Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care - Essay Example

Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care 1.0 Key Factors of Health and Social Care Services 1.1 Explain the Key Factors That Drive Change in Health and Social Care Services According to the viewpoint of Plamping (n.d.), there are certain factors in of the health and social care, which can affect the overall performance of the health and social care services. Those key factors are illustrated below. Political Factors It is witnessed that the political influences have drive changes in the health and social care services. In this regard, the range of factors such as legislation and governmental policies have directly and indirectly influenced the overall functions of health and social care services during the last couple of decade. In this regard, it can be claimed that political factors have influenced the overall structure and quality of the health and social care services (Department of Public Health, 2013). The care organizations are supported by the Health and Social Care Act 2001to mitigate the funding issues. It is observed that the Department of health is taking steps to provide social care to people. Economic Factors The Economic factor is one of the key aspects in case of health and social care services. In this regard, Plamping (n.d.) claimed that rising cost of the health and social care services leads to certain challenges for patients. However, it is witnessed that governmental authorities have availed financial resources to the health and social care organizations for the betterment of health and social care services. Plamping (n.d.) argued that through incorporating economic as well as cost-effective approach, care organizations could bring changes in health and social care services for the betterment of future. At the same time, the workforce is one of essential aspects in case of health and social care services. Thus, it is essential for the health and social care organizations to enhance the skills and ability of the workforce for greater effectiveness in future. Apart from this, it can also be claimed that Whitstable Nursing Home (WNH) can reduce the cost of the workforce for improving their opportunities in terms of health and social care services (Plumbing, n.d.). The rising expectation and quality care were driving the need for change. Demographic Issues or Social Factors Social and demographic issues can negatively affect the overall performances of the health and social care services. For an instance, it can be argued that an individual’s health-related behavior such as smoking could adversely affect the surrounding and the physical environment. On the other hand, it can be claimed that social and cultural values and beliefs can also affect the health care services adversely to a certain extent. In this regard, it is notified that diet and exercise, alcohol use and unsafe sex can initiate larger challenges for the health and social care sector. Thus, it can be claimed that WNH can reduce such negative influence i.e. health and social care services, through concentrating on the health care behavior for a better chance in future (Plumbing, n.d.). Clinical Care and Technological Issues Walshe & et. al. (2001) argued that in the contemporary era, the use of technology and science have improved and provided a new insight into the care organization. In this context, it can be claimed that due to lack of technological advancement modern care organizations have witnessed several difficulties. Thus, Whitstable Nursing Home (WNH) should incorporate advanced technological equipment and technologies with the aim of changing the overall situation of the health and social care services for providing quality care and better future prospects (Walshe & et. al., 2001). The lack of electronic recording in the health and social care sector leads to greater challenges due to the technological issues. Environmental Policy and Operational Knowledge Simultaneously, it can be claimed that modern medicines, innovative operations, and investigative procedures influence the performance of health and social care services. At the same time, research and development are one of the crucial aspects in case of health and social care services. In this regard, Francis & Netten (2004) claimed that through enhancing the research and development procedure, WNH can ensure its quality of the health and social care services for a better future. Moreover, by improving the management and governance of the health care services, WNH can be able to enhance the overall quality of services of the clinical care. On the other hand, health and environment related policy can influence changes in case of health and social care services for greater progress and greater effectiveness (Francis & Netten, 2004). Simultaneously, in order to identify the changes; it is also essential to analysis the strength and weakness along with opportunities and threats to the health and social care services. Those are illustrated below. Strengths The strengths of health and social care services are the available financial resources, highly motivated workforce and skilled staff members, which assisted the social care organizations to improve its performance and enhance commitment towards the strong stakeholders (Francis & Netten, 2004). Weaknesses On the other hand, the weakness of the modern healthcare organizations is lack of competences and resources, which has also hampered the overall capability of health and social care services (Department of Public Health, 2013). Opportunities The concept of change management is one of the most crucial aspects, which can change the overall outcome of the health and social care services in terms of care organization, intervention process. Thus, it can be claimed that change management can enhance the opportunity for health and social care services (Francis & Netten, 2004). Threats On the other hand, in order to identify the changes of the health and social care services, health and social care related policies and regulations have become stricter, which has influenced several threats for health and social care services (Francis & Netten, 2004). 