Effectiveness of Current Community Care Service Delivery in Scotland - Essay Example

EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT COMMUNITY CARE SERVICE DELIVERY IN SCOTLAND Effectiveness of current community care service delivery in Scotland Social and health care may refer to “providing the best care and support for people with complex health and social care needs.” It is almost a common perception that health care services are obvious and should be government provided. However, this does not necessarily hold true and sometimes the assumption proves un-holding. Scotland as a nation has national provisions towards delivery of health services to her citizens. However, the health sector through the government mandate has decentralized the service charter in efforts to efficiently serve the increasingly demanding population. Health care provisioning in Scotland has been integrated at both the basic primary level and the advanced secondary stage. Moreover, for ease of convenience and excellence in health services delivery, the regional boards have narrowed down to provide the services at community level. Localized subgroups of community health partnerships are very effective in health care provision at the ground level here. All classes of health workers are well represented in the healthcare framework in Scotland. Also in existence are the “extended community care teams” who work hand in hand with the system of health care and social care teams. They were introduced to ensure the effectiveness of service delivery and management of resources to ensure equitable and efficient utilization of resources at the community level. The health care provisions have been centralized as regards the funding. It is the role of the government to fund the services and as such, the public health care is free. However, this does not refute the existence of private sector in medical healthcare provision in Scotland. There is equally a well-pronounced private healthcare system in the country, which helps regulate the public sector and thus control monopoly. The nationals are thus not restricted to the choice of the services that are wholly offered by the public system (Gibbins, 2007, 1-5). These are strategic for those who require the hospitalization services or well too those who cannot access the community health care services when needed. Therefore, the public hospital system, the community based care system and the private sector work hand in hand to guarantee basic health care to the population of Scotland. The NHS (National Healthcare System), providers are commissioned to provide high quality services to the deserving population. By quality, the sector is expected to offer safe, efficient and patient sensitive services. According to “a Health Services Management Centre Newsletter,” expertise and professionalism is mandatory as regards to ensuring safety and quality sound services are offered. There is a mandatory need to have supportive environment to oversee the subjective improvement in health service delivery. No effective service delivery charter should be left without a watchdog to avoid compromise (Freeman and Sawbridge, 2011, 3). However, research has shown that there is a difference in services offered by medical practitioners in the field, not as a call but for the financial reward benefits accrued. Quality and efficiency has been prejudiced by the working of the clients who get into the profession over the benefits earned. Health care, not only in Scotland, is more of a call than an occupation and should be such understood. Community health care can be defined as the overall healthcare provision service that is formulated to deliver health care services to the homesteads. It is a decentralized avenue of taking the services to the lowest level of households. It ensures healthcare services accessibility to the marginalized, coronary illness victims and generally reaches to the disadvantaged at the ground level. It is designed to help people live as independent as possible within the confines of their homes and communities. Local authorities have taken over in Scotland in running the system from the previously centralized NHS. Many of the models have been designed to fit health care provision for the elderly. Statistics reveal a trend that the population of the country composes more of the elderly and therefore the need to focus on them. Planning, commissioning and planning for the same has been made the role of the social work departments. Nevertheless, the private and third party interests are equally incorporated in this mode of health service delivery. The interrelationship between these different groups of people in order to effectively deliver commendable community health care services would best explain the joint working of the various stakeholders in the industry (Payne, 2011, 3). These devolved services target different clients or user groups such as the elderly and the people with specialized needs as the terminally illnesses. Policy and general provision of funds are from Scottish government. This shows that the success of the community health care service delivery is dependent on a number of players. Effective and continuous collaboration of these players in the sector ensures the success of the system. Nevertheless, amidst the perceived success in the community healthcare service regime, its competency as regards to effectiveness has been questioned. The joint working of the varying players in the field has been debated over and over with certain recommendations being fronted. Evaluation and analysis by various bodies of interest has proved that the system as it is currently is not satisfactory and may require some form of modification. Such a concern was raised during past political campaign debates in the country. Parties and personalities intending to woo the confidence of the voters explained their opinions as regarding the current system in community health care. They also pledged their role in reforming and restoring the intended sanity in the sector could they win the political seats. The SNP agreed with the opinion that “integrating health and social care according to the Integrated Resource” was the way forward, Scottish Labour “wanted to create a new commissioning body, the National Care Service which would bring together health and social services” and Scottish Conservatives “proposed the merger of health and social care budgets, placing social care under the control of the NHS” (Payne, 2011, 16). Scottish Liberal Democrats on their side pledged to “find solutions to bridging the gap between health and social services, thou against centralizing services” while the Scottish Greens, “though acknowledging the benefits of integrating health and social care, wished to have a consultation on a range of options” to effectuate service delivery(Payne, 2011, 16). The Scottish greens thought that though the integrated health and social care as it were is not satisfactory and more needed to be done to improve fully the system. They pledged on exploration of viable options in improving care provision. Joint or integrated working of the different players in this regard are evaluated on shared processes, information/records, joint management and to a large extent some common shared skills and activities (Cameron, Lart, Bostock and Coomber, 2012,4). The essence is to ensure cohesion within and among groups that are in interaction in the community service. Effective and successful joint working