Health and Social Care Research Literature Review

This assignment requires a comprehensive review and analysis of scholarly literature related to various aspects of health and social care. It emphasizes critical evaluation of research findings concerning integrated care models, public involvement in research, the role of technology (e.g., robots, social media), and sustainability within healthcare systems.

Running head: HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Health and Social Care of The Bluebird Care
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Company profile..............................................................................................................................2
Internal environment of The Bluebird Care.....................................................................................3
Organizational structure...............................................................................................................3
Management style........................................................................................................................3
Partnership of Blue care...............................................................................................................5
Need assessment..........................................................................................................................6
Organizational issues...................................................................................................................6
External environment of The Blue care...........................................................................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References and bibliography.........................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Health and social care is one of an important parameter of business, which is related with
ensuring the wellbeing of the public. The assessment of wellbeing exposes the Samaritan side of
the business personnel, adding value to the allocated roles and responsibilities. Herein, the roles
of healthcare personnel, such as doctors, nurses, caretakers, attain an important part in terms of
providing quality treatment to the patients (Aveyard 2014). This assignment peeks into the
business operations of The Blue Care organization, where the key focus is on the execution of
the marketing activities through the effective maintenance of the balance between the internal
and the external environment.
Company profile
Started in 2004, The Blue Care has achieved accolades and glory by emerging as one of
the largest providers of healthcare services of in the threshold of United Kingdom. The company
mainly offers healthcare services in the care homes. The presence of skilled and efficient
employees has enabled the healthcare professionals to cure the sufferings and ailments of the
patients (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Although the formation of the company has taken over 8
years, dedication, commitment and perseverance of the employees has broadened the scope and
arena of the company business. To be exact, the company has provided 20000 customers. The
company has its outlets in more than 200 locations within United Kingdom.
The following are the aims and objectives of The Bluebird Care:
 To include diversified subjects in the training courses
 Launching the option of customer service on the website

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 Increasing the frequency of the performance appraisals
 To evaluate the healthcare policies for upgrading the standards and quality of the
treatment and cure
 To conduct charity shows for collecting funds
 To hire more quality experts to provide healthy and quality foods to the patients
The employees have envisioned high quality and support for the provision of quality
healthcare services to the patients. All the patients are treated equally by the company personnel,
as they are in search of receiving quality medication. Along with this, the personnel focus on the
customer service, because the customers are the agents for the achievement of success
(Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Paul and Tisa, the owners have encouraged the employees to expose
better performance. This is because they themselves have felt the urge to reform the standard and
quality of the healthcare services.
Internal environment of The Bluebird Care
Organizational structure
Organizational structure defines the dynamics of the companies and organizations
including The Blue Care. There are different types of organizational structure-functional,
divisional, matrix among others. As a matter of specification, The Blue Care practices functional
organizational structure. There are various departments, which work towards the common goal,
that is, the provision of quality medical services to the patients and their family members
(Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). The members of various department works as a team for the
execution of the business activities in an efficient and effective manner. The departments are

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divided equally and are entrusted with the responsibility to assist the managers for executing the
projects at hand.
Management style
Managers are the persons, who are responsible for management, regulation and control of
the business operations. There is an approach and style, which the managers are to follow for the
effective handling of the business. These styles are- autocratic, consultative, persuasive,
democratic, chaotic, laissez faire among others. Out of these, the managers of Blue care follow
consultative and democratic management style (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). In order to emerge as
a People’s Leader, the managers indulge in meetings and conferences with the stakeholders and
shareholders for undertaking decisions for the betterment of the company. This is done in
response to the issues encountered by the company in the process of levying quality treatment to
the customers.
This type of management style proves fruitful for the employees as well as the customers
in terms of voicing out their opinions regarding the issues, which they are facing in the offered
services. As it is humanitarian issue, the managers need to expose rationality in terms of
managing the business operations. Specifically, the managers need to take care that the
individual sentiments of the patients and their family members are preserved. This is applicable
especially in the process when they are taking the feedback regarding the levied services
(Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017).
The managers train the hired candidates, which strengthens their bondage with the
employees. This enhances their preconceived skills, expertise and knowledge in terms of the
basic management skills. After this, post training tests are conducted by the managers in terms of

