Recent developments in health and social care policy Essay Example for Free

Recent developments in health and social care policy Essay This essay will evaluate recent developments within Health and Social care policy. It will focus on the development of charges within the NHS, the ideology behind it and its impact on women, different ethnicities and those living in poverty. It will then go on to analyse the differences in formation and adaption of this policy from devolved governments in Wales and Scotland. Before the start of the ‘welfare state’ in 1948, the majority of Health and Social care services were subsidised by benevolent donations to voluntary hospitals, or through service users paying for their own care. This is due to the ideology of the time being that of the government not being responsible for the nation and that people were to stand on their own two feet and support themselves. However, following the massive devastation to the country, both physically and mentally, following WWII, the government’s ideology changed. The labour government in power at the time felt that the nation’s welfare was their responsibility and so the ‘welfare state’ was born. Everyone was entitled to free NHS health care and there was no criteria or eligibility attached. In 1952 the first charges had been introduced in an effort to fund the rapid growth of costs incurred by the NHS, people now had to pay for prescriptions, dentures and spectacles. This move was due to the government’s ideology slowly changing to one of paying for yourself if you can afford to do so, and eligibility and criteria was attached to certain services. If you did not meet the requirements you had to pay. During the 1980s, under the Conservative governance of Margaret Thatcher, the ideology had gone full circle and was back to that of non-dependence of the ‘Welfare State’ and the responsibility of the nation lay with the individual, not the government. It was a time of taking away universalism with a residual attitude. As a result of this shift in attitude present charges were increased and new charges were introduced as a means to reduce public spending (Thornes, 2000:97). Eligibility, criteria and targeting meant that only those most vulnerable were able to access Health and Social care services for free. In 2013 the present ideology is similar to that of 1952. The Conservative, Liberal Democrat coalition government maintain the ideology of taking away universalism and standing on your own two feet. They feel that in having charges for NHS services the stigma attached to welfare will be reduced and individuals will feel that they deserve the service they are accessing (Thorne, 2000:97). The government also feel that it will prevent the abuse of free services by discouraging people from using Health and social care services which they are not in need of. This is evident with the proposal for those that visit AE to be charged ? 10 as a means to prevent unnecessary use of the service. AE specialist believe that 30% 40% of visits are unnecessary and that in having a ? 10 charge upon arrival, which is fully refunded should the condition warrant AE attention, will significantly reduce the amount of people taking up vital resources (Campbel, 2014). This charge is set to reduce unnecessary visits and waiting times to those who are in actual need of emergency care, however experts feel that they will ‘penalise poorer patients’. Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of GPs has said that Charging patients for the use of emergency departments would put us on the slippery slope towards the Americanisation of healthcare, where only those who can afford to get it get the care and attention they need, (Campbel, 2014). Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the BMA, said: The majority of GPs and hospital doctors are committed to an NHS that delivers care on the basis of need and not the ability to pay. In this survey, two thirds of GPs state they are against [charges] for using AE services †¦ it runs the risk of deterring vulnerable patients who genuinely need help from seeking treatment at a time when many people, from all backgrounds, are struggling financially. (Campbel, 2014). This shows that the government is not promoting equality and that services will only be available to those that can afford them. Another charge which is proving to be detrimental is that of the 2011 charge for care during pregnancy and childbirth to migrant women. This policy has had a negative impact on both those giving and receiving care. Migrant women are not attending appointments or are running away from hospitals as a result of being unable to pay thousands of pounds for treatment, this puts both mother and baby at risk of complications which are not detected in early pregnancy, which is evident in a newspaper article from December 2013 highlighting the negative impact of the policy in which midwives are warning us that the fees are endangering migrant women (Taylor, 2013). Susan Bewley, a professor of complex obstetrics at Kings College London agrees that charging migrant  women for NHS antenatal care is putting pregnant women in danger (Taylor, 2013). The policy is written in very complicated language which means that eligibility and criteria is very hard for migrant women and professionals to understand and is resulting in some pregnant women being declined treatment and care due to misinterpretation. This goes against the core values of midwifery. In an article in the Nursing Times, David Foster wrote about the 6 Cs of Health and Social care and how they are essential for the NHS to deliver fair, consistent care to those who require it ( Foster, 2012:12). In declining care to migrant women, midwives