Working in Partnership in Health and Social Care - Essay Example

Running heading: Working in partnership in health and social care Working in partnership in health and social care Name Course Tutor Task Date Health and social care Health and social care are very vital parts of humanity. Health refers to the general medical condition of individuals. Social care, on the other hand, refers to the general caring for the unfortunate people in the community. It also entails the entire process of ensuring that individuals in the entire society receive relatively equal treatment and that there no people who are under oppression. Health and Social care go hand in hand and hence, these relationships need to be enhanced and maintained (Moon & Gillespie, 2004). Partnerships can either be multidisciplinary, trans-disciplinary or interdisciplinary. This entails the working together of different professionals towards the achievement of a common goal. This is hugely applicable in the health and social care sector. This is because it brings together therapists, doctors, social workers, counselors and nurses. As a result, these professionals must build partnerships that are aimed towards quality service delivery. In the United Kingdom, a study is underway based on the elderly who are suffering from dementia and depression. The study aims at finding out the knowledge available to these service users about the disease and the material support that would be helpful if provided for by the professionals. The study being carried is an example of the enhancement of the relationship in the health and social care field. This study will eventually strengthen the relationship between the service users and the caregivers. The multidisciplinary relationships are also studied in the course of the study. The elderly will require counselors especially for those going through depression, social workers to take care of them and help them in their daily duties and the doctors and nurses to cater for their medical needs. Therefore, these professionals need to work together so as to meet the holistic needs of the elderly. LO1 Discuss the concepts/ philosophy of partnership in a range of health and social care services. In any field, there philosophies that acts as drivers in these particular fields. They define the main aspect of the kind of achievement that one wishes to make. They are the basis on which result may be are pillars in the particular field. In administration of health and social care services, they are certain philosophies that play a major role in weighed. To a large extent, they uphold the existing relationships. Studies have been carried all over the United Kingdom so as to understand the extent to which these philosophies contribute towards better administration of health and social care (Fisher, 2003). Empowerment is very important in the course of ensuring that the users of the health and social care services are content. This is because it leads to anti-oppressive practices. This is also the process that largely entails the build of self-confidence. There should also be enhancement of independence of the service users. This independence is highly encouraged in the United Kingdom by the Ministry of Health (Glasby & Rosemary, 2004). The service provision of health and social care is purely based on uplifting the life of the service users. It aims at making the live of these individuals better. The relationship maintained with the service users should, therefore, be such that betters their lives. It is the role of the professionals to take care of the service users so as to meet the objective. A good relationship with the service is extremely important in ensuring that they gain independence and are able to make correct decisions. It is also important in empowering these disadvantaged individuals (Fletcher, 2006). On the basis of children’s care, the Children Act of 1989 stipulates that it is the responsibility of parents to take good care of their children. It is applicable to all those children below the age of 18 years. This means that the relationship of these children and the parents is enhanced through this Act. Failure to take good care of the child, there is a penalty entitled to the parent (Great Britain Dept. of Health, 2001). The relationship in health and social care also include those that exist among the professional groups. This refers to the social workers, nurses, health workers, therapists and educationists among others. The relationship among all these professionals should be one which leads to quality service provision. Each of the professional has a role and responsibility and must, therefore, act accordingly. If good relationships are maintained among them, it means the service user will benefit in the end. After all, the service user is central in the performance of their duties and responsibilities (Lawton, Cantrell & Harris 2000). In performance of their duties, it is important that the caregivers coordinate in their duties. It is also important as this will lead to a stronger in enhancing independence and empowerment of the service users. Maintenance of good relationships among professionals also implies that there is power sharing among them. As a result, provision of services is possible. The professionals should also realize that establishment of professional relationships will lead to a good working environment driven by the desire for good results. The relationship among the professional is also subject to good practice. Good practice entails upholding ethics in performance of duties and responsibilities (Clarke, 2000). Another very important player in the field of health and social care is the organization that employs the caregivers so as to attend to the service users. These organizations could be private, public, independent or even community forums. The main aim of such an organization is to meet the needs of the service users. Many of these organizations are non-profit making and their central goal is service provision to the society. The relationship that exists between the organization and the service users is largely dependent on the caregivers. Caregivers are the agents of the organization. However, it should also be noted that the management of the organization has a duty to