Employability Skills in NHS - Development and Strategies

This assignment focuses on developing employability skills in the health and social care sector within NHS. It covers self-appraisal, team dynamics, continuous professional development, and strategies for enhancing patient care.

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS - NHS

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................2
TASK 1 SELF APPRAISAL FORM........................................................................................................3
1.1................................................................................................................................................3
1.2................................................................................................................................................4
1.3................................................................................................................................................5
1.4................................................................................................................................................7
2.2................................................................................................................................................8
TASK 2 CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS..................................................................9
4.2 & 2.1.......................................................................................................................................9
4.1..............................................................................................................................................10
2.3..............................................................................................................................................12
4.3..............................................................................................................................................12
TASK 3 COLLABORATIVE TEAM DYNAMICS JOURNAL...................................................................13
3.1..............................................................................................................................................14
3.2..............................................................................................................................................15
3.3..............................................................................................................................................16
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................18
1

INTRODUCTION
Employability skills basically refer to one’s potential for accomplishing the tasks as requires by
managers in the organization. It is essential that employees have the required skills so that they
can gain a dignified position in the organization. Moreover, it is will good employability skills
that an employee can work effectively in an organization. This assignment is focused on
developing the employability skills in the health and social care sector. It will help the readers in
understanding their own responsibilities and how to achieve the skills in order to perform
effectively in an organization.
As a member of National Health Service (NHS), the readers will get an understanding as to what
strategies this organization adopts for providing quality services to the clients. The assignment
will cover all the skills required in an employment like the interpersonal skills, communication
skills, leadership skills etc. It will also deal with everyday employment for solving a problem
that will include the specification of a problem, solution to the problem and evaluating the
results obtained through reflective practices.
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TASK 1 SELF APPRAISAL FORM
The Health and Social care is a department where the professionals provide a wide range of
support to the clients to help in curing their illness or disease. In this section of the assignment
own responsibilities and performance will be assessed while working in the health and social
care division.
1.1
WORKING IN NHS AS A TEAM LEADER
JOB TITLE
Team Leader or Resource Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION
To work as a team leader in NHS and assist the team members of the Organization in the health
and social care practices. Holding the position of a team leader I am accountable for ensuring
that all the patients get quality care and they are satisfied with the services offered by the
health and social care professionals of NHS (Glasby, 2017).
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Patient Care: It is my prime responsibility to take care of the patients while working in
NHS. It is my responsibility to assist the patients in taking proper diet so that their health
is maintained and they can recover fast from their illness (Grol, et al. 2013).
Medication and Assistance: It is my prime responsibility to assist the patients in their
day to day needs. It is my responsibility to provide medication to the patients for their
surgical procedures (Glasby, 2017).
Guiding Patient and maintaining the record of the Patients: It is my responsibility to
educate the patients for performing day to day tasks and maintain their weekly record.
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1.2
As I am capable enough to assist the patients in clinical practices but still it is not easy to provide
extreme care to the patients. Some patients are rude and it becomes difficult to control such
patients. But I have the required skills and experience for providing quality care to the patients.
I have the knowledge and know the ethical guidelines for performing clinical care in the health
and social care sector.
PATIENT CARE PLAN
A care plan documents the list of activities for diagnosis and it is line with patient’s specific
requirements. The patient care plan used by me is mentioned below (Protection and Act, 2010).
Determining the patient's history
Identifying patients’ needs
Providing medications and doing a check-up for allergies, heath rate, mental health etc.
Analysing the results of the mental state and deriving conclusions
Outcome and Diagnosis
In order to evaluate my personal effectiveness, I can use the SMART tool as described below.
 Specific: It is essential that the aims and objectives set are clear and precise. The
objectives set should provide clear direction (McClogan, 2015).
 Measurable: A Planner should plan the objectives in such a way so that it can be
achieved in time and within the budget.
 Achievable: The objectives set should be achieved within the available resources like
budget and time.
 Realistic: The objectives set should not be hypothetical instead it should be real so that
aims and objectives can be achieved (McClogan, 2015).