are not only ignoring the core values of midwifery, they are putting lives at risk and failing to fulfil basic Human rights and are not promoting equality. In March 2011 the department of health published the NHS constitution, which sets out the core principles of the NHS. One principle which is in contradiction to the charges placed on pregnant women is that â€Å"We have a responsibility to maximise the benefits we obtain from NHS resources, ensuring they are distributed fairly to those most in need. Nobody should be discriminated or disadvantaged and everyone should be treated with equal respect and importance† (NHS choices, 2013). Care, compassion, courage, communication, commitment and competency are values which should be predominant within midwifery, however in adhering to the 2011 policy midwives are failing to maintain the 6Cs. Communication is a big issue as the policy is open to misinterpretation and so compassion and care are also lacking within the sector as midwives are refusing care to women (Taylor, 2013). The commitment to provide the best possible care to all pregnant women is being compromised as some midwives have been quoted as feeling like ‘Immigration officers’ and so their roles are under question (Taylor, 2013). In another article in the Nursing Times by Maria Flynn, she explains that organisational culture, policy and politics can exert a damaging influence on caring values (Flynn, 2013:12) which supports the negative impact the charges are having within the midwifery profession. After the Francis report was published, following the incidents within the Mid Staffordshire hospital, it was found that nurses and midwives felt frustrated at not being able to fulfil their role correctly as a result of the restrictions put in place by policies and that the compassion deficit is more likely to be down to political ideology driving health policies then shortcomings in caring values . After extensive research I have been unable  to find any positive impacts on both service users and providers with regard to the implementation of charges within the NHS. According to an article from the BBC news Scotland the department of health claim that charges were introduced to ‘plug gaps in funding’ and that the fees raised around ? 450 million a year, which is the salaries of 18,000 nurses or 3,500 hospital consultants (BBC news Scotland, 2011). However it is apparent that the fees are not being spent on employing more staff as Laura Donnelly, health correspondent for the Telegraph reports. There is currently a shortage of 20,000 nurses within the NHS and an investigation into 14 hospitals with unusually high death rates highlights the common factor as inadequate staffing levels (Donnelly, 2014). On 1 April 2011 prescription charges were abolished in Scotland. BBC news Scotland reports that â€Å"The Scottish Greens said it believed there should be equal access to the NHS and that meant free access to everyone at the point of use, including free prescription. (BBC news Scotland, 2011). Daniel Martin, of the Mail online, described it as â€Å"the latest example of ‘medical apartheid’, where the devolved nations enjoy better health services despite paying far less tax per head† (martin, 2011). The ideology of the devolved Scottish government is one of universalism and in helping the majority of the population of Scotland who are living in deprived conditions. The English government still fund Scotland using the Barnett formula: (Martin, 2011). Policies are developed in Scotland by the Scottish parliament, which is made up of 129 public servants who are politically impartial, and the Scottish government. The Scottish parliament debate matters of importance (which are devolved), such as health care, then vote on legislation holding the Scottish government to account. The Scottish government decide how the country is run and implement laws passed by parliament. This is very different to the English way of developing policies as that involves all parties agreeing to what is proposed and is a fair way of ensuring the policy is fit for purpose. With the abolishment of  prescription charges the Scottish parliament looked at the savings it would make to families living in poverty and the health benefits to those who could not afford to pay for drugs (Explanatory notes, 2005). However it did not recognise the cost it would have on the health of people suffering with cancer. Due to drug companies charging large amounts for certain cancer drugs, as a result of eradicating prescription charges, the SNHS cannot afford to purchase these drugs and so cancer sufferers are having to either go without or move to England, where the drugs are available. Maureen fleming, 63, faces the dilemma of raising the ? 10,000 needed for a 3 month supply of the cancer drug she needs or to move to England. Scottish labour leader Johan Lamont said the Scottish NHSs ? 7. 2 million bill for paracetamol prescriptions would pay for 200 patients to get cetuximab for a year. She said: In the First Ministers Scotland, if you have a headache your prescription is free. If you have cancer, your prescription can cost ? 3000 a month. (Gardham, 2013). In conclusion it is evident when looking at fees in the English and Scottish NHS that there are positives and negatives to both countries. England may have a lot of criteria and eligibility in order for prescriptions to be free to those who need it, however in having fees in place the NHS in England is able to purchase expensive drugs which are not available to people living in Scotland where prescriptions are free to all. It is apparent that there should be some compromise between both policies in order for those in genuine need to access the care they require.

Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx :: Essays Papers

Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx â€Å"The nobility of man shines upon us from their work hardened bodies.† (Manuscripts, 100)[1]. And according to Karl Marx, that is the bottom line. In Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 and Manifesto of the Communist Party[2], two of his most profound works, Marx outlines both his harsh critique of capitalism and his prophetic theory of impending communist revolution. Although these texts are extremely complex—Manuscripts is described often as the hardest sixty pages of modern philosophy—their main points can be summed up concisely. For Marx, a worker’s labor, and therefore product, is an extension of himself, and any practice that separates the two, most obviously capitalism’s private property, essentially tears the man apart. A system such as this is beyond repair, and the only feasible solution is a forceful and complete communist revolution ending in the destruction of private property and the reunion of mankind with his labor. The complex philosophizing behind these two doctrines will be revealed shortly, but now the question arises, are they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term â€Å"estranged labor.† In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money, among other things, but the result is the same: the worker loses control of his product. Estranged labor does not seem inherently flawed until the observation is made that the more a worker produces and the more valuable his product becomes, the poorer he becomes. For Marx, this leads to the worker himself becoming a commodity that, like his product, he does not own. Instead of a worker owning his labor with his labor having inherent value, the labor is jailed inside the products, and outside of the worker. Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx :: Essays Papers Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx â€Å"The nobility of man shines upon us from their work hardened bodies.† (Manuscripts, 100)[1]. And according to Karl Marx, that is the bottom line. In Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 and Manifesto of the Communist Party[2], two of his most profound works, Marx outlines both his harsh critique of capitalism and his prophetic theory of impending communist revolution. Although these texts are extremely complex—Manuscripts is described often as the hardest sixty pages of modern philosophy—their main points can be summed up concisely. For Marx, a worker’s labor, and therefore product, is an extension of himself, and any practice that separates the two, most obviously capitalism’s private property, essentially tears the man apart. A system such as this is beyond repair, and the only feasible solution is a forceful and complete communist revolution ending in the destruction of private property and the reunion of mankind with his labor. The complex philosophizing behind these two doctrines will be revealed shortly, but now the question arises, are they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term â€Å"estranged labor.† In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money, among other things, but the result is the same: the worker loses control of his product. Estranged labor does not seem inherently flawed until the observation is made that the more a worker produces and the more valuable his product becomes, the poorer he becomes. For Marx, this leads to the worker himself becoming a commodity that, like his product, he does not own. Instead of a worker owning his labor with his labor having inherent value, the labor is jailed inside the products, and outside of the worker.

