Stakeholders in Health & Social Care Systems - Essay Sample

Introduction

People who take part in key decisions and policymaking and are concerned with the operation of the system are known as stakeholders. Stakeholders can be divided into two major categories. In the health and social care system, the patients are said to be the external stakeholders, whereas the medical personnel, nurses, doctors, therapists, support technicians and staff, researchers and pharmacists comprise of the internal stakeholders. The external stakeholders provide input into the system such as medical supplies, patient details and finance. The key stakeholders of a social and health care system are those who can pass major administrative laws and policies.

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The stakeholders of the health and social care organization have different exceptions and perceptions. Perceptions depend on the service quality offered in the sense that when a customer is served properly, and one's needs are met, then the stakeholders become satisfied. The same applies to the external stakeholders, customers; a customer wants excellent delivery of service and treatment, proper behavior and responsibility (Free et al., 2013). Financing institutions that fund the system want profits and returns on their investments. Suppliers of medical staff and equipment want a good working relationship with the care system for long-term service. The ability of the system to satisfy the stakeholders enables them to satisfy the latter.

The presence of a communication medium or platform is vital to maintain a good relationship among the stakeholders. Face-to-face interactions and discussions are far much better to solve problems (Free et al., 2013). Decisions of such discussions require being implemented and further research to be done on maintenance and mitigation of future problems.

For effective and smooth running and management of health and social care, all stakeholders should be involved during each stage of the system running for them to support it, give and contribute through suggestions for design and improvement, build support and evaluation (Free et al., 2013). Quality health care is reaching the peak of economic and social society. The action has been fostered by recognizing and promoting the importance of quality service delivery.

Evaluate the Influencing Factors on Service Delivery

Poor service delivery results in wastage of resources that could have otherwise been used on more patients. The national and organizational objects for quality health care for developed and developing countries are the provision of patient safety. The government and the public expect health care institutions to introduce quality service delivery systems and strategies.

Several factors enhance and influence service delivery in the health and social care sector.

Provisions of Health Care Services to the People

Most public health sectors in various countries comprise of the following health facilities; dispensaries, health centers, referral hospitals, general hospitals, district hospitals, among others. These hospitals oversee and ensure the implementation of health policies, maintaining quality standards and coordination and control of health activities in the given scope. Health care centers provide and account for their expenditure and budget controls based on guidelines given by the superiors (headquarters). These health care centers offer preventive and curative services on a local scale. Dispensaries come at the lowest level. They act as the first line of contact with a patient. They provide for preventive measures which are the primary aim of health policy.

The lack of proper health services has promoted the advocacy of decentralization as a key factor to foster health reforms to maximize the use of the available resources to improve access and quality health and social care services which have a high impact of the satisfaction of customers (Free et al., 2013). The poor state of customer service in health care facilities results in high turnover which demoralizes staff who even find it hard to guarantee full-time services, in equitability of resource distribution leads to poor management hence deterioration of infrastructure leading to falling of health care quality.

It is difficult to offer health care services consistently. Differences can occur in various professionals who provide and deliver different services from one another. For instance, physicians and nurses offer different services to patients from one another even if not entirely. It can be hard to provide quality health care as factors such as experience, abilities and personality vary from one another.

Management Style and Strategy on Service Delivery

Health care management systems have previously been inefficient to some extent, mostly driven by the power of supply of medical equipment. The action has been keeping patients and external stakeholders from the process of development of the health care centers. The customer service was viewed traditionally as a non-critical function in health care. But this has changed and the patients have a major influence on the functionality and the development of health care.

Managing public health care is characterized by an emphasis on the performance and improvement of quality. To achieve the strategy, public health care is equipped with the necessary resources and management personnel that enable them to manage equipment and resources efficiently.

Influence of the Use and Implementation of ICT Services

The main aim of the introduction and use of information and communication technology is the improvement of quality, accessibility, and efficiency of health care. Higher levels of the use of ICT for medical facilities have only been established in third world countries. For the developing countries, basic level use of digitized medical equipment has been founded (Free et al., 2013). In the few countries that have adopted the use of technology in the medical systems have brought great results. Improved diagnostics and consultations are a few developments that technology has enhanced in the health care system. Expectations in health care have risen due to technological advancements.