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 Time-bound: It is essential that the objectives set are completed in a time-bound
manner.
As a member of NHS, I was able to assist the health and social care team in treating patients
suffering from physical and mental illness. I also assisted a nursing practitioner in the following
ways as mentioned below.
 Helping and assisting the nursing practitioner in patient care
 Helped patients in their supplies by providing them food and other assistive tools
 Ensuring safe medication is provided to the patients
1.3
RECOMMENDATIONS
Health and social care sector involves a mixture of people performing a variety of tasks in
patients care. The healthcare industry is going through a phase of transformation where many
technologies are revolutionizing the operations within this sector (Can, 2012). Hence it becomes
essentially important that some recommendations need to be given so that this sector can
provide enhanced quality services to the patients.
Use of Healthcare technologies
There are many healthcare technologies that can be used by the nursing practitioners and
professionals for increasing their efficiency in this sector (Angst, et al. 2011). For example,
regulation technologies, use of technology for improving the health reporting systems etc.
Regulations
It is highly recommended to ensure the safety of patients with the use of emerging
healthcare technologies. The government agencies and the regulating bodies can ensure the
safety of these technologies for the patients as well as professionals employed in the
healthcare domain.
5

IMPROVEMENTS
There are many skills that can be improved by the employees working in the healthcare sector
for example communication skills, IT skills, Conceptual and analytical skills and critical thinking
and problem-solving skills.
There is some scope for improvements in my own performance that can be evaluated with the
help of SWOT analysis.
 Strengths: Good communication skills and knowledge of clinical care practices. Some
additional strength includes self-management, teamwork, planning and organizing.
 Weaknesses: Some negative personal habits, lack of engagement with the patents and
negative personal characteristics.
 Opportunities: Predicting and analysing patients need in advance. In most cases
forecasting the patient’s requirements fix and solve the problems for the professionals
and other healthcare providers.
 Threats: Protecting the privacy of the patients is one of the biggest threats as some
people use patients information for illegal means.
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1.4
MASLOW HIERARCHY OF NEEDS – MOTIVATIONAL THEORY
This theory was given by Maslow and stated that patients have varying needs that reflect their
behaviour and psychology. It is essential for the healthcare professional to assess and analyse
these needs of the patients for giving quality care to the patients (Anderson, 2014).
Figure 1: Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
Source: [McLeod, 2018]
The figure above depicts several needs like Psychological needs like food water etc., safety
needs for the patients, love needs and esteem needs for the patients that need to be
considered by providing clinical services to the patients.
HERTZBERG TWO FACTOR THEORY – MOTIVATIONAL THEORY
This theory was given by Fredrick and stated that the behaviour of people or patients is
depended on two factors one is the hygiene factor and the second is the motivational factors. It
is essential that the surrounding environment where the patient is being cured is clean and safe
(Alshmemri, et al. 2017). The motivation factors result in positive behaviour when patients are
given respect and treated with extreme care and responsibility.
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2.2
COMMUNICATION SKILLS NEEDED AT WORK
In order to provide quality care in the healthcare division, it is essential that the professionals
have good verbal and nonverbal communication skills, effective voice tone, good facial
expressions and ability to maintain a good physician-patient relationship. The communications
skills in healthcare are depended on how a professional uses skills for explain diagnosis, treating
and investigating (Robles, 2012). How effectively they can communicate with relatives, give
instructions for discharge and advice for lifestyle etc.
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TASK 2 CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
4.2 & 2.1
PROBLEMS
1. Lack of communication between patients and professional’s in the healthcare sector
2. Too much unnecessary care and lack of skilled professionals in the healthcare division
3. Lack of transparency
4. Ineffective use of healthcare technologies
STRATEGIES FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM
The steps for solving the healthcare problems are described below.
Scanning: The first step is to identify the problem and describe the problem in detail.
The problem is measured and source of a problem is identified (Brown and
Chandrasekaran, 2014).
Analysis: In the second stage identify the persons affected by the problem and
determine the causes of the problem and determine the extent to which problem can
cause damage to people or the organization.
