Inter Agency Working Case Study: Challenges and Opportunities

This case study evaluates the complex challenges and opportunities of inter-agency working with a specific emphasis on the distinct cultural needs of Reshma and Ahmed in the UK. It also analyzes how lack of good leadership amongst healthcare agencies would impact negatively on Reshma and Ahmed.

INTER AGENCY
WORKING CASE STUDY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
QUESTION 1...................................................................................................................................3
Evaluating complex challenges and opportunities of inter-agency working with particular
emphasis on the distinct cultural needs of Reshma and Ahmed have to cope within the UK.....3
QUESTION 2...................................................................................................................................7
Analysing how lack of good leadership amongst healthcare agencies would impact negatively
on Reshma and Ahmed................................................................................................................7
Outlining some of the policy issues faced by the Ahmed and Reshma.....................................10
QUESTION 3.................................................................................................................................10
Explaining how effective multi-disciplinary teams work together............................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Agency working refers to strategic decision of working through an agency which finds
the best and suitable solutions for individuals (Dixon and et.al., 2022). It makes a person capable
to understand the culture and environment, where they reach to work independently, out of their
home town. The current assessment will be based on a case of study of Reshma and Ahmed. The
study will explain complex challenges and opportunities of inter-agency working with a specific
emphasis on distinct cultural needs, both persons have to cope with in the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, it will specify how lack of good leadership amongst healthcare agencies would
impact negatively on Reshma and Ahmed. It will also clarify some policy issues faced by them,
and how effective multi-disciplinary teams work together.
QUESTION 1
Evaluating complex challenges and opportunities of inter-agency working with particular
emphasis on the distinct cultural needs of Reshma and Ahmed have to cope within the UK.
Inter-agency workings is defined as act of creating permitting situations for better
functioning of front line services and individuals (Joseph and et.al., 2018). The current form of
action is also considered as procedure of families and agencies joining together, in order to
interdependent problem solving that concentrate on improving services to a family and children.
There are some challenges encompasses, with inter-agency working, such as;
Contextual barriers-
Inter-agency working, include some obstacles and benefits too. The first challenge that
this term encompasses is current one (Trifiro, 2018). According to contextual barriers, while
working with more than two agencies, financial uncertainty can be raised, which can put
negative impact on service users. It can lead to decrease the effectiveness of an agency
performance and operational level, more than last few years or months. It is fact that uncertainty
usually arise when the predicted results are limited and inappropriate, which is not suitable for
the aim achievement of any company, especially that operate under the term of inter-agency
working. Changes in the political steer is also included in the category of contextual barrier or
challenges, that relate to inter-agency working. Any form of change in the context of political
steer, can also create the biggest challenges of inter-agency working, which in turn lead to
provide the adverse outcomes. Political steering is the concept of subject-led, aim directed and
intentional attempts, that related to the social procedure influence. When a change occur in

regard to this term, it directly affect, the performance and effectiveness of multi-agency working
process, which create unexpected challenges for each company to survive and perform in
effective manner. The current category of challenge emphasis on distinct cultural needs of
Reshma and Ahmed as they face financial issues while living and managing their life in the UK,
especially when they are immigrated, from home town to the United Kingdom. For example, in
the Bangladesh they live in council house, where they do not need to pay rent because their
payment has been given by the council, which is not possible in the UK.
Organizational challenges-
Two or more companies performance and collaboration, create the procedure of inter-
agency working (Scott and Merton, 2021). This process become complex and challenging, when
each agency has different policy, system and procedure, that they follow to work and achieve
strategic aim. It is fact that different perspectives and principles, followed by the agencies can
create the biggest challenge of inter-agency working practice. It makes thing quite difficult to
understand, which is important and essential for the agency for which individual person work in
effective and appropriate manner. Policies and systems differences, considered as organizational
challenges, which affect negatively upon service provider and user. When the policies and
systems related to inter agency working is different, then it impacts the distinct cultural needs of
both Reshma and Ahmed, as they also face issue to cope up within the new environment of UK.
It creates issues for both of them in term of understanding and accepting the different and new
policies that, they follow in the Bangladesh earlier. Service agencies in the UK and Bangladesh,
might be followed some different policies related to health care and other, which become the
main reason behind organizational challenge that related to inter-agency working.
Commitment obstacles-
Along with above two challenges, the current term is also encompasses in the category of
issues relate to the inter-agency working. Commitment challenges arise because of lack of
explicit commitment to inter-agency working. When an agency while working in a group and
with collaborative manner, do not make achievable commitment, that can create challenge
related to the continuous inter-agency working process (Ntale and Ssempebwa, 2022). It is
important for the agencies to make appropriate and achievable commitments, so that they can
contribute to increase the effectiveness and performance of inter-agency working successfully,
which is not possible because of poor commitment level. Commitment challenge occur, due to