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assessing the capability of the employees regarding making practical usage of the learnt skills in
carrying out the allocated duties and responsibilities. As a sequential step, the employees are
divided into teams for initiating the tasks. For this, Tuckman’s theory of team development is
considered, as it generates the feeling of teamwork, resulting in the achievement of successful
completion of the projects in hand within the stipulated deadline (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017).
Prior to the initiation of the tasks, target market is identified. As a sequential step,
experimentation is carried out in terms of the assessing whether the identified target market is apt
in terms of the goals and objectives. Herein lays the correlation with the term “marketing mix”,
which helps the managers of Blue care to compare between the manufactured healthcare services
and the needs, demands and requirements of the patients. This assessment strengthens the
relationship between the company personnel and the suppliers. Absence of this assessment
results in poor service delivery, which reduces loyalty, trust and dependence of the customers
from the company services (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017).
Partnership of Blue care
With the advancement of science, there have been radical transformations in science.
This has been reflected in the quality and standards of the medical services provided by the
nursing homes, healthcare centers and care homes. Along with this, the needs of the customers
have undergone drastic changes due to the lifestyle. Now, people search for modern and
innovative medical services for curing their suffering and ailments. For this, technology has
major contributions, which is supplied to the workplace of Blue care by Centra Pulse.
Partnership with this organization has added to the ease of the patients in terms of getting
emergency services with just a click of a button (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). This is through the

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facility of a 30-day trial of the Centra Pulse device, which would operate 24X7 for providing
personal emergency services to the patients in their intense health conditions.
The volunteers are trained in such a way, so that they can take the readings of the
pressure falls in a proper manner. This is done by tracking the geographical locations in the GPS
watches. Countering this, along with Centra Pulse, the companies providing internet services are
also the partners of Blue care in terms of providing emergency services to the patients for their
speedy recovery. The charge of the service is 3.50 pounds per week, which contradicts the aspect
of emergency service (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Countering this, setting of the charge maintains
the partnership between Blue care and Centra Pulse.
Need assessment
The usage of social media proves helpful for Blue care personnel in assessing the health
and social care needs of the patients. Herein lays the appropriateness of the survey and feedback
forms, which are uploaded in the official websites and the social networking sites. Along with
this, the advertisements for donations act as a mass appeal towards the public in terms of joining
the personnel in their initiatives of curing the sufferings and ailments of the patients. Evaluation
of the customer approaches helps the company personnel to assess whether they are progressing
on the right track (Tucker et al. 2013). Indulging in contracts, deals and trades with the partners
enables the personnel to introduce prospective offers, schemes and discounts for the patients on
the medical services. Thinking something creative for the customers belonging to the middle
class would help the personnel to achieve loyalty, trust and dependence from the customers. This
would expand the scope and arena of the business.

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Organizational issues
In the process of providing the healthcare services, the company encounters various
issues such as giving expired medicines, giving wrong treatment, delaying the process of
treatment among others. These issues reflect the lack of conscious approach of the personnel
towards the wellbeing of the patients. Along with this, it is also the carelessness of the managers
in terms of regulating the performance of the employees (Antheunis, Tates and Nieboer 2013).
This carelessness is reflected in the issues of providing unclean bed sheets, stale foods, giving
injections, where the needles are not changed among others. These issues degrade the health
conditions of the patients. The issues of unclean bed sheets, stale foods are unhygienic and
generate infectious diseases among the patients.
The personnel of Blue care need to be applauded for handling these issues very tactfully.
Upon receiving the complaints, the cleaning staffs spontaneously mop the floors with phenyl,
which prevents the bacteria from spreading to the patients. The patients suffering from infectious
diseases are kept in separate wards, so that the infection does not spread to the other patients.
The bed sheets of the patients are regularly cleaned (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). The preparation
of the foods is supervised by the managers for ensuring that there are no adulterated materials in
the foods for the patients. After the preparation of the foods, the quality experts test its quality in
the laboratories. These experts are hired after ensuring their skills, expertise and knowledge
regarding the inspection of the food quality. Herein lays the appropriateness of the post training
tests, which help the managers to assess the capability of the experts to make practical
application of the learnt skills in the workplace operations.

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Washing of the patients is also done in the proper format. The washrooms are cleaned
three times in a day. After washing, the washrooms are kept to dry in order to prevent slippages
in case of the patients (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017).
The patients are regularly taken for evening walk, so that they get treatment from the
nature. Delving deep into the aspect, nature provides the patients with an escape from the
claustrophobic ambience of the wards.
For all these purposes, there are caretakers, who are entrusted with the responsibility to
take care of the specific needs, demands and requirements of the patients. The shifts of these
caretakers are divided equally, so that they get opportunities for enjoying the recreation facilities.
The managers take special care of the fact that the caretakers wear ID cards while on duty and
are in proper uniform in the workplace premises (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Along with this, the
managers also ensure that the employees make proper usage of technology for maintaining the
records of the patients. The managers instruct the caretakers to send drafts of these records. This
assessment brings to the forefront the faults in the maintenance of the records.
One of the greatest strengths of The Blue Care is envisioning innovation in the healthcare
services. Taking into consideration Kotter’s Model of Change helps the personnel to achieve
positive outcomes in achieving satisfaction from the service users. Strategic framework is
followed by the personnel. Various stages are applied for bringing the changes within the
healthcare services (Aveyard 2014). The first stage is the meeting with the shareholders and
stakeholders regarding the urgency and necessity of change. As a sequential step, strong and
efficient teams are constructed through the consideration of Tuckman’s stages of team