1.2 Assess the Challenges that Key Factors of Change Bring to Health and Social Care Services In order to identify the challenges of the key factors, which can affect the performance of the health and social care services, it can be claimed that lack of attention towards the health and social care services can lead to high mortality rate among patients. At the same time, Walshe & et. al. (2001) claimed that lack of knowledge and experience of the caregivers could affect the health and social care services to a considerable extent. Quality of care depends largely upon the caregivers and their knowledge in the care organisation. Moreover, overall environment of the care organization needs to be developed for enhancing the quality of healthcare and social care services. This can be done with the help of training the new staffs and providing them with proper knowledge regarding the use of technologies. Simultaneously, lack of advancement of technological equipments and instruments can hamper the efficiency of care services. Thus, based on the report of World Health Organisation (2006) it is claimed that application of computer and technology in case of treatment can help care organisations to improve the health and social care services. The advancement of technology and well expertise caregivers are important aspects of the success of the healthcare services. In this regard, it can be stated that through incorporating computer-based approaches healthcare organizations can take decisions by analyzing the situation of the patient and considering the objective of the treatment. Thus, it can be claimed that through implementing quality service and by improving policy as well as strategy for social care WNH can improve the overall outcome of care organisation. Apart from this, through improving the safety as well as quality related aspects WNH can also improve its service provisions for a better future (World Health Organisation, 2006; Walshe & et. al., 2001). 2.0 Evaluation of the Health and Social Care Services 2.1 Devise Strategy and Criteria for Measuring Recent Changes in Health and Social Care Healthcare quality can be improved with the assistance of three primary components. According to the viewpoint of Sorenson & Mossialos (2007), after mid-1960, several care organizations introduced three stages for improving the quality of healthcare services. In this regard, it is identified that ‘structures of care’, ‘processes of care’ and ‘outcomes of care’ has been used for the measurement of overall quality in case of health and care services. In this case, ‘structures of care’ concentrates on the quality of care provided by the caregivers to patients by enhancing the efficiency of staff. Education and training based approach has been generally used for enhancing the quality of healthcare and enhance the service delivery by reducing the waiting time. On the other hand, process measures have been used for enhancing the service quality of health care in terms of administrative aspect to increase the efficiency. In this regard, Sorenson & Mossialos (2007) claimed that through incorporating innovative technology and advanced equipment modern care organisations have improved their services and provided more convenience and comfort to patients. At the same time, incorporating training and development facility for the staff, organisations have improved their services. Apart from this, social care organisations have also improved their internal and external environment for improving the quality of services by providing respect to the employees and maintaining privacy in their activities (Sorenson & Mossialos, 2007). Thus, through incorporating certain strategies, social care organisations can measure the recent changes of the health and social care services. In this regard, Sorenson & Mossialos (2007) argued that W N H can identify the effectiveness and efficiency of its own health and social care services through ‘structures of care’, ‘processes of care’ and ‘outcomes of care’ during its business operations. At the same time, WNH can incorporate ‘Care Quality Commission’ (CQC) approach for inspecting its operations, which needs to be executed based on certain standards that include privacy as well as dignity (Sorenson & Mossialos, 2007). For measuring, the changes various tools and method can be implemented for analysing the performance and services delivered. The 360-degree cycle can be used to measure the changes and quality care for providing staff satisfaction as well as customer satisfaction. With the help strategy, cost and benefit of change can be analysed for the betterment of the healthcare. Another important aspect with regard to care organization is the cost-benefit analysis. It is important to evaluate the whether the actions planned with respect to cost will be effective. 2.2 Measure the Impact of Recent Changes on Health and Social Care Services against Set Criteria In order to measure the impact of the health and social care services, it is essential to identify the changing quality of care organisations along with nursing approaches. In this regard, Sorenson & Mossialos (2007) claimed that quality of health care and services of WNH can be measured by identifying the accuracy of social care practices. Apart from this for identifying the impact of the evaluation procedure, it is essential to determine the quality and effectiveness of WNH in terms of care organisations and its services. Apart from this, Schweppenstedde & et. al., (2014), argued that in order to identify the efforts of implemented strategy, WNH should need to identify health risk and diseases reducing potential of the care organisation. Simultaneously, it can be claimed that through identifying the commitment and effect of the caregivers the recent changes on health and social care services can be recognized. Furthermore, it can be claimed that WNH also can identify the internal and external environmental changes for identifying the changes (Schweppenstedde & et. al., 2014). The well organised staff members and proper service delivery was due to the recent changes in the health and social care services 2.3 Evaluate the Overall Impact of Recent Changes in Health and Social Care In order to identify the overall impact of the recent changes of social care services, it is witnessed according to observation of Walshe & et. al. (2001) that quality health