implement reasonable and favorable policies so as to enhance the accomplishment of the service users’ needs. Case studies have shown the organizations that deal with heath and social care are striving towards achievement of good relationships among the members of these organizations (Peck, 2003). For instance, a case study of an organization referred to as Community Development Health Network, displays the importance of maintaining good relationships. The aim of the organization is to do away with health inequalities on the basis of community development approach. From the study, it can be noted that community development only occurs if good relationships are maintained. These good relationships will then lead to coordination of development activities. Therefore, it is important that good relationships are maintained in the achievement of quality service provision to the service users. The organization was established in 1995 and it has been able to achieve partial goals through the emphasis on the importance of the relationships with the service users. The organization is an example of the results achieved due to good relations that are maintained. Generally, maintaining good relationships in health and social care is crucial. This will lead to quality service provision. This is because good relationships between the service users and the caregivers will lead to trust between the two groups. As a result, the service users will be able to confide in the caregivers. This way, the caregivers will understand the needs of the service users clearer. In the end, the services provided will match with the services required. Since the caregivers are agents of the organization, the same trust is transferred to the organization. Also, maintaining good relations between the organizations and the caregivers will be a motivating factor to the caregivers. As a result, they will be enthusiastic about their work. This will be largely benefiting the service users. The relationships in health and social care have greatly improved over time. This is mainly because of the participation of the society in the process of this service provision. This is evident through the already enacted Acts of Parliament in favor of these relationships. These include the Children’s Act of 1989, the NHS Community and Care Act of 1990 and the Mental Health Act among many others. The continuous participation of the government and the society at large has been of great significance towards enhancement of these relationships. It should also be noted that the awareness programs that are consistently implemented all over the world have played a great role in enhancement of these relationships. Eventually, they would provide better social care services. There could also be commissioning where duties are delegated from one leading company. This is already in practice for many learning disabilities. It is preferred because quality services are provided and organizational boundaries are closed. LO2 Review existing practices of partnership at service user, professional and organizational level Positive relationships play a very important role in the course of provision of health and social care services. This is because maintenance of these relationships is central in the quality of services that are provided. Therefore, these relationships must be enhanced. This is possible through collaborative working among the service users, caregivers and the organizations. The collaborative working among these groups of people is extremely significant in the reduction of health inequalities. Good relationships lead to openness among the groups. As a result, the needs of each and every group are well understood and in the end, the goals and objectives of quality service provision are achieved. The government has been on the forefront in a bid to enhance these relationships. This is evident through the Acts that have been passed over the years in favor of health and social care practices (Knight, 2007). Positive partnerships with the service users are also largely improved through the empowerment of the service users. A study of the local populations indicates that they prefer to work with the professionals so as to learn certain skills. This is also motivated by the need for being part of the solutions process. Partnerships maintained with the service users will be greater if they are involved in the decision making process. (Clarke, 2002). The caregivers also have a responsibility in the promotion of these relationships. This is because they have a role of information sharing. Due to the fact that they have a one on one contact with the service users, they are able to their needs more clearly. This implies that they understand the cases with service users more than their seniors. They should be open in sharing all the information that they access to in the course of service provision. In return, the other professionals will be in a position to offer the best solution to the cases of the service users. However, statutory bodies such as the local authorities have the duty of ensuring that the needs of their local population are met. They, therefore, must be directly involved in the provision of these services. This is largely supported by the Community and Care Act of 1990. The local authority participates fully by ensuring that all the required resources are available. The local authority is able to do this in partnership with the central government. The enhancement of these two statutory bodies leads to quality health and social care service provision. Also, in a bid to promote the relationships in health and social care sector, there are certain models that have been developed. For example, there are models comprehensive models whose main idea is to promote enhanced knowledge and use of information. This is very important in the course of collaborative working. This is especially so in terms of knowledge sharing and the service users’ capabilities of making informed decisions. There are also hybrid models that encompass service provision by the private sector. In the private sector, they are not only interested in quality service provision, but also making profits. This implies the application of these models should be such that both needs are achieved. The