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development. The recruited team members are briefed about the proposed change and the
means planned to achieve the change.
Communication is the next step, which makes the managers aware of the progress. This
awareness helps the managers to assess the effectiveness of the performance in terms of the
exposed performance. The employees are trained, where they are encouraged to create short
term goals for upgrading the standards and quality of their performance (Aveyard 2014). This
encouragement is the motivation for the employees to expose dedication, commitment and
perseverance towards the allocated duties and responsibilities.
External environment of The Blue care
Social media is a platform, which enables the managers to establish stable
communication with their stakeholders and shareholders. The necessary data is transferred to the
partners through emails. The images of the newly manufactured products and services are
uploaded in the official website and social networking sites. This activity enhances the clarity of
the stakeholders and shareholders regarding the latest trends adopted by the company for the
provision of quality treatment and cure to the patients. Within this, privacy cookies are installed
in the profiles of the customers for preventing the interference of the third party (Petch, Cook
and Miller 2013).
As the cause is humanitarian, the company refrains from the aspect of contests through
the customer-generated contents. However, the company adopts the means of mass appeals for
donations. Herein lays the appropriateness of advertisements, celebrity endorsements and others.
The celebrities perform functions and the amount generated from the shows are utilized for

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developing modern and effective techniques of curing the suffering and ailments of the patients
suffering from the long term diseases.
As the managers of Blue Care have stable relationship with the trade union members,
stabilizing the financial parameter becomes easy. However, application of rational thinking in
this process helps the company personnel to achieve positive results (Grajales et al. 2014). This
alliance is an additional assistance in terms of fighting against the harsh and orthodox rules and
regulations implemented by the government officials. Along with this, alliance with the trade
union members helps the company personnel to organize strikes, protests, lockouts and bans for
preserving the rights of the employees. These industrial actions are needed in response to the
illegal accusations against the company by the competitors.
Blue Care personnel abide by the competition policies for indulging in fair competition
with the competitors. However, the way of competing is different from the other companies and
organizations, as the motive is not to gain profit, but to gain the satisfaction of the customers
through the provision of quality healthcare services (Biehl and Petryna 2013). The personnel
envision the provision of escape to the patients from their suffering and the ailments. This vision
contradicts the mentality of grabbing the hot seat by running blindly in the rat race.
Along with the trade union, the company abides by the healthcare legislations for
providing cure and treatment facilities to the patients in a legal manner. Health and Social Care
Act (2012) proves relevant in this context. This act enhances the clarity of the healthcare bodies
and care homes in terms of looking after uplifting the health condition of the people, society as a
whole. Along with this, Equality Act (2010) is a crucial aspect, which the company complies
with (Speed and Gabe 2013). NHS England supervises this compliance for ensuring the smooth

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functioning of the business operations. Along with this, Care Quality Commission (CQC)
supervises the operations of The Bluebird Care for ensuring its functioning as per the levied
norms. The issues identified reflects the non-Compliance with the quality Care standards.
In order to work towards the vision, the company personnel develop strategies. These
strategies help them to make noticeable progresses towards the projects at hand. Along with this,
strategies enhance the clarity of the personnel regarding the completion of the tasks, which needs
to be done on an urgent basis. Inspection of the current strategic position is accounted as one of
important aspects of the strategy. Within this, if it is found that the company lacks adequate
resources for curing the sufferings and ailments of the patients, request is placed for additional
resources (Moorhead et al. 2013). Drafts regarding the need for additional resources are sent to
the managers as well as the suppliers. These drafts act as a proof for averting the unwanted
illegal instances, which comes from the external sources.
External environment of Blue Care revolves around the import and export activities.
Exporting the newly manufactured machines to the associate partners expands the scope and
arena of the company. These exports have bestowed a better placement over the predicament of
the company. Importing branded medical equipments like scanners, accumeter among others also
expand the business parameters of Blue Care.
The company is enriched in diversity. This is reflected from the introduction of several
courses for the foreign students (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Diversity in the course materials is
flexible enough for broadening the perspectives of the students towards health and its proper
usage. Along with this, the company organizes various cultural shows, discussions and lectures
for the entertainment purpose of the patients. In these shows, artists from different parts of the