and social care services has assisted social care organisations to reduce the overall mortality rate of people. At the same time, it is also revealed that social care institutes have introduced several new drugs and medicines, which has assisted in the enhancement of overall performance of the business. Persad & et. al., (2009) argued that due to quality of health and social care services the numbers of complaints of the patients regarding health and social care services have reduced considerably. Due to the changes, it is witnessed that the quality of medical science has been improved with the help of technological advancement. Simultaneously, several medicines have been introduced, which has reduced several infections and diseases in case of medical science. Moreover, it is witnessed that as an effect of change in case of health and social care services the overall growth of care organisation and social care industry has increased in the recent days. Additionally, due to the change, several new technological instruments and advanced equipment have been introduced in the healthcare and social care industry for the benefit of service users and the workers (Persad & et. al., 2009; Walshe & et. al., 2001). 2.4 Propose Appropriate Service Responses to Recent Changes in Health and Social Care Services According to the viewpoint of Schweppenstedde & et. al., (2014), WNH should focus on few factors to bring changes in the quality of care organisation. In this regard, Schweppenstedde & et. al., (2014) claimed that WNH need to incorporate evident based practice approach for enhancing the overall quality of care organisation and social care services. At the same time, it is also highly essential to concentrate on the audit and evaluation procedure for enhancing the quality of services along with management structure. Apart from this, WNH should promote research culture with aim of enhancing the quality of clinical as well as medication department, which will lead changes in case of care organisation. For the purpose of change, it is important to provide proper training and enhanced change in delivery as well as equipment. Simultaneously, WHS should encourage researchers for increasing the appropriateness of the medical research with the use of advanced technology. Besides, care organisation should create awareness for its own services. Apart from this, it is also highly essential for the WNH to concentrate on the staff to create a positive environment for the working protocols. In this regard, Francis & Netten (2004) claimed that through enhancing the research and development procedure, WNH would be able to ensure its quality of care organisation. Moreover, by improving the management and governance of the health care services, WNH would be able to enhance the overall quality of the care organisation for better future prospects. In addition, by meeting the needs and expectations of the staff and stakeholders, WNH should secure its effectiveness in terms of care organisation, which will assist the organisation to increase the quality of services (Park, 2014; Schweppenstedde & et. al., 2014; Francis & Netten, 2004). 3.0 Change Management 3.1 Explain the Key Principles of Change Management Change is important for the success of a business organisation. Managing change is vital for the success of an organisation in a strategic way. It is observed that Kotter's 8 step process needs to be implemented in an organisation as it follows various stages, which is elaborated below: Create a Sense of Urgency- For the change to be effective and to maintain proper strategy it is important to create a sense of urgency amid the people regarding alterations. Creating urgency is vital so that the employees understand the need for the change the organisation is enduring. Build a Coalition- For the change to be effective it is important for the leaders to convince the employees and explain the benefit that the change would bring to the organization. Creating a Vision for Change- This is a crucial step as it deals with the ideas of change that the organization faces. A strong vision is vital to the success of the organizational success. Communicate the Vision- After the creation of the vision, it is important to communicate the same to others so that every individual work for the same goal. Remove barriers- It is crucial to eradicating the barriers related to the change. It is often observed that the employees are resistant to change due to various fears. Create Short-Term Wins- With these alterations, the organizations can create various short-term wins. It is important to focus on small achievable goals in the earlier stage for a better outcome. Build on the Change- Change in the organization should be a continuous process for greater effectiveness. Anchoring the Changes in Corporate Culture- The last stage of the change management is to anchor its success with the help of the change in the organization. (Source: Kotter, 1996) Correspondingly, it can be stated that with the help of these steps, the organization can facilitate alterations in a smooth way for greater productivity. The stages evaluated shall help people related to social care, to understand the need for change for better effectiveness. Innovation and technological advancement is important to the success of a social care, which includes providing support to nursing homes and care homes. Therefore, constant changes are important for care organizations and with the help of these steps, people will be able to realize the urgency for change. The model is effective in providing changes in WHN as people have the same vision regarding change and its need. 3.2 Explain How Changes in Health and Social Care are planned According to the viewpoint of McCarthy & et. al. (2010), it is identified that social care organizations need to emphasis towards the leadership approach, willingness, and ability with the aim of ensuring the changes in the care organization. In this regard, more precisely it can be claimed that social care organizations should concentrate on the vision and mission of the organization for accomplishing the objective, which will assist an organization to execute changes more effectively. Apart from this, it can also be claimed that care organizations should emphasis towards the