Training of Staff in Service Delivery

To improve the standards of employees and staff, attaining the current performances and future results, training becomes a continuous process in the organization. To achieve the organizational aim and goal, training should be applied to all levels of management, including the employees and patients. The action helps the organization achieve the sustainability, growth and effectiveness of the employees. In the health sector, rapid change and growth have been observed. In the recent past, the focus has been mainly majored on curative care in a tertiary care environment that is only basic medical training and education hence less preparation for the medical personnel to undertake roles in the remote areas where there is barely a system for the induction and inclusion of the medical practitioners who join the public system in primary health care (Free et al., 2013). The strategy is explained by the fact that the medical personnel lacks training in the management of public service in the field of health care, whereas they are expected to look on and supervise staff working under them.

Coming up with the health training plan and system, necessary and appropriate recruitment methods, and the continuous training and development and health care staff and employees remain vital to the achievement of a highly skilled team that results in great outcomes.

Continuous Drug Supply

An important role is played by drugs and medical supplies and medical equipment on the quality of service delivery and patient care. To avoid wastage of medical resources, medical staff need to make sound decisions and choices on which resources to acquire that can meet their patients' health needs. Besides the procurement of medical supplies, equipment and effective storage areas, the stock regulation and control, care and the maintenance of resources are key activities in the management of health care organizations. With a wide variety of brands to choose from in medicine, selection of the supplies has been given a little to know selection. Decentralization following the constitutional, there is a development of devotion of health care, local authorities are responsible for health care facilities within their scope.

Quality service delivery in health care is not limited to, improving patient-satisfaction. Poor quality of service delivery leads to sicker patients, raising costs of services and lowers the confidence in health care.

Analyze the implication of poor service quality for the organization and stakeholders

Health and social care providers become affected majorly by poor service. Customers and other external stakeholders lose trust in them. The action can be caused by various issues such as, lack of clean and suitable environment, unfavorable condition of the institution, long queues dues to lack of efficient service delivery hence the prolonged waiting hours among others issues that would ruin the reputation of a health and social care institution (Free et al., 2013). If the management does not take up the rising issues out of poor service delivery to look into these problems and correct them, then customers will fall out one after the other hence the low income. The provision of poor-quality services turns out to be a significant problem for stakeholders and customers. A health care organization such as a hospital lacking medicine means that patients cannot be cured; hence some may fall extremely sick and some may lose their life when left untreated for long periods.

Evaluate models and theories of quality in service delivery in health and social care

There are several theories and models of quality management. The first one is Total Quality Management (TQM) theory; this approach is for long-term accessibility using the aid of consumer/customer satisfaction. The involvement and participation of all stakeholders and employees are needed for the success of TQM.

Customer Focus

The success or failure of any institution or organization is determined by its customers and consumers; hence the quality of services is enhanced, a measure such as training of the employees, installation of new equipment and a new designing to have a focused customer approach.

Control

Control seeks to maintain quality in the functioning of the system; hence management of a system needs to install and implement a system that will look into the spread of controlling the organization's activities for quality management.

Commitment

Commitment is a necessary factor in carrying out quality service delivery in health and social care. For this reason, managers have to be involved in exalting employees to make the focused and committed in their areas of work.

Culture

Different health care institutions have different cultures which make it hard and nearly impossible for management to achieve success. The action can be solved by having a superior work culture put in place.

Continuous Improvement

The process of improvement takes to process and time. It is a continuing process; hence the service quality of each service is maintained throughout the process.

Cooperation

Cooperation plays a vital role in designing a successful strategy for social and health care. Cooperation is fostered by communication among members and employees. The interactions between employees, in turn, boost motivation among one another.

The Excellence Model

The prominent theme of the excellence model is customer/patient (in the case of health care) satisfaction, employee satisfaction (medical personne...