Partnership and User Involvement in Manchester - Term Paper Example

In order to explore the role of users in the healthcare industry, we should primary proceed to the formulation of a definition which could present their particular attributes and characteristics. In this context, when referring to a ‘service user’ we mean someone who is currently accepting the services offered in the healthcare sector, i.e. the patient. The service user has been differentiated in many cases from the ‘client’ who is the analogous word for ‘patient’ for people with learning difficulties.

In general, the term ‘client’ tends to be used in order to refer to all people accepting services in the ‘social services’ sector of the healthcare industry. Moreover, ‘carer’ is used for people who offer help to another person (relative or friend) who cannot look after himself independently because of his illness or disability. Regarding specifically the healthcare sector, all people described with the above terms can be considered as ‘users’ having all rights and obligations sourced from this role.

It should be noticed, however, that in practice the terms ‘clients’, ‘patients’, ‘users’, ‘consumers’ and ‘stakeholders’ have been used in order to explain the same category of people. In this context, the differentiation of the above definitions is a rather difficult task. According to the view of Livingston et al. (2004) people who consult general practitioners and psychiatrists usually, prefer to be addressed as ‘patients’.

These people could also be addressed as ‘patients’, ‘clients’ or ‘users’. A rather new category of user is the ‘academic user’ who is often considered as a ‘consumer academic’ having as the main duty the teaching and research. There are also the people who take care of others who cannot take care of themselves because of a severe physical or mental problem. These people are often referred to as ‘carers’ or ‘family caregivers’ (Alzheimer Society).

On the other hand, the mental health organization SANE distinguishes users in the healthcare industry into ‘sufferers’, ‘families’ and ‘friends’.Furthermore, a basic characteristic of all people belonging to the above categories is that they can belong to different social groups having also different needs and priorities.