stakeholder management theory for fulfilling the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. At the same time, it is also essential to take the idea of the stakeholders before decision making, which assists an organization to execute changes in case of health and social care services. In this context, Jacobs & et. al. (2011) claimed that care organizations could also enhance their ability and adopt changes during their operations by conducting the communication with the stakeholders and patients. In this regard, it can be argued that communication is one of the successful processes through which operational gap can be identified. Thus, it is one of essential constituents for change management approach. On the other hand, Jacobs & et. al. (2011), argued that organizations could bring changes through implementing training and development strategy. In this regard, it is essential for the care organizations to execute the training program for the caregivers, which will enhance their operational skills and ability. At the same time, through incorporating this training and development strategy care organization can bring changes in the health and social care services (Jacobs & et. al., 2011; McCarthy & et. al., 2010). 3.3 Assess How to Monitor Recent Changes in Health and Social Care Services According to the viewpoint of Malley & Fernandez (2012), it is highly essential to evaluate the changes in health and social care service quality with the aim of improving the overall performance of care organization. Moreover, Malley & Fernandez (2012) claimed that by incorporating external and internal approach, it would be possible to identify the changes in the health and social care services. According to the report of Quality Care Commotion (2013), in order to identify the recent changes in case of a care organization, it is essential to monitor new regulation, financial situation and quality of services and the efficiency of the caregivers. Thus, to execute the monitoring and evolution process of the care services, it is essential to prepare a questionnaire through which it can be possible to gather the feedback of the patients along with the staff members and stakeholders of Whitstable Nursing Home. This would give a fair and honest idea or opinion about the services quality of RUH Bath NHS trust in terms of its care organization (Quality Care Commotion, 2013; Malley & Fernandez, 2012). On the other hand, in order to identify the quality of health care services of WNH, it is highly essential to monitor and evaluate the research and government reports for recognizing the improvement standards that are needed for enhancing service quality. At the same time, through the assistance of monitoring procedure, it can be possible to identify the changes of the WNH. In this regard, Ekman (2005) argued that through identifying the innovation and consistency of the Whitstable Nursing Home it could be possible to identify the changes of health and social care services for greater effectiveness in future. Moreover, by identifying the leadership and competitive position of WNH, changes in health and social care services can be recognized to a considerable extent (Malley & Fernandez, 2012; Ekman, 2005). 4.0 References Department of Public Health, 2013. How Social and Economic Factors affected Health. Social Department of Health, pp. 1-24. Ensor, T. & Cooper. S., 2004. Overcoming Barriers to Health Service Access: Influencing the Demand Side. Health Policy Planning, Vol. 19, pp. 69–79. Ekman, B., 2005. Community-Based Health Insurance in Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 19, pp. 249–70. Francis, J. & Netten, A., 2004. Raising the Quality of Home Care: A Study of Service Users' Views. Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 38, pp. 290-305. Jacobs, B. & et. al., 2011. Addressing Access Barriers to Health Services: An Analytical Framework for Selecting Appropriate Interventions in Low-Income Asian Countries. Health Policy and Planning, Vol. 27, pp. 288-300. Kotter, J.P., 1996. Leading Change. Harvard Business Press. Malley, J. & Fernández, J., 2012. Measuring Quality in Social Care Services: Theory and Practice. London School of Economics and Political Science, pp. 1-26. McCarthy, C. & et. al., 2010. Change Management Strategies for an Effective EMR Implementation. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, pp. 1-20. Park, C., 2014. Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust. Care Quality Commission, pp. 1-63. Persad, G. & et. al., 2009. Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions. Lancet, Vol. 373, Iss. 9661, pp. 423–431. Plamping, D., No Date. Factors for making Change: Pressures, Opportunities and Constraints. Center for Innovation for Health Management, pp. 1-5. Quality Care Commotion, 2013. A Fresh Start for the Regulation and Inspection of Adult Social Care. Sites, pp. 1-28. Schweppenstedde, D. & et. al., 2014. Regulating Quality and Safety of Health and Social Care. International Experiences, pp. 1-184. Sorenson, C. & Mossialos, E., 2007. Measuring Quality and Standards of Long-Term Care for Older People. The London School of Economics and Political Science, pp. 1-20. Walshe, K. & et. al., 2001. The External Review of quality Improvement in Heath Care Organizations: A Qualitative Study. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Vol. 13, Iss. 5, pp. 367-374. World Health Organisation, 2006. A Process for Making Strategic Choices in Health Systems. Quality of Care, pp. 1-40. 5.0 Bibliography Berg, K. & et. al., 2002. Identification and Evaluation of Existing Nursing Home Quality Indicators. Health Care Finance Review, Vol. 23, Iss. 4, pp. 19-36. Härter, M. & et. al., 2006. Improving Quality of Care for Depression: The German Action Programme for the Implementation of Evidence-Based Guidelines. International Journal of Quality Health Care, Vol. 18, Iss. 2, pp. 113-19. Mukamel, D. B. & Mushlin, A. I., 2001. The Impact of Quality Report Cards on Choice of Physicians, Hospitals, and HMOs: A Midcourse Evaluation. Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement, Vol. 27, Iss. 1, pp. 20–27. Peters, D. H. & et. al., 2008. Poverty and Access to Health Care in Developing Countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1136, pp. 161–171. Read More