Response: After analysing the problem communicate the problem with others, involving
the community members, find solutions to solve the problem and prepare an action plan
for solving the problem (Mitroff and Silvers, 2010).
Assessment and Result: In the assessment phase it will be determined whether the
problem is declining or it still exists in the same form and intensity. In case the problem
still exists then appropriate measures will be taken for solving the problem.
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4.1
PDCA CYCLE
 Plan: In the planning phase the aims and objectives of the task are defined. The problem
is described in detail and a team is developed for accomplishing the objectives.
 Do: The objectives are achieved at this stage and the activity is carried out for
accomplishing the tasks (Sokovic, et al. 2010).
The solution for Problem 1
As there is lack of communication between the patient and the professionals, it is essential that
the professionals are given training for improving their communication skills and by making
them realize the importance of effective communication for imparting quality care to the
patients (Moore, et al. 2013).
The solution for Problem 2
It is essential for the healthcare organizations like the NHS to hire skilled workforce for
providing clinical services to the patients. Moreover, they should be trained as to how to cure a
patient and to what degree (Smith, et al. 2011).
The solution for Problem 3
The Transparency in the organization can be built by establishing core values and motivating
employees for achieving the objectives of the organization. It is essential that the higher
management of NHS treats its professionals with integrity and honour (Axelrod, 2013).
The solution for Problem 4
If the healthcare technologies are used effectively in healthcare then the efficiency and
performance of employees are likely to increase. Using healthcare technologies also increase
the quality of healthcare delivery, decrease the medical errors and establishing good
communication between patients and healthcare providers.
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 Check: The data collected helps in determining that there are a lot of issues prevalent in
the health and social care sector. These issues need to be examined so that appropriate
measure can be taken in order to minimize the impact of these issues on firm’s
performance.
 Act: After checking the issues it is essential that appropriate strategies are made to find
ways for solving the issues and for that corrective actions and preventive measures need
to be taken as described below.
Corrective Actions
 Treating patients with greater security, care and dignity
 Determining the needs and demands of the patients
 Use of healthcare technology tools
 Using the federal regulations in healthcare services
Preventive Measures
 Ensuring that risks are minimized while giving clinical care services to the patients
 Taking preventive measures for ensuring the safety of staff and patients
 Providing a safe environment to the patients
 Protecting the confidentiality and privacy of patients
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2.3
Time Management Strategies
It is essential that professionals use the time management strategies for organizing and
managing their work (Hall, 2013).
 Prioritizing the work
The healthcare professional should list the tasks that need to be accomplished for each week
and should assign the priority ratings to the task accordingly.
 Being on time for Patients appointments
Making patients wait for an appointment is quite disrespectful because their time is also
valuable. Therefore, it is essential that professional reschedule, revaluate and readjust the time
and tasks in order to reach on time for patients appointments (Hall, 2013).
 Use a Planning Tool
There are many planning tools and applications that can be used by the healthcare
professionals for organising and scheduling their work for example Time Blocking, Weekis
Trello, Toggl etc.
4.3
IMPACT ON NHS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY
After implementing the strategies there is s considerable change seen in business practices
across the NHS departments. The company has changed its business strategy by implementing
the healthcare technological tools in the business (Blais, et al. 2015). By using the technologies
the performance of professionals is increased and patients are receiving quality care. The
turnaround time has also reduced for delivering the services in patient care for the
professionals.
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NHS has become more responsible towards treating professionals and clients and has started
analysing their needs and demands for better functioning (Blais, et al. 2015).
TASK 3 COLLABORATIVE TEAM DYNAMICS JOURNAL
TEAM ROLES
A team basically refers to a group of people coming together for achieving a common goal. The
members involved in a team are given specific responsibilities for achieving the common goals.
Similarly being a team leader in NHS I have a team and they are given different responsibilities
for accomplishing the goals (Reeves et al. 2011).
A team leader in the healthcare sector is a person that provides direction to its team members
and assisting them in their work. The role of members of the team is to use the guiltiness of the
clinical practices while providing social services to the patients. The role of a team leader is to
coordinate the team members, implement the strategies and monitor and evaluate the
progress of the team members (Belbin, 2012).