always require that there be cooperation in the working towards thee set goal (Borrill et al, nd, 2-10 0f 363). The coherent and successful working of teams is dependent largely, on the managerial positions. The managers of the small groups carry the vision and the burden towards a set goal (Borrill et al, nd, 6 of 24). This therefore paints the crucial mandate that managerial role play in the overall performance of the care system. Findings of a recent quality study on the country showed a disparity between the actual needs that the people at the ground have and the services that are actually provided by the community care systems. These disparities were accredited to the alienation of people’s views in agencies policy recommendations and reviews. According to the findings, there is little research done in Scotland as regards integrated and joint working of the health service sector and the community care system (McDonald, 2004, 1-2).Research studies in any discipline helps the players focus on the critical areas to be addressed. The management and leadership of every policy agency rely more on the findings of these studies and the recommendations add up to their options in realizing set goals and objectives. Critics of the healthcare systems and the joint working of community systems argue that, in the past, more efforts have been devoted in modeling working relations between the involved parties, the healthcare providers and the community care social groups. These models concentrated more at organization as well as management at the expense of the outcome. There is the need to analyze and modify the working models that has been in place pertaining the joint working of the agencies (Atkinson, Jones and Lamont, 2007, 1-6). As regards to quality analysis within the community care, the following have been advocated for; giving a listening ear to the public, acknowledging people’s opinions and adopting measurable aspects as pertains to service delivery. Accountability in management should be well stipulated in order to have an ascertained smooth running between the collaborating agents. The nature of management is also critical as regards to healthcare at the community level. There are various management styles, which include single management systems, shared management systems and the joint management systems. Improved and quality decision-making procedures in the future dictate that these clarifications be made in the future, as they are not clear (Campbell, 2011, 5-7). According to a government publication in the year 2010, specialized care for persons with long-term conditions and more so the elderly has become fragmented, episodic and reactive. The government through the NHS recommended an overall system change meant to more comprehensive social care and health services. The system should be more coordinated, integrated and preventive for these conditions (Robertson, 2011, 4-7). “The procedure whereby an individual’s needs are measured and evaluated, suitability for service is resolute, care plans are recruited and implemented, services are delivered and needs are monitored and re-assessed” is what is referred by care organization. The persons who are normally eligible are frequently in the condition and as such require constant monitoring and observation. With advance in technology, great steps are being realized in medical care provision. In Scotland, mobile phones are in record in their role in reminding the patients when to take medication and at the same time assisting the social workers in communication. The overall presentation of the health and social care in the advent of portable telephony and tablets has drastically improved. This is a boost in management strategies in care provision (West, 2012, 1-3). More so, the advent of the Health has improved the efficiency in medical services and especially with the operations of “medical call centers” where people call for consultations. There are also “remote monitoring devices” that are in use within Scotland and these too improved the management and overall performance of the homecare services. The 20th century marked a great feature in the world of social service and medical care provision. The era marked the dynamic incorporation of marketing strategies in the service industry (Bruce and Forbes, 2001, 1). Marketing would ensure the enlightenment of the general public ion their rights to accessible and reliable medical and social care. However, as Bode puts it, conflict of interest has been a common feature in the efforts to market care services. Cultural embededness and the elderly care services have always conflicted (2010, 1-3). Citizens have been seen to be a bit critical in the entire Europe region as pertains to the new advent of healthcare marketization. They refute the ideal in that the government is already in a position to deliver quality care and that private health services are not only exploitative but also unaffordable to the majority poor. However, to many scholars and analysts, the question of what actually care marketization implies still remains unattended to (Hermann 2010, 1). In conclusion, Scotland has made commendable effort in the provision of health and social care. The government has fully embraced the public care and has devoted much of the public resources to ensuring efficiency in this. Despite the devolution in the provision of these services by the different stakeholders, the nation has not fully taken control of the needs of the population. Our study has critically looked into the areas of joint care provision by the different stakeholders, the issues to do with governance and leadership, marketization and the general quality of services offered (Bruce and Forbes, 2001, 16/19). The government has still a long way to go for efficient and affordable care to her population. References Hermann C. 2010. The marketisation of health care in Europe. SOCIALIST REGISTER 2010. Accessed on 14/4/2013. Web :< http://www.academia.edu/812430/The_marketisation_of_health_care_in_Europe> Bruce A. and Forbes T. 2001. FROM COMPETITION TO COLLABORATION IN THE DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE: IMPLEMENTING CHANGE IN SCOTLAND.Scottish Affairs, no. 34, winter 2001. Pp 1-16 of 19 Bode I. 2010. Social care going market. 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Royal College Of Nursing, Scotland. January 2011. Pp 4-7 Atkinson M., Jones M. and Lamont E. 2007. A review of the literature. Multi-agency working and its implications for practice. Pp 1-6 Campbell A. 2011. Financial Scrutiny Unit Briefing. The Commission on the Future of Public Services. SPICe the information centre. 7 July 2011. 11/52. Pp 5-7 Gibbins R. 2007. Delivering for the Remote and Rural heathcare. The fional report of the Remote and rural workstream.30th November, 2007. The Scottish Goverrnment, Edinburgh, 2008. Pp 1-5 Cameron A., Lart R., Bostock L. and Coomber C. 2012. Factors that promote and hinder joint and integrated working between health and social care services. Research briefing. Social care institute for excellence. Pp. 4 MacDonald C. 2004. OLDER PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY CARE IN SCOTLAND - AREVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH. Scottish Executive Social Research 2004. Pp 1-2 Payne J. 2011. Adult Community Care – Key Issues. SPICe Briefing. Pp 3-16 Freeman T. and Sawbridge Y. 2011. Focus on quality in the NHS. Health Services Management CentreNewsletter. Volume 17 No 2. Pp 3 Read More