another reason as well and that is lack of experience and understanding among managers and
leaders about inter-agency working, which is the most important part of their core work. Without
having proper understanding about role and accountability, a manager is unable to make better
commitment that they can achieve appropriately.
Opportunities-
Improve access to services-
In the recent time, inter-agency working along with including some challenges, can also
encompass certain opportunities, that an agency and their management can obtain in appropriate
manner (Dixon and et.al., 2022). For instance, they can take pleasure of improving access to
healthcare services, which users can utilize according to their need and requirement, while living
in the national or international boundary. By working with two or more agencies, individual can
take pleasure of obtaining service delivery on time, which is quite essential for their living in a
specific location or geographic area.
Handle social and economic crises-
Inter-agency working provide unpredictable opportunities such as benefit of handling and
dealing with some economic and social issues or crises that affect local and other people in the
society or nation, where they live to work. As the main motive of inter-agency working is to
tackle each category of issue that can cut across the area of influence of a number of varied
companies (DELPEUCH and BONNET, 2021). By providing strategic suggestions and
recommendations, individual agency can make issue handling process quite easier. It drives the
attention of agencies toward developing solutions, that affect negatively upon service user,
according to their needs such as effective healthcare service, in the nation, where they
immigrated. Collaborative inter-agency working can make more things better such as increase
involvement of wider communities and service user, that create transparency between both of
them in the context of issue and their resolution.
Challenges impact on delivery of effective healthcare service-
All above three challenges put direct impact upon Ahmed and Reshma, in negative
manner, as they face issue to utilize effective healthcare services in the United Kingdom. For
example, contextual barrier would impact on delivery of effective healthcare, in term of
decreasing the effectiveness of management, as without having good amount of money, they are
unable to serve satisfactory services to individual person, either local or outsider, who came in a

particular nation for employment purpose. Another issue is also impacting delivery of
appropriate health care service in form of creating issue for inter-agency working to comply with
new policy, which might be differed from those policies that followed in the national boundary.
In order to comply and follow the new policy, service provider can face issue to delivery the
services, as it consume a lot of time and require efforts, which is not possible for them to provide
on time. Lack of commitment is also affecting delivery of healthcare services, in form of
decreasing the flow of service providing operation as aim achievement.
Why Reshma and Ahmed would face barriers-
There are different types of reasons as visible examples are accessible, behind barriers
that Ahmed and Reshma would face while getting healthcare service. For instance, financial
issue become one of that reason, which create challenge for both of them to access healthcare
service in the United Kingdom. Another challenge of barrier they would face, because of a
specific reason and that is lack of language understanding, which is English. Ahmed and Reshma
are unable to speak English fluently, which create issue for them to get access of healthcare, as
they are not been able to elaborate issue that they are facing and also do not comprehend the
prescription provide by the healthcare provider. It is important for both of them to appropriately
speak in English, due to that they can face number of issues, such as accessing healthcare, in case
of medical emergency.
Reasons for determined barriers and inter-agency work impact positively on well-being-
There are several reasons potentially exist related to above three determined barriers,
such as lack of commitment, changes in political steer, etc.
Inter-agency work can impact positively upon their well-being, in term of conducting
collaborative practice, which make each agency capable to determine the issue or improvement
area, regarding which they can develop appropriate plan and strategies. Effective collaboration
can improve the flow of healthcare service delivery that is important for inter-agency working
management to focus on, because it leads to increase the process of providing or serving
satisfactory healthcare service. It also benefits individual in term of getting access that they
utilize to improve and overcome the negative impact of health issue that a person face from long
or short term period.

