008). Research done reveals that most deaths of people aged 16-24 are as a result of accidents precipitated by alcohol. Irresponsible sexual acts in developmental stages are a risk for common sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy that are the main cause of ill-health today. Teenage years are a significant time for health and general wellbeing in future life of an individual. Living well is an ingredient to an increased lifespan free of illnesses and physical incapacitation, this helps and individual to avoid illnesses and premature death through shaping lifestyle. Today cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are mainly caused by the poor lifestyles mostly precipitated by smoking, eating a lot of junk food and physical inactivity. Reduction in smoking among all affected groups has increased the chances for public wellbeing. The policy has put forward directives and improved the environments that help people to observe healthy diets in the bid to counter obesity and lower the risks of diabetes. Regular physical exercise has worked to lower the risks associated with sedentary lifestyles. The government has also put restriction on illicit drugs and alcohol consumption to lower the associated risks. Working well is absolutely necessary to promote a healthy life; most people spend a lot of their lives and time working which means that occupational factors largely influence their health. Loss of work can lead to poor physical health and mental illness while being at work will promote good health by stabilizing an individual’s financial status. Occupation health services ensure that employees work under healthy environments and under favourable working terms. Most of the work associated illnesses are preventable according to the Healthy lives, Healthy people policy. Occupational health hazards are the area of interest in ensuring that the working public is safe and responsible of their own health. Ageing well is another factor that has influenced the Healthy lives, Healthy people policy. So many degenerative diseases come about in the aging process. Dementia and Alzheimer are diseases associated with old age and in most cases case deficit of self-care and general ill-health causing early deaths. The health policy has improved the social networks that have encouraged the aged to be active promoting their health status. The Health lives ,Healthy people policy has employed ;strategic focus on the results that are relevant, involvement of the social structures, government involvement and paying attention to achievable objectives have been the avenue to seize the opportunities. The radical approach is mainly concerned with empowering local communities, availing new ideas supported by what works and granting professional freedom. In this approach most causes of notorious health problems are addressed. The efficiency of this approach lies in the fact that those individuals and families who need help are supported and empowered to take control of their health problems. The individuals and the community learn to be responsive such that the own up their problems and decide on the course of action to follow. Health care is prioritized and resources are channeled to securing better health care services with the aim of reducing inequalities. There is great need to rigorously involve professional expertise focused on evidence and efficiency in promoting health care. In this manner the professions in health care shoulder the responsibility of addressing the imbalances in the health sector to protect the public, by enhancing lives and mitigating health inequalities. The radical approach strengthens the protection of current and future threats in health. Emerging health threats require full preparedness of the government through enactment of laws that promote medical research and healthy social activities and interactions. The policy requires the government to empower the public through promoting self-esteem, personal responsibility in choosing lifestyles and behaviours as well as shaping the environment to facilitate healthy living. Health and wellbeing throughout life in this policy has been a responsibility delegated to the individuals and the community (Cuadra 2012). Government frameworks and innovations have strongly supported this idea of empowering the public to take control of their health issues. Every child in the community is given the best start in life through maternal and child welfare health services. Working jointly with the business and charity groups encourages the public health responsibility deal, just like community programs for the aged and empowerment of the local governments in resource allocation and environmental problem solving. Creation of a new public health system with strong local and national leadership has facilitated devolution of funding, freedom and responsibilities that shape the course of public health. Health officials are charged with the responsibility of controlling public health and addressing the inequalities in health care. This system encourages use of concrete evidence and evaluation as an approach in advocating for behaviour change. This will also build transparency and support publication of information on health results both at local and national level. Evidence based practice is a persuasive way of getting people accept the health policy and develop trust in the outcomes anticipated once the policy is fully implemented (Snowden 2012). The public needs to be informed on changes and development in health care, epidemiological factor, intellectual empowerment through publications on health care that is necessary in shaping the overall lifestyle behaviours that favour healthy living. In support of the Health and Social Care bill, the government has planned to create public health England that assumes full responsibility of affecting the National Treatment Agency for substance abuse. The local government has the new function of being accountable and supporting partnership in social welfare (Mladovsky 2009). Information is a useful tool in convincing the public to accept and own up the health policy, in other words it is indispensible in empowering the public to implement the public health policies. Barriers to good practice To come up with successful plans for change in health care, it is important to understand the existing obstacles in this field. This knowledge is helpful in determining the types of barriers and their effects on the whole planned process of change. With careful consideration it is possible to synthesize strategic approaches to overpowering these barriers, enhancing changes in behaviour and effecting the desired changes. Knowledge and awareness of what is to change are pivotal in facilitating implementation of the Health lives, Health people policy. However, some medical practitioners lack these basic requirements. Some may be are aware of the new protocols of change but lack the necessary skills required to enforce the policies. This is seen as a setback to the success of the health policy. Another barrier is lack of motivation in both the public and the medical practitioners. Motivation whether intrinsic or extrinsic is important in fueling the urge to change behaviour and shaping of lifestyle. Inadequate self-motivation and loss of interest in matters to with health policy scales down the progress of change in behaviour and encourages stagnation in unhealthy habits and lifestyles. Little acceptance and cultural beliefs are seen as barriers that slow down the progress of health