communication methods accessible in the health and social care also play a major role in enhancements of the relationships in this sector. This is because communication is the basis of any form of relationship. It should be easily possible for the service users to reach out to the caregivers. This ensures that their needs are met adequately. The caregivers should also be able to reach out to the management and seniors at any time. This ensures that there are no hindrances to service provision due to poor communication channels. While providing health and social care services, the concept of inter-agency occurs. This is whereby the caregivers and the organizations are agents of the service users. In other words, they could be referred to as intermediaries. They play an extremely vital role in the course of the service provision and enhancement of positive relationships. This is because the service users confide in them. Confidentiality must be enhanced. However, it should be noted that getting information from the service user could lead to different models. It could either be an ideal model an over-cautious model, over-open model or a chaotic model. Therefore, the caregiver needs to establish the best model that will lead to quality service provision. The caregiver will then be able to lead the service user in the information that they give. This plays a major role in ensuring that there exist good relationships between the service users and the caregivers. Positive relationships are also largely enhanced through enactment of various legislations. One such legislation is the NHS and Community Care Act of 1990 (Mandelstamn, 2008). This Act pushes for equality in health and social care provision. This is because it stipulates that everyone is entitled to health and social care services. Therefore, the caregivers have a responsibility to make sure that all the needs of the service users are met. There is also the Children’s Act of 1989 that entitles a child to good care. The parents of these children have a responsibility which if they do not abide to, they face the consequences. This Act was reviewed in 2004 after the publicized case of Victoria Climbie’s abuse. Also, the Mental Health Act of 1983 that entitles all mentally ill individuals to the due care. These are among the legislations that in the forefront towards good health and social care. Due to the existence of these legislations, the parties concerned realize that they have a responsibility. As a result, the relationships in this sector are largely improved. The organization practices and policies also play an important role in the promotion of positive relationships. This mainly applies when it comes to employment policies. These policies directly affect the caregivers and indirectly affect the service users. The policies should motivate the caregivers who will pass on the same in the course of service provision to the service users. The practices that the organizations are subjected to through the Multi Area Agencies, for example, should aim at improving the relationships in the sector. The same case applies to the other voluntary agencies policies. All these policies should aim at quality service provision and hence, promote positive relationships in the sector. There also exists a huge difference between working practices and policies affecting collaborative working. The differences result depending on whether the services are rendered voluntarily or a statutory duty. This is mainly because institutions such as schools or local authorities are driven by performance of statutory duties while voluntary institutions are driven by their charitable aims. As a result, most voluntary institutions are not majorly concerned with the importance of collaborative working. This is because of their working practices. However, they abide to the legal requirements because it is not an option. Other institutions make use of Bromley’s Compact which is a framework that aims to build closer relationships. Implementation of the compact would ensure that the partnerships between the service users, the caregivers and the organizations are greatly improved. LO3 Evaluate the potential impact of negative outcomes for practitioners and organizations if partnership breaks down. Suggest measures that can be used to prevent any partnership break down. Partnerships are greatly encouraged in the health and social care sector. However, there are barriers to the development of these partnerships. These barriers could such as poor skills of sharing information. Information sharing is vital in the course of service provision. There is also lack of trust and inter-agency conflicts because of different ranking resulting in unrealistic expectations. Each and every person hopes for the best outcomes in the course of provision of health and social care services. However, just like in any other sector, there have been ups and downs in the course of service provision. Over the years, service users have been able to benefit from the programs of health and social care. There have been the establishments of many institutions with the aim of providing health and social care services. The institutions range from those for the elderly, the destitute children, the mentally ill, the disabled and the refugees among others. As a result, so many individuals have found a place whereby their needs are met. There has also been the development of many health facilities ensuring that the ill are attended to at any time Over the years, these disadvantaged groups have managed to get a place to run to when in need. The empowerment levels in these institutions are overwhelming. This is among the hugest achievements of these institutions. Independence is also a major achievement that these institutions have enabled. This mainly applies for the elderly people. Generally, the service users have improved greatly in terms of decision making overall knowledge of their conditions. With time, the organizations have managed to attain a coherent approach. Due to the common working practices, there has been ease in surviving in the health and social care sector. Though the health and social care sector has achieved many of its goals, there are still some flaws in the course of service provision. Some service