Equality, Diversity and inclusion in work with children and young people. Essay

1.1 How does the equality Act 2010 promote equality and diversity? Obtain your schools Equality of opportunity policy. What is its aim? Identify references to action. The Equality Act protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair more equal society. Equality and diversity is now a ‘limiting judgement’ in Ofsted inspections. This means that if equality measures are not being implemented efficiently, this will restrict the overall inspection grade. As a school, you must not discriminate against a pupil or prospective pupil because of their disability, race, sex, gender reassignment, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. The objectives at Tutshill School are that all children in our school will learn in an environment free from the effects of and without discrimination, and that the working conditions and environment of our staff and volunteers will also be free from discrimination. Tutshill C of E Primary School strives to ensure that the culture and ethos of the school are such that, whatever the heritage and origins of members of the school community, everyone is equally valued and treats one another with respect. Pupils should be provided with the opportunity to experience, understand and celebrate diversity. Tutshill School will adhere to Gloucestershire LEA’s Racial Harassment in Schools – Guidelines and make all new teachers, student teachers and ancillary staff aware of the policy. 1.2 Why is it important to support the rights of all children and young people to participation and equality of access? All children have the right to access all the opportunities which are on offer in the school provision. Each and every pupil has the right to learn and should not be discriminated against for any reason. In order for us to  achieve this we must involve the children and parents in finding out what works well in school and what doesn’t. This should be supported by high quality teaching and learning experience. I believe that involving the children in this process would make the children more confident and feel more valued within school. 1.3 How is cultural diversity valued and promoted in your school? Discuss its importance. Within Tutshill School opportunities are provided for all children to experience others cultures and ethnic backgrounds. This is promoted through literacy lessons. Every term the children I work with have a new topic for example, Greece and The Romans. With each topic they learn about their cultures such as their religion, language and the different foods they eat. The children in year four studied the Romans and did a play for the other children in assembly and also designed a menu for the whole school to try. The Year five class studied Greece and designed and made holiday brochure for display in their class room and also designed a Greek menu for the school to try. This is to ensure that the children understand and value the social and cultural diversity that could be in their own community as well as around the world. Culture can cut across nationalities and faiths and by promoting cultural diversity and the differences of individuals and groups within school will enhance a child ’s learning and promote knowledge and understanding of all pupils. Diverse cultures in schools should be acknowledged and reflected throughout the curriculum. By supporting and encouraging children to understand and accept cultural diversity will also prevent stereotyping and reduce prejudice and discrimination within schools. Most importantly, it will prepare children and young people for numerous changes that will happen in their lives as adults where they will inevitably be involved in mixing with adults of different cultures and backgrounds. Having watched the Teachers’ TV programme ‘Pride and Prejudice’, about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, comment on the following. 2.1 What prejudices do these groups face? Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children face many prejudices throughout their lives. They are not considered part of the community that they live in and often come up against racism, stereotyping, discrimination and abuse not only from other children but adults as well. 2.2 What impact does this have on traveller C/YP? The impact that racism, stereotyping and discrimination have on the children is that they fall out of school or are taken out of school at an early age. Majority of traveller children tend to leave school or are taken out of school at the end of primary level as they find the transition into secondary school a difficult one due to other children and teachers bulling them and having little knowledge or understanding of their culture. The remainder of the children do not often make it past year 9. 2.3/2.4 How have schools tackled prejudice to raise attendance and attainment? Schools have tackled these prejudices by increasing other people’s knowledge about these minority groups. For Example: †¢Celebrate their culture. †¢Looking at the history of the travellers. †¢Increasing awareness of their heritage by having day trips to the Romany life centre. †¢Traveller children making a booklet to educate teachers and pupils, about their religion and how and where they live. †¢Showing the pupils a film about travellers about their skills and how they made a living. To raise attendance and attainment schools have been flexible with rules regarding attendance rates and given extra support especially just before SAT’s. The most important thing I feel is that they treated each and every child the same. 3.1 Explain what is meant by ‘inclusion’? Inclusion means to be fully included, to make people feel valued and respected irrespective of ethnicity, gender, disability, culture, age, religion and sexual orientation. It is about giving equal access and opportunities to everyone. 3.2/3.3 Provide 3 or 4 examples of inclusive practices in your classroom/school. During my time at Tutshill School I have witnessed and been part of several inclusive practices. Example 1. Within year 4 we have a student who is Chinese. During the Chinese New-year SL brought in sweets for everyone so we could celebrate the Chinese new-year with her. She then had time to talk to the class about what she did during their celebrations. Example 2. Throughout each classroom and the school there are displays of children’s work. All abilities are displayed, so the children can see and understand that just because their work may not be the neatest or always correct it will still get to be displayed. Example 3. During P.E all children will be included, whether they have a lower ability or any medical issues. The games that they are playing will be adapted if needed to so that every child has the opportunity to participate.

Information Security And Training And Awareness - 1215 Words

Information Security Role of training and awareness Why training is important? Information security is an exercise for protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction. Building an Information Security Management System (IS MS) within an organization would be incomplete unless ongoing training and awareness of systems is present, which is essential to embed the principles of IS MS within the organization. The Training and Awareness procedure relates to the training and awareness activities undertaken at the organization, to ensure all employees are aware of their respective roles and responsibilities towards information†¦show more content†¦Maintain records of education, training, skills, experience and qualifications. Applicability Core Employees: Employees, who are part of IS MS roles, define and own policies and procedures and promulgate the same across The organization. They would also ensure compliance to all such policies and procedures. Examples of core employees are IS MC and CISO. Apply Employees: Employees who are part of IS MS roles, and would be responsible to ensure compliance to ISMS BCMS policies and procedures. They would also report compliance to all ISMS BCMS policies and procedures to the IS Management Committee. Examples of Apply employees are members of IS Working Group. Comply Employees: Employees who receive information on IS MS steps that they have to implement and go ahead and implement these steps. Training and awareness exercises shall be conducted for the following roles, as defined in the respective IS MS governance model: i. CEO ii. IS Management Committee iii. Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) iv. IS Management Representative v. Functional Planner vi. IS Working Group vii. Internal Auditor viii. Facility Manager ix. Floor Warden All employees What is the impact of new policies? IT Act- Information Security Requirements i. Information Security Policies and Procedures ii. ISMS awareness material iii. ISMS training calendar iv. Procedure around User sign-off on IS policies and procedures and other relevant declarations v. Records of such sign-offs