QUESTION 2
Analysing how lack of good leadership amongst healthcare agencies would impact negatively on
Reshma and Ahmed.
Principles of care ethics and impact of lack of good leadership-
Care ethics can plays important role in the context of healthcare service delivery, because
it makes individuals capable to concentrate on energy and concern on number of people who are
closest to them, like patients, whom they are accountable to provide appropriate services. Related
to the term care ethics, there are some key principles mention below, with justification of poor
leadership impact on Reshma and Ahmed.
Principle 1- Autonomy
According to the first principle of care ethics, healthcare agencies can make a good
control on their exercise, while taking initiative to take decision, especially when they take action
to take care of patients. Thus, it is possible because of having leadership, as leadership in the
context of inter-agency working plays significant role in term of making leaders or individual
capable to delivery the best and satisfactory health care services to people, who really need that.
Lack of good and effective leadership amongst an healthcare agency or organization would
impact negatively upon Reshma, who is 25 years old woman living with her husband Ahmed and
children, in the Bangladesh and now been immigrated to the United Kingdom, where she faced
number of challenges. It impacts on both persons in negative manner, as they can face challenge
receiving good healthcare service, on time, which is important for their growth and well-being in
the UK. Leaders, without using a leadership style unable to take right decision and guide
employees accordingly. It is quite challenging in the healthcare agencies to enhance the
satisfaction among individual patient, as they are unable to get access of services that they tend
to receive. It can lead to increase the waiting hours that affect negatively upon Reshma and
Ahmed, to obtain service that they expect to use. Without using a good leadership style, leaders
are unable to serve the healthcare service while working in the agencies through skilled and
talented people or service providers. Waiting for too long in the context of healthcare service,
can impact the patience level of individual service user, especially those who are start living in
the new environment or culture, where they are facing issues to survive because of different
factors.
Principle 2- Beneficence

Another principle of care ethics is current one, according to which kindness and care is
the key source of patients recovery and well-being. Effective leadership is the key pillar of
successfully patients recoveries and health, on the basis of which management can take strategic
action (How the 4 Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care, 2022). Lack of good
leadership can always become the main reason of poor patients' recovery rate, that impact
negatively upon Resham and Ahmed, as they face issue to get service, with care and kindness,
according to their health concern. Without appropriate form of leadership style, it is quite
challenging for the patients to get the best treatments, because they deal with such unpredictable
situation, where staff is ineffective and less productive too. It is fact that poor leadership in the
healthcare agencies can outcomes in low patient satisfaction and Reshma & Ahmed were those
patients, who approach to use service, while living in the United Kingdom. The continuous
development of skills, knowledge and competencies related to service provider become slow,
and the only reason is lack of leadership utilization in the organizations, operating in the
healthcare sector. The quality of care and other things, will be impacted negatively because of
leadership that a leader unable to carry or follow in the agencies, which can directly or indirectly
impact Reshma and Ahmed. They cannot get an opportunity to get the best medical facility as
the staff is lack skilled and experienced, as well as productive.
It can be said that beneficence as the second principle is not be confused with the close
connection with ethical norms of non-maleficence, that has been stated that one should do not
impact on patient in any way. Leadership in the healthcare agencies can make individual service
provide capable to protect their patients or service user from harm. If the leadership is not
accessible in the workplace, it can impact negatively upon both patients in form of impacting
their physical and mental health.
Principle 3- Non-Maleficence
The third principle of care ethics, is the one that is usually prioritized in the health care
agencies. It defines that service provide is not accountable to harm any patient, as they have to
carefully examine each situation before taking actions and decisions. The current principle is not
applicable in those healthcare agencies, where good leadership is not available in the workplace,
among the leaders. It can put negative impact on Reshma and Ahmed, as they face issue such as
lack of support from service provide, because they are unable to carefully and appropriately
evaluating the situation before taking decision to cure patients. Leadership is the best source that