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world are invited for entertaining the patients. Along with this, the company is indulged in giving
financial assistance to the communities striving for the rights of the socially disadvantaged
sections of the society. Herein lays the appropriateness of the work schemes, which the company
organizes for the poorer strata of the society suffering from poverty, distress or serious
psychological conditions (Bluebirdcare.co.uk 2017). Apart from this, charity shows are also
organized by Blue Care company for increasing funds for the treatment of the patients. There is
no compulsion for donating the funds. The company maintains a liberal approach in this fund
collection. Those who willingly donate the funds are awarded for extending a helping hand
towards the diseased patients. This step enhances the corporate social responsibility of the
company, Blue care.
Conclusion
This assignment provides an insight into the aspect of health and social care through the
example of the company, Blue Care. As a matter of specification, the assignment peeks into the
internal and external environment of the company. Delving deep into the specific details of the
assignment, technology ties the internal and the external environment. Adherence and
compliance to the legislations and directives helps the personnel to achieve large-scale customer
satisfaction. These directives are evaluated regularly in terms of assessing the modifications
needed for upgrading the standards and quality of the healthcare services. Maintenance of
frequency in this evaluation enables the Blue care personnel to create a positive image in the
minds of the customers and clients.

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References and bibliography
Antheunis, M.L., Tates, K. and Nieboer, T.E., 2013. Patients’ and health professionals’ use of
social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations. Patient education and
counseling, 92(3), pp.426-431.
Aveyard, H., 2014. Doing a literature review in health and social care: A practical guide.
McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Biehl, J. and Petryna, A. eds., 2013. When people come first: critical studies in global health.
Princeton University Press.
Bluebirdcare.co.uk (2017). About us. Available at: http://www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/about-us/our-
story [Accessed on 24th November 2017]
Brett, J., Staniszewska, S., Mockford, C., Herron‐Marx, S., Hughes, J., Tysall, C. and Suleman,
R., 2014. Mapping the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care
research: a systematic review. Health Expectations, 17(5), pp.637-650.
Cameron, A., Lart, R., Bostock, L. and Coomber, C., 2014. Factors that promote and hinder joint
and integrated working between health and social care services: a review of research
literature. Health & social care in the community, 22(3), pp.225-233.
Dahl, T.S. and Boulos, M.N.K., 2013. Robots in health and social care: A complementary
technology to home care and telehealthcare?. Robotics, 3(1), pp.1-21.

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Dickinson, H. and O'Flynn, J., 2016. Evaluating outcomes in health and social care. Policy
Press.
Drummond, M.F., Sculpher, M.J., Claxton, K., Stoddart, G.L. and Torrance, G.W.,
2015. Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes. Oxford university press.
England.nhs.uk (2017). Healthcare legislations. Available at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/resources/legislation/ Accessed on 24th
November 2017]
Glasby, J. and Dickinson, H., 2014. Partnership working in health and social care: what is
integrated care and how can we deliver it?. Policy Press.
Gradinger, F., Britten, N., Wyatt, K., Froggatt, K., Gibson, A., Jacoby, A., Lobban, F., Mayes,
D., Snape, D., Rawcliffe, T. and Popay, J., 2015. Values associated with public involvement in
health and social care research: a narrative review. Health Expectations, 18(5), pp.661-675.
Grajales III, F.J., Sheps, S., Ho, K., Novak-Lauscher, H. and Eysenbach, G., 2014. Social media:
a review and tutorial of applications in medicine and health care. Journal of medical Internet
research, 16(2).
Lowes, L. and Hulatt, I. eds., 2013. Involving service users in health and social care research.
Routledge.
Mechanic, D., McAlpine, D.D. and Rochefort, D.A., 2013. Mental health and social policy:
Beyond managed care. Pearson Higher Ed.

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Moorhead, S.A., Hazlett, D.E., Harrison, L., Carroll, J.K., Irwin, A. and Hoving, C., 2013. A
new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social
media for health communication. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(4).
Petch, A., Cook, A. and Miller, E., 2013. Partnership working and outcomes: do health and
social care partnerships deliver for users and carers?. Health & social care in the
community, 21(6), pp.623-633.
Popescu, G.H., 2015. Sustainability, public health, and quality of care. American Journal of
Medical Research, 2(2), pp.211-211.
Speed, E. and Gabe, J., 2013. The Health and Social Care Act for England 2012: the extension of
‘new professionalism’. Critical Social Policy, 33(3), pp.564-574.
Tucker, S., Brand, C., Wilberforce, M. and Challis, D., 2013. The balance of care approach to
health and social care planning: Lessons from a systematic literature review. Health services
management research, 26(1), pp.18-28.