Partnership Working - Essay Example

Partnership is an expression of cooperation to extol common agenda an interest. It is sociologically definedas an interrelationship of social being thru organizations based on their interest whether it’s between persons, business institutions, interest, academic endeavors, non-profit or civic movement to share intentions, profits and losses. Partnership involved contract of cooperation where terms are defined to determine the nature of the contribution which will be sourced from parties involved. Some of these terms may include combination of properties, capital, skills, knowledge, human capital and profit or achievement of specific goals that are defined within the agreement (Klimaszewski-Blettner, Barbara & Richter, Andreas, 2007). They also share the challenges that needs to be surmounted, including the authorities that must be exercised, and the areas of jurisdictions although they are limited by the laws and the nature of their agreements (Klimaszewski-Blettner, et.al., 2007). This paper aims to discuss the significance and challenges of Partners Healthcare (PH) in managing comprehensive community-based services with their partner affiliates and members. Partnership Defined. Partnerships involved parties with special challenges that must be navigated unto agreement. Overarching goals, levels of give-and-take, areas of responsibility, lines of authority and succession, how performance is evaluated and distributed, and often a variety of other factors must all be negotiated (Klimaszewski-Blettner, et.al., 2007; Taylor, 2001). Once agreement is reached, the partnership is typically enforceable by civil law, especially if well documented (Taylor, 2001). Partners who wish to make their agreement affirmatively explicit and enforceable typically draw up Articles of Partnership (Klimaszewski-Blettner, et.al., 2007). It is common that partnerships are published to make it public through press release, a newspaper ad, or public records laws. There are partnerships that are privileged to enjoy governmental privileges, such as taxation, albeit the liability attached to parties as shareholders. Partnership relating to health and social care is significant to government policy and has series of activities in communities with interagency collaboration (Taylor, 2001 & Beecham, 2006). This partnership is often evident in housing and of agencies dealing with healthcare. Such is done with hope that villages are able to provide quality and integrated health care to residents in the community (Glasby & Littlechild, 2004). This is illustrated with formal collaboration of housing administration and health or social agency. It’s further depicted with the integration of programs through planning, policy formulation, financing, and delivery of service to constituents (Glasby & Littlechild, 2008). It’s likewise aimed at interconnecting the health care system with housing services to gather improved outcomes with clinical satisfaction and efficiency of services (Glendinning & Rummery, 2002). Partners Healthcare & Likelihood for Success Partners Healthcare is a non-profit oriented institution helping ailing persons, conduct research, and provide services to the community. It’s organized as a collaboration of healthcare professionals founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital (Partners Healthcare, 2012) who works at ten hospitals, community health centers and in home care. It is an affiliate institution of Harvard Medical School based in Massachusetts. It is considered as a largest institution with 50,000 employees; research budget of about $ 1 billion (PH, 2012).This partnership of medical professionals and medical institutions have more than 200 programs that are devoted to effective and efficient community-based delivery of healthcare services (PH, 2012). There surgeons have likewise improved knee replacements for patients with better outcome. PH online services for patients have improved the number of medication-related errors and safety (PH, 2012). It accords efficiency in service. Those who suffered stroke can avail its rehabilitation services at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network or at home through its in-home care which will be accorded by nurses, therapists, and health aids. Patients in its North Shore Medical Center’s Heart Failure Program are likewise followed-up by interdisciplinary teams for intensive care management. Practitioners claimed that they continuously improved their doctor-patient relationship This partnership illustrate clear vision and mission; innovative leadership; strong collaboration with members and affiliates; and, has been a recipient of many awards due to its global missions and exemplary leadership in medical education and community services. There expertises are honed to respond to common diseases of diabetes, cardiovascular, colon cancer and stroke Moreover, PH is pro-actively partnering with collaborators for community wellness, hence working to provide healthcare services for underserved populations. PH partner with multi-community based organizations such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts, Boston Center for Independent Living, Boston health care for the Homeless Program, Boston Private Industry Council, Boston Public Health Commission, Camp Harbor View, Fitz