helps leaders to implement the current and above principle of care ethics. Non-maleficence
principle covers key four factors such as action cannot be truly wrong, every action have a
positive outcome, good impact or influence never be a outcome of wrong action or decision and
the last one is the results are always outweigh the bad.
Principle 4- Justice
Poor leadership in the healthcare agencies can impact negatively upon Reshma and
Ahmed as it unable leaders to justice things. For example, they are unable to treat and provide
fair treatments of both patients, because of not taking fair medical decision that lead to increase
the level of biasses. Justice and leadership are interrelated terms, on the basis of certain points,
for instance, leaders with good leadership style can make a justice related to patient care.
In the recent time, it has been determined that majority of companies in the healthcare
sector, grow and succeed rapidly, which is possible because their leaders are using good and
effective leadership styles, that provide desire results. While, there are more healthcare agencies
accessible in the world, where the extent of good leadership style usage is low, which means
patients in these agencies can survive in varied terms.
Multi- disciplinary working initiatives in healthcare-
The most important initiative that covers under the term of multi-disciplinary working, in
the context of healthcare is collaborative working (Rajewsky and et.al., 2020). As it is quite
essential for each agency and individual to perform together and work in collaborative manner,
that aid to reach desire outcomes. It makes them capable to treat number of patients in effective
and appropriate manner, without making any mistake that impact negatively upon delivery of
healthcare service. Furthermore, patient issue identification is also included in the list of multi-
disciplinary working initiative in the healthcare, according to which each service provider is
accountable to identify the issue or health concern of patients, which enable them to identify the
best treatment for them. It can impact positively upon the flow of service delivery and
operational management in systematic manner. Along with above initiatives, multi-disciplinary
working covers other approaches as well such as aim setting and task description among
employees, who are also responsible to take better care of each patient, either they are local or
other. It is fact that without setting goals and making open discussion regarding the same, it is
quite difficult for the management to deal with patients issues and handle the same appropriately.

Outlining some of the policy issues faced by the Ahmed and Reshma.
Lack of understanding, lack of access and poor resources, are the worst issues that
Ahmed and Reshma can face while taking initiative to obtain the best medical treatment in the
UK. As they are unable to speak in English, it is quite difficult for both of them to understand the
terms and conditions, which require following by them, for purpose of receiving the medical
treatment and healthcare, related to issue that they face in the context of health, including mental
and physical. Another challenge or issue related to the same concept faced by the Reshma and
Ahmed is lack of access of healthcare service, due to financial issue that they are facing in the
UK, after immigration from Bangladesh. It is important to have better source or resource, that
affect positively upon healthcare and human well-being in the healthcare sector. Thus, lack of
resources can lead to decrease the effectiveness of operations that might be focus on healthcare
service delivery in the overall sector. It is important for the management to focus on above
policy issues that impact care service and ethics of venture.
QUESTION 3
Explaining how effective multi-disciplinary teams work together.
Multi-disciplinary teamwork is very important in healthcare, as it convey many benefits
to both health professionals and patients working on the team it helps them improve health
conditions (Soukup and et.al., 2018). There are many benefits pertaining to multidisciplinary
teamwork such as enhancing clients satisfaction level, the more efficient use of resources and
also improve job satisfaction for team members in healthcare setting. An effective multi-
disciplinary teamwork are positive towards work, effective leadership skills, good
communication strategies and supportive nature. These are some characteristics of multi-
disciplinary teamwork in healthcare settings (Taberna and et.al., 2020).
Multidisciplinary teams work together for managing healthcare settings, the team
members bring together the skills and expertise of different professionals to plan and manage
care jointly. In order to meet the needs of individuals with complex care needs, multi-
disciplinary teams coordinate and organize heath-care services effectively. With the help of right
communication tools, team can easily build a positive environment surround the people who
really need it. Collaborative practice and clear communication is one of the best key attributes of
an effective and efficient multidisciplinary team in healthcare field. By using this key attributes,