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3.1
OBSERVATIONS
As a team leader, I have observed that my teammates performed their duties and
responsibilities with high accuracy and commitment. The responsibilities given to the team
members were executed in time with higher accuracy (Reeves et al. 2011). The team members
also followed the guidelines as mentioned under the health and social care practices in the
government regulations. They analysed the needs and demands of the patients or clients with
high accuracy and provided services without any conflict (Belbin, 2012).
My team consisted of three members and they were handled different roles and responsibilities
for achieving the common goal and mission. One of the team members was given the task to
conduct a research as to how many people, patients or client are wanting to get the services
from the healthcare professionals and he successfully identified potential clients willing to take
the services. The second member of the team was given the responsibility to market and
advertise the services of the health and social care (Belbin, 2012). The third member was
responsible to identify the need of the patients by conducting surveys, interviews and
discussions. All the team members successfully accomplished their tasks with high commitment
and dedication.
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3.2
TEAM DYNAMICS
Team dynamics can be defined as a type of a behavioural relationship with the team members
of an organization. Team dynamics gets affected by the roles and responsibilities given to each
member of a team for achieving desired result or productivity. Team dynamics is also
determined by the force that operates between the team members and groups. It is essential
that team dynamics results in a positive force so that the team members are able to achieve
their personal as well as professional goals (Devitt and McLachlan, 2010).
There was a time when one of my team members felt excluded from the team and I had to
boost his morale by considering himself as a part of a team. Therefore it can be stated that
there are many factors that can affect the team dynamics of resources, responsibilities
undertaken by the team members etc. The positive side of team dynamics is the fact that all the
team member’s work in collaboration for accomplishing the common goals and objectives of
the company (Devitt and McLachlan, 2010). The team dynamics is also recognised by the
personality traits and individual behaviour of members in the team It was observed that the
team members used their skills and knowledge for building trust, collaboration and
commitment for achieving shared, vision and objectives of the company.
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3.3
SUGGESTIONS
The healthcare professionals work in a dynamic environment and deal with different patients
having different behavioural characteristics. As a team leader working in NHS, I have analysed
that the clinical care given to the patients can be improved and enhanced for the betterment of
the patients. Some effective suggestions for improving the services in the health and social care
sector are described below (Munn and Winter, 2013).
Improving the Quality of Care in Health and Social Care
The best way to improve the quality is to provide a clean, safe and secure environment for the
patients in the healthcare sector. It is essential that patients are treated with care and their
privacy is maintained and their personal information is not disclosed to others. The quality of
care can also be improved by using the modern healthcare technologies tools so that the
performance of professionals can be increased. The professionals in the social care need to be
trained for the use of assistive technological tools (Munn and Winter, 2013). The patients can
make use of assistive tools for increasing their mobility in performing their day to day tasks in
the business.
Improving patients experience and wellness
It is essential that the healthcare professionals provide services wearing uniforms and maintain
hygiene in the workplace environment. If proper hygiene is maintained then patients will
recover faster from their illness (Munn and Winter, 2013).
Meetings and Discussions
It is essential that the management of NHS organize weekly meetings for the team members of
the organization that should be informal in nature. It is essential that the organization evaluates
the performance of employees and responds to their needs and demands for imparting clinical
practices in more effective and efficient manner (Glasby, 2017).
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CONCLUSION
The above discussion clearly concludes that health and social care is a broader segment and
need to be catered effectively in terms of employee performance and patient care. The report
successfully concludes the importance of a team and the role of individual members of a team.
As a team leader, I have successfully managed my team while treating patients in the clinical
services. It is essential for NHS to hire skilled employees in the organisation so that they can
provide quality care to the patients in the healthcare domain. It is essential for the employees
of NHS to make use of technical tools for giving quality care to the patients as these tools will
reduce the time and increase the efficiency of employees of NHS. The report also concludes that
patients need to be treated with greater care and security so that they feel satisfied by the
services offered by the healthcare professionals.
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