Urban Youth Spots, Health Care for All, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Massachusetts Public Health Association, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and of Project Hope. As empirically proven, these partnership is done too enforce their shared vision and mission about enhancing access to health care, improving preventive measures for ailments, and building future healthcare workforces. In increasing community’s access to healthcare, they work with residents and village organizations to achieve sustainable improvements in health and quality care notwithstanding the capacity of the patient to deliver payments, insurance and hindrances to care (PH, 2012). These days, the partnership for community extension of services, has licensed and affiliated heath centers which has served about 325,000 patients; served communities were afforded about $83 million facilities and technology affording excellent healthcare; invested more than $27 million of annual operational funds to strengthen community health centers. It has also served 15,000 uninsured patients (PH, 2012). They were able to connect patients to primary care through community health centers (PH, 2012). In pursuing prevention on illness with socio-medical problems, partner institutions have served 17,000 clients on domestic violence cases; about 400 MGH Chelsea patients availed colonoscopies; established prevention and access to care and treatment (PACT) project for the communities in Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury who are surviving of HIV/AIDS (PH, 2012). They are also affording services for patients with serious ailment, mental health care or about substance abuse. It has become instrumental in reducing binge drinking and smoking amongst teenagers. As they work to strengthen their healthcare workforces, the partnership has already provided skills development to more than 5,000 partners; provided 276 community residents’ finished pre-employment program; and about 300 medical students are employed in BHW and MGH during vacation period. This is part of the youth educational and leadership training opportunities (PH, 2012). At the outset, the partnership forged for community healthcare supports services was established by competent institution with a number of affiliates whose expertise equal them too at its best. PH is likewise well funded and therefore can operationally perform strategic plans and actions at the community level, with the help of community-based institutions (PH, 2012). As it has illustrated excellence in healthcare service and management in partnership, PH would likely achieve its goals for the villages it opted to served. It has also exhibited such great interdependent actions and maintained coherence in achieving desired goals (Glasby et.al., 2008, p.7). While villages served are presumed with appropriate income, qualification and eligibility, PH opted to serve those bereft of insurance policies for healthcare. Further, while the housing management takes care for quality housing services and development, the healthcare workers likewise deal health issues of resident inclusive of physical, mental and emotional challenges, as well as of aging and impacts that are consequential to poverty (Glasby et.al, 2008). Through this villagers served by PH has their welfare taken cared of and responses becomes immediate for access, thus preventing problems or crisis relating to health (Glasby et.al, 2008). This is important especially when epidemic or an outbreak happens within a community. Experts posit that partnership in community management and health services agency can be undertaken when the following mechanisms are achieved (Glasby et.al, 2008): a. Both offices i.e. housing and health, should plan strategically and share knowledge and resources through integrated improvement and modernization of development investment plans (Glasby et.al, 2008); b. Formulation of policies for operational purposes which requires some policy and illustration of partnership using model frameworks with inherent assessment or evaluation of health care management and services in the community (Glasby et.al, 2008); c. Establishment of institution that will conduct the actual delivery of services and necessary support within a specified settlement. This will require human capital that will perform all mandatory obligation and services to residents of a village (Glasby et.al, 2008); d. Development and nurturing the capacities for communication, coordination, integration and collaboration. Both managements in health and housing should work to improve the proficiency of their services; encourage cooperation toward the achievement of desired goal; and also become agents in designing and evolving the community’s shared purpose (Glasby et.al, 2008; p. 8). e. Facilitate the delivery of services to individuals and in dealing issues to encourage social cohesion and discourage community’s fragmentation (Glasby et.al, 2008; p. 8). The partnership can therefore provide easy access; align services and resources; encourage creative solutions to problems; and influence the responses, decisions and behaviors of partners (Glendinning & Rummery, 2002). They will likewise develop an environment where there are multi-professional shared responsibility, accountability and coordination (Johnson & Williams, 2007). This is most helpful as partnership can avoid duplication of services; allow integration of accountability; permeate bridging of cultural barriers and needs; engendering the approaches for services provision; and in engaging partners for shared plans (Johnson & Williams, 2007). These are all not easy since, that managerial expertise must be mastered with flexibility and carefulness. Therefore, it can be inferred that success is possible among partners if both adhere to its working policies; if the do complementary roles, aims and priorities; nurture working relations amongst personnel; and pro-active representations to regulating bodies that govern the performance of the functions of partner institutions (Johnson & Williams, 2007). This can be bolstered too when local authorities exhibit commitment and extol best practices in collaborative management (Harrison, Mann, Murphy, Taylor, & Thompson, 2003). Aside from endeavoring to have effective partnership, parties should undertake initiatives with shared goals and boundaries. New Challenges in Housing and Health Management These days, as communities are confronted with complex problems relating increased and severity of losses from natural and man-made-calamities, partners should likewise improve their management skills by capacitating them with risk management too (Malpass, 2005). Noting the potential loss from catastrophic events, the partners must also involve themselves in managing the insurance markets to cover losses (Rose &Lawton, 1999). Constraints should likewise be forecasted to establish efficient and effective solutions to meet the needed insurance coverage for catastrophic threats. Such meant that the partners must also consider the "mixed" strategies involving a cooperation of the private and the public sector (Rusell, 2001). Conclusion and Recommendations It is likewise noted that companies and agencies adopt public-private partnership to curb potential problems and to increase stakeholders participation to set model framework that will improve a society’s risk sharing and risk management. The human capital must therefore to be sustained with motivation and make them applicable and flexible at all times and under challenging conditions (White & Harris, 2001). It is economically favorable to encourage supply public capacity to immediately recover from catastrophic losses from an economic point of view to expand the limits of insurability at risk-adequate pricing strategies. (White & Harris, 2001). Hence, the community served must be encouraged for compulsory insurance system to meet health and physical risks. While bracing to amplify mutual interests and success that are sometimes considered ethically challenging, partners must sustained its shared mission and goals of the partners be attuned to its ethical statements and adopted principles (White & Harris, 2001). They must also reserve be resource-efficient to discourage financial constraints. They must likewise maintain open communication to appreciate cultures, processes and systems of beliefs or practices (White & Harris, 2001). They must endeavor to strategically manage its workforces to avoid constant reorganization that may disrupt its operations. Harmonious relationships should also be encouraged for better interrelations (White & Harris, 2001). This is because trust is needed to sustain partnership and in the delivery of services. Partnership requires multidisciplinary cooperation among home builders and healthcare providers. PH and its partners must maintain its integrated structure and comprehensive services (White & Harris, 2001). The latter mean that such should be practiced as organizational norms, values and in nurturing influence with stakeholders. References Klimaszewski-Blettner, Barbara & Richter, Andreas, 2007. "Public-Private-Partnerships," Discussion Papers in Business Administration 2026, University of Munich, Munich School of Management. PH, 2012, Company Information. Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. PH, 2012. Serving our Communities: Enhancing Access to Health Care. Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. S and Taylor, M., 2001, Partnership Working: Policy and Practice, Bristol: The  Policy Press  Beecham, J., 2006, Beyond Boundaries, Citizen-centred local services for Wales, WAG ‘The Beecham Report’, Cardiff, Glasby J, & Littlechild, R, 2004. The Health and Social care Divide Bristol:Policy Press  Glasby, J & Dickinson, H., 2008, Partnership Working in Health and Social Care, Bristol: Policy Press  Glendinning, Powell & Rummery (eds) (2002) Partnerships, New Labour and the governance of welfare, Bristol: Policy Press  Harrison, R; Mann, G; Murphy, M; Taylor, A and Thompson, N (2003) Partnership Made Painless, Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing  Johnson, K and Williams, I (2007) Managing uncertainty and change in social work and social care, Lyme Regis, Russell House Publishing  Malpass, P (2005). Housing and the Welfare State Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan  Rose, A & Lawton A (1999). Public Services Management Harlow, FT Prentice Hall  Russell, H (2001). Local Strategic Partnerships .Bristol: Policy Press  White, V & J Harris (2001). Developing Good Practice in Community Care, Partnership & Participation London, Jessica Kingsley. Read More