policies. The differences in beliefs and attitudes within the public pose a challenge of uniting all people to accept the change of their lifestyles towards achieving healthy and better living (Foote et al. 2008). Some healthcare professions can become barriers to good health care policies when they fail adopt the new health care guidelines enshrined in the health policy. They prefer to stick to their old guidelines to avoid conflict with guidelines from different professional bodies. Others may ignore the policy on pretext that they do not believe in the outcomes and recommendations stated in the new health policy. For change to take place, relevant skills must be appropriately employed in a planned process. This is also the same for behavioural change to take place; the health care persons must have the required skills to influence changed towards achieving a healthy living. Health care personnel may require further training and education to improve on their skills in effecting the policies in healthcare. It becomes a barrier if the medical staff required to oversee the implementation of heath policies is devoid of skills. Interpersonal skills, coping mechanisms will also be required for the success of new health care policies. Practical barriers are evident through inadequate material and human resources, similar with the inability to establish proper service delivery scheme. New policies may bring about new equipment that requires specialized personnel and skills this may be perceived as a barrier in the absence of manpower with such skill. The policy may stagnate in wait for the person with the required practical skills. Sometimes new policies require a complete change in the infrastruction of the health facilities. Scarcity in resources makes it impossible for rapid change to occur since a lot of effort will be channeled towards acquiring resources to implement the policy. This is why the Healthy lives Healthy people policy attracted governmental devolution of funds and local authority. The external environment presents most barriers that are hard to control. Both political and financial circumstances are seen as possible threat to the implementation of health policies especially when the medical professions tend not to agree with them. As a matter of fact, they influence motivation and working terms of medical staffs (Simmons et al. 2007). Payment terms and political regulations direct influence on how the medical professions are going to receive the health policies. All regulations and national objectives influence the quality of healthcare in a country. Promoting continued professional education is paramount to achieving better health care and improved patient outcome not forgetting the mitigation of health inequalities. Quality monitoring process The healthy lives, healthy people policy makes use of consultation process as a method of quality monitoring. This process analyses the responses supplied for a couple of structured questions, then determines the level of quality attained. The aim is towards influencing the policy outcome, consultation is meant to be easily accessible clearly defined to those people it is to affect (Black et al. 2011). The process must take at least twelve weeks to ensure that the policy is feasible and sensible. Consultation seeks to evaluate responses and provide reasonable feedback to participants of the healthcare policy. In most cases the consultations are brief and allow officials to take guide in the whole process of answering the structured question staged as a criterion upon which quality is determined. Public health evidence is the best chances to develop and promote the available and accessible public health facilities. The information provided here is used to rate the quality of the health policy. All environmental and social health programs are housed in this section. The need to confirm the viability of the policy in prevailing socio economic factors is vital in foretelling the success of the health policy. A standard quality assurance process entails systematic monitoring and evaluation process. It begins from problem definition to implementation of the policy. Information gathered at every stage is useful in determining strengths and weaknesses of the health policy (Varkey et al. 2007). A policy that displays more strengths than loopholes stands feasible since it has high chances of achieving the desired change. Conclusion Health policies are useful in addressing inequalities in both resources and services in health care. Healthy lives healthy people policy is atypical example of a health policy that is determined to enhance quality life and increase lifespan through shaping of human and environmental factors that affect health. Risky human behaviours largely contribute to untimely deaths and preventable illnesses. The public is empowered to change their lifestyles and take the path that leads to preservation of life through healthy living. However, the path of achieving behavioural change is hardened by inadequate skills and knowledge on how to implement the new health policies. Cross cultural beliefs and attitudes in both the public and health sector undermine the public health policies. Inadequate resources and lack of motivation are also barriers to good health care policies. A series of consultations is used as a basis of quality monitoring and evaluation, questions asked mostly favour the public and strive towards enhancing the acceptability, accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness of the policy. References Armstrong, K. et al., 2012. The Influence of Health Care Policies and Health Care System Distrust on Willingness to Undergo Genetic Testing. Medical Care, 50, pp.381–387. Black, A.D. et al., 2011. The impact of ehealth on the quality and safety of health care: A systematic overview. PLoS Medicine, 8. Cuadra, C.B., 2012. Right of access to health care for undocumented migrants in EU: A comparative study of national policies. European Journal of Public Health, 22, pp.267–271. Foote, S.B. et al., 2008. The impact of medicare coverage policies on health care utilization. Health Services Research, 43, pp.1285–1301. MacKenbach, J.P., Karanikolos, M. & McKee, M., 2013. The unequal health of Europeans: Successes and failures of policies. The Lancet, 381, pp.1125–1134. Mladovsky, P., 2009. A framework for analysing migrant health policies in Europe. Health Policy, 93, pp.55–63. Sekabaraga, C., Diop, F. & Soucat, A., 2011. Can innovative health financing policies increase access to MDG-related services? Evidence from Rwanda. Health Policy and Planning, 26. Simmons, R., Fajans, P. & Ghiron, L., 2007. Scaling up Health Service Delivery – From pilot innovations to policies and programmes. Public Health, 123, pp.638–639. Snowden, L.R., 2012. Health and mental health policies’ role in better understanding and closing African American–White American disparities in treatment access and quality of care. American Psychologist, 67, pp.524–531. Varkey, P., Reller, M.K. & Resar, R.K., 2007. Basics of Quality Improvement in Health Care. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 82, pp.735–739. Vázquez, M.L. et al., 2013. Are migrants health policies aimed at improving access to quality healthcare? An analysis of Spanish policies. Health Policy, 113, pp.236–246. Walley, J. et al., 2008. Primary health care: making Alma-Ata a reality. The Lancet, 372, pp.1001–1007. WHO, 2008. Chapter 4: Public policies for the public’s health. World Health Report: Primary Health Care - Now More Than Ever.  Read More