users have been bitterly abused by their caregivers. This mostly applies to young children. Many children are abused either physically or mentally. There have also been cases of neglect. This applies mostly to the mentally ill or the elderly. There are some cases of individuals who are neglected due to suffering from chronic illnesses. Others have been disempowered and their self esteems completely lowered. This mainly applies to the disabled individuals in the society. This disempowerment could be as a result of ridicule by members of the society (Gladstone, 2001). The impact of negative outcomes is largely borne by the service users. However, the caregivers and organizations have also suffered the problems of rivalry in the course of duty and miscommunications. This has led to poor social connections. In return, this has led to the defamation of all those attached to the institution in question. There have also been losses incurred due to such defamation. This has resulted in disjointed service provision. Negative outcomes are mainly as a result of a break down in the relationships between the members in the sector of health and social care. For example, the publicized case of Victoria Climbie, who was living with her aunt in London. Each time, the abuse did not end. The imprisonment of the culprits is no solution to the torture of the young girl. The case of young Victoria is an example of the negative outcomes of the abuse of service users and the results of partnerships breakdown. Though her aunt offered to educate her, it was wrong to abuse the young girl. This is an indication of how bad relationships can be dangerous to the service users. Victoria’s aunt did not take any initiative to build a good relationship with the girl. As a result, the girl died due to abuse. It was on the basis of this abuse that the Children’s Act of 1989 was reviewed in 2004 (Ryan, 1999). The breakdown of the partnerships in this sector could be due to barriers that exist in the sector. These barriers could include lack of trust and respect among the partners. As a result, there is no openness in the course of service delivery. Multidisciplinary partnerships are largely affected because of fear of the gradual erosion of their professional skills. Due to this factor, the development of these partnerships is at a disadvantage. This reduces the chances of collaborative working among the professionals. Collaborative working requires that both parties be interested in the decision making process. It also requires that both parties are equally involved. This requires the power sharing in performance of the duties and responsibilities. As a result, the partnerships are sabotaged and hence the deterioration in quality service provision. This is because of the complexity in the child protection system. Another, example is seen in the mental health sector. The professionals in the sector feel like that they are sat different levels. As such, collaborative working becomes hard and difficult. Moreover, other issues such as lack of confidentiality and sharing information could destroy the partnerships in the social and health care sector. However, this is greatly being countered with the legislations that are being implemented with time. The negative outcomes in health and social care provision need to be reduced. One of the most applied strategies is legislation. The Acts of Parliament that all caregivers must abide to at all times. The consequences for failure to abide are a force that ensures that these outcomes are reduced. Also, awareness programs on the need to maintain good relations is a strategy that could applies to those who still have societal values. The governments in nations all over the world also need to take the initiative of ensuring that there are no negative outcomes in the course of health and social care provision (Raffel, 1997). It is also equally important to understand what collaborative working entails. This is because it will be the initial step in ensuring that people understand the importance of maintaining these partnerships. Therefore, the most important aspects of collaborative working include team work. This strengthens and leads t quality provision of services. There us also sharing of knowledge and expertise. It is also important to involve all the parties in decision making and planning. The partners should also realize that the aim of the partnership is to achieve a common goal. Therefore, they should do their best to achieve the set goals. Generally, it should be each person’s responsibility to ensure that other disadvantaged individuals fit in the society. The provision of health and social care is not only the duty of the professionals, but also is the duty of every person. Each and every person should take it as their responsibility to look out for the other members of the society. However, it is important to realize that provision of the required services is a joint venture. Therefore, collaborative working is important in order to ensure that the service users’ needs are adequately met. This implies that there is need for the establishment of partnerships so that together, decisions can be made. The contribution of each person is important so as to enhance equality. Governments have the required resources and they should be at the forefront to enhance the existing partnerships. This is especially through funding. In terms of the negative outcomes, the governments could enact laws stating the consequences of those who neglect their duties in taking care of the service users. However, it should be noted that the aim in the end should be the quality provision of services to the service users. If the partners in the health and social care focus on building the partnerships in their work, quality service provision will be enhanced. Notably, this also means that everyone will be equally proud for being part of a good process. This will mainly benefit the service users and the professionals will be content with their work. References Clarke, L., 2000. Health and Social Care for Foundation GNVQ. New York: Nelson Thomes Clarke, L., 2002. Health and social care: AQA teacher support pack Health and Social Care Series. New York: Nelson Thomes. 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