Mental Health in Health Infrastructure - Assignment Example

TAKE HOME EXAMS STUDENT NAME PROFESSOR’S NAME COURSE TITLE DATE Q1b. For mental health, state a health goal and list five good reasons for making this a health priority. One of the goals of mental health is to engage persons in a philosophy of recovery, responding to clinical and social needs and to act immediately to reduce life-threatening risks (Hickie et al., 2011). The reason s for making it a priority are that there needs to be a rapid implementation of early intervention services for the young people that is by having specialised health, reporting of mental health outcomes, employments and education services. Secondly,the long-term provision of health care and alternative to hospitalisation in order to focus on treatment and recovery (Roxon et al., 2011). Australia needs to develop national models of mental health and social care that would help the state to plan and organise quality services. The state needs to finance and enhance the primary care system in order to ensure that they support persons with persistent mental illness and physical health comorbidity. Making it a priority means that Australia must have a serious health infrastructure that offers virtual care systems including assessment and monitoring care. Q2b. For mental health, identify three objectives to meet the stated goal and three impact measures. The three objectives in achieving the mental health goal of engaging persons in recovery, responding to clinical needs and acting immediately to reduce risks is first ensuring that the Australian mental health system works for the benefit of mental health patients (Hickie et al., 2011). Secondly, involving consumers and other stakeholders in recovery and the wellbeing of mental health patients because there needs to be a change in the way mental health care is done in Australia (O’Hagan, 2010). Thirdly, the last objective is ensuring that mental health services are affordable and accessible to the entire Australian population and even to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The three impacts include: there will be targeted primary care-based mental services for the Australians especially for the young people (Scott et al., 2012). Mental health care services will be affordable for Australians due to financial support from the state and accessible to those who cannot afford the services. Lastly, primary and secondary primary services through different programs being incorporated in the education system will help recognise mental ailments at an early time and hence high chances of recovery. Q3b. What are outcome measures and provide four for the mental health goal. An outcome measure in mental health care is “the effect on a patient’s health status attributable to an intervention by a health professional or health service” (Slade, 2002). Therefore there has to be a link between a mental health goal and the intervention outcome.The outcome measures for the mental health goal is that there must be effectiveness of treatment. Effectiveness of treatment involves achievement of patient-identifies goals, the reduction of symptoms of mental illness and the improvement of the quality of life (Hickie et al., 2011). The other outcome measure is that the health goals should be able to achieve the safety of the patient. Patient safety is achieved by ensuring that the people suffer avoidable harm through treatment and care in a safe environment and protected from avoidable harm. Thirdly the outcome should be that more people need to have a positive experience of care through a better process of delivering personalised care. The last outcome relates to social outcomes that are access of the patients to employment, engagement in social and community activities and housing. Q4a. List at least six ideas to address rising health care costs (referenced) in Australia. The costs of health care inn Australia are alarming ( Liu &D’Aunno, 2011). The first issue that needs to be addressed is creating a comprehensive health financing reforms. Secondly, there has to be federal legislation progress on structural change of health care system which needs to be substantive and fast. Have a pre-paid system of health care while at the same time having a state cost control program for hospitals costs and the doctors’ fees and cost sharing in private insurance (Liu &D’Aunno, 2011). There needs to be a way in which practitioners in the health department have innovative approach towards improvement of health care outcomes and treatment options that are efficient and cost effective. This will help in bridging the gap in health care (Lui&D’Aunno, 2011). Medical entrepreneurship in nursing and medical practice and this ensures that there are new ideas, improvement on the quality of services offered and thereby decreasing on the cost of health care due to availability of safe and quality health care. Q6a. Describe the three essential components to a needs analysis with two examples of each for women’s health services. A needs analysis is the breakdown of an identified need to determine its bases and causes and the relationships amongst identified needs. This means identifying the areas where both individuals and groups in an organisation would benefit from training in order to become effective at achieving their own objectives. The first element includes the cost-benefit analysis that is the cost of the health service in women should result in a greater value to the service provider than the initial investment to administer the training (Wang, Hailey &Yu.,2011). Context analysis gives the reasons why the training is desired that is what the relevance of the needs is. The last component being analysis of the work in terms of the activities performed role of the job and requirements of effective performance. Q7a. Why is it important to involve consumers in health planning? Consumers refer to people having a direct experience of the health care system or are currently using the health services (Department of Human Services, 2004). Australia has a diverse population with diverse cultural backgrounds and their contributions to the health system are very vital. Consumer’s participation in health planning is premised on the basis that they participate in development, planning, delivery and evaluation of health services. This means that their participation helps in improving provision of health services and improving the quality of life. Consumers influence health policies because a consumer has the right to evaluate health service provision. Secondly, consumers are stake holders of health services. Consumers participation includes giving information on reviewing health policies, give community perspectives of health services for instance that of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, supporting the health care system and improvement of health outcomes. Further involving consumers ensures there is an improvement of the quality of health care and that health care services become more accessible and appropriate to the users of health services (Wendy &Niki , 2006). Q8b. Explain the roles of State and Commonwealth government in health. The role of the state and Commonwealth in health is that they have a responsibility to ensure that essential health services are provided. Further they are to act in case of any health threats that can be transferred from one state to another for instance dealing with current Ebola threats. The Commonwealth and the State are to intervene when there is lack of expertise or adequate resources to respond to health emergencies. The Commonwealth and the State are to act in collaboration with other health stakeholders in order to formulate proper health services goal. The other roles of the Commonwealth and the state in regards to health services is to provide leadership and direction by enacting regulations and legislations that sets out the standards, goals and policies of the health care system. They contribute financially and operational resources to the health system, finance health education and support the development of scientific and technological tools that are needed to improve the effectiveness of public health infrastructure at all levels. Q9a. Identify professional monopolists in the Australian health care system and explain their power base. Health care policies in Australia are influenced by different groups that promote the strategies adopted by the Commonwealth. According to Alford he identifies that the most dominant structural interests in the health sector is “professional monopolist”. Their principal objective of those advancing the interest is to establish and maintain the professional monopoly in the health and medical service while maintaining professional control of their work ( Ducket, 2010). It exercises a pervasive influence over the nature of health care services that are provided for in Australia. REFERENCES Department of Human Services (2010).Victoria. Integrated Health Promotion Resource Kit. Duckett, S.J. (2010). Structural Interests and Australian Policy.Social Science and Medical Journal 18 (11), 959-966 Hickie, I.B., Rosenberg, S., Davenport, T.A. (2011). Australia's Better Access initiative: still awaiting serious evaluation. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 45: 814-823. Liu, N., &D'Aunno, T. (2011). The productivity and cost-efficiency of models for involving nurse practitioners in primary care: A perspective from queueing analysis. Health Services Research,7(2), 594-613. Roxon, N., Macklin, J., Butler, M. (2011). National Mental Health Reform 2011-12, Commonwealth Budget Papers 2011-12. Canberra: CanPrint Communications, 2011. http://budget.gov.au/2011-12/content/ministerial_statements/health/download/ms_health.pdf Scott, E.M., Hermens, D.F., Glozier, N. (2012). Targeted primary care-based mental health services for young Australians.Medical Journal Australia 196: 136-140. Slade, M. (2002). What outcomes to measure in routine mental health services, and how to assess them: a systematic review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 36: 743-753 Wang, N., Hailey, D. & Yu, P. (2011).Quality of nursing documentation andapproaches to its evaluation: a mixed-method systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 00 (0) 1-18 Wendy, B. &Niki, K. (2011). Recovering mental health in Scotland: report on narrative investigation of mental health recovery. Glasgow: Scottish Recovery Network. Read More