multidisciplinary teams work together in order to increase the chances of meeting Reshma and
Ahmed's family's identified support needs in the given scenario.
There are different forms of examples accessible in the world that defines the
effectiveness of multi-disciplinary teams work in collaborative manner that provide benefits in
term of increasing chances of meeting Reshma and Ahmed family. They can support both of
them in form of getting information about the service they are taking interest to utilize in
appropriate way for purpose of further health improvement, while living their life in the UK. The
feature of multi-disciplinary teams work is collaboration, as each team member in the group
collaborate with each other in influencing manner, so that they can influence each other
positively (Ellis and Sevdalis, 2019). Therefore, it outcomes in form of increasing the chances, of
meeting the family needs such as healthcare facility, place to stay, service obtain and others. In
form of collaboration, they can attempt to fulfil the needs of Ahmed and Reshma family in term
of focusing on their requirements, then issues and at last the approaches that they can adopt in
the Academisch Medisch Centrum. It is important for them to do conduct practices determining
all the things so that it is quite easy to make Reshma and Ahmed family comfortable in the UK,
especially in case of obtaining healthcare services, which is important for them to receive in fair
manner, instead of any unethical activity that might be conducted in the healthcare agency where
they visit further.
In the context of healthcare setting, multi-disciplinary teams are working as mechanism
for the healthcare agency, in term of organizing care services for everyone, including local and
other people's, who are coming from another nation, and facing issues due to lack of
understanding about accessing healthcare services. In case of Reshma and Ahmed, multi-
disciplinary teams by working together can meet their needs in form of developing plans and
strategies that covers those concepts, terms and other practices, which directly relate to the need
fulfilment. Their performance, collaboration, communication and other features make multi-
disciplinary teams effective in each and every situation, whether it is pandemic or other hazards,
that impact individual health and well-being negatively (Lim and et.al., 2021). The collaboration
and communication as well as coordination between each team member can improve the health
results, as they can increase the flow of healthcare service delivery. It is that these kinds of teams
are bringing together the skills, which each person in the group of multi-disciplinary can utilize
to meet the family need of Reshma and Ahmed in form of diagnosis, and determining reason

behind the health issue that they face. In the world, care is provided by expert practitioners and
general community health care professionals, who can make an effective multi-disciplinary team,
that work together to meet the needs of patients like Reshma and Ahmed family, when they need
better care and best medical facilities.
The best thing about multi-disciplinary team work along with above is time saving and
versatility, which means they can save time or eliminate the reason behind waiting lines, so that
patients can take healthcare service according to the require time period, which is important for
their better health (Brown, Bekker and Young, 2022). By working together and in collaborative
manner, teams can boost the morale of each team member, so that they can serve healthcare
service without having and facing issue that impact negatively upon the flow of service delivery.
They can help Reshma and Ahmed in term of saving their time, to stand in a long queue. Multi-
disciplinary teams work can enhance the satisfactory level of individual patient, in term of
solving health related issue that they are facing recently and in the future, which is important for
healthcare provider to do that.
CONCLUSION
From above analysis, it has been concluded that inter-agency working has achieved the
key aims and objectives in form of considering the key principles of healthcare ethics. It has
enabled healthcare agencies to improve the patients health and increase the recovery rate, more
than last few years or months. Furthermore, by summing up above discussion, it has been
summarized that good leadership amongst healthcare agencies has improved the service standard
and also contributes to increase the flow of healthcare service in the appropriate and satisfactory
manner, which is not that easy for any agency to do that with skilled candidates. Moreover, it has
been determined from above study, that Reshma and Ahmed has appropriately fulfilled their
needs relating to healthcare, because collaborative and effective communication practice of
multi-disciplinary teams determined and analysed their concern, according to which treatment
has been provided to each family member in the UK after immigration from Bangladesh as their
home town.

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Online
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