Health Service Quality & Patient Satisfaction

This assignment requires you to analyze various research papers focused on healthcare service quality and its relationship with patient satisfaction. The papers explore diverse aspects such as the influence of high-performance work systems, relational impacts of provider behavior, and the measurement of user-perceived service quality in mHealth. Your analysis should delve into the key findings presented in these studies to understand how different factors contribute to overall patient satisfaction within the healthcare industry.

Managing Quality

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
(1.1) Stakeholders perspectives in health and social care regarding quality ........................1
(1.2) Role of external agencies in setting standards..............................................................2
(1.3) Impact of poor service quality on health and social care stakeholders..........................3
(2.1) Discuss standards that exist in health and social care for measuring quality ...............3
(2.2) Different approaches to implement quality system in HSC..........................................4
(2.3) Potential barriers to delivery of quality in health and social care..................................4
(3.1) Evaluate the effectiveness of system, policies and procedures used in HSC in achieving
service quality.........................................................................................................................5
(3.2) Outline factors that influence achievement of service quality in HSC..........................6
(3.3) Discuss ways in which HSC can improve its quality....................................................6
(4.1) Outline methods for evaluating HSC quality with regards to internal and external
perspectives............................................................................................................................7
(4.2) Outline impact of involving service users in evaluation process at HSC......................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Quality of services and managing it in effective manner is required in the HSC. This will
help healthcare to garner more patients in way which will enhance their satisfaction in the best
possible way. The enclosed report deals with the RHCH healthcare institution which is faced
with the negative impact on delivering poor services to the patients. Healthcare should be
concern about the service takers because they rely on the services of them to get quickly healthy
so that they may live happily. The HSC should maintain and improve their quality so that they
may be able to provide the best quality of services to them which will provide them speedy
recovery from various diseases (Al Issa and Macian-Juan, 2014). The HSC should be able to
improvise its techniques and should use modern equipments to cure the patients. The modernise
way will provide them speedy and quick recovery ans as a result, the image will be positively
channelised in the minds of the patients in effectual manner.
TASK 1
(1.1) Stakeholders perspectives in health and social care regarding quality
Senior nursing staff: The nursing staff has the responsibility to provides the quality of
care taking to the patients. The senior nursing staff has the duty to delegate the work to the junior
members so that it may take care of the service taker in effective manner. However, the service
given by the nursing staff was not adequate to the patients in the Russell House Care Home
(RHCH). According to the case study, the patient's diagnosis was not done due to shortage of the
machines which was the responsibility of the staff to undertake.
Service user: According to the case study, staff was god in meeting the customer's
expectations. They were adequately meeting the needs and wants of the patients in the bed itself.
Also, beds were clean enough so that health may not be deteriorated (Ding and et.al , 2014).
Staff were able to take care of the patients in effective manner. The family of the patients were
also positive about the staff. It was caring along the time but was sometime busy to deliver the
services.
Payer: They are the stakeholders which want staff to follow a clear and evidence based. It
also involves preparing diagnostic plan and reach accurate treatment of patients so that they
make get healthy as soon as possible.
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CQC (Care Quality Commission) views on the service of the quality suggests that Russell
House Care Home (RHCH) should improve upon its quality of services to met the service taker
needs and wants in effective manner that will enhance their satisfaction. It will provide dignity
and reputation to the healthcare. Staff were able to deliver the services up to the quality but more
can be improved. The incident reporting has to be improved so that patients can be taken care in
the emergency time (Eom and et.al, 2014). This will enhance the RHCH dignity in effectual
manner.
(1.2) Role of external agencies in setting standards
Standard can be defined as principle that is used to measure something. The external
agencies have guided in setting the standards to ensure that quality is managed in the
HSC(Health and Social Care). The external agencies are:
1. CQC(Care Quality Commission)-
CQC guides the healthcare institution to manage the quality of providing services to the
patients in effectual manner. They keep an eye on healthcare homes to make ensure that health
and safety is adequately managed in the institution. RHCH functions according to the CQC so
that it may manage the quality of services to be given and provided to the service taker so that
they remain healthy. It has the authority to manage the units in effective manner so that
efficiency can be maintained in the organisation in totality. CQC is important as it regulates
quality of services in healthcare institution.
2. NICE (National Institute for Care Excellence)-
NICE is responsible to inspect and guide the healthcare so that patients do not
compromise with the quality of services in the organisation. It participates in creating proposal
based system and information for specialists of the healthcare. It also includes to measure the
performance standards and improve quality in the healthcare. RHCH constantly focus on
providing quality of services to the service takers in effective way which enhances their needs
and satisfaction in better and effective way. Because of the involvement of NICE, healthcare
organisations become standardised and improve their quality of services to be provided to the
patients. It also provides doctors to be effective enough to provide good services with the help of
modern equipments. It is important so that quality of services is maintained according to
standards set up by it.
3. MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency)-
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This is government agency is responsible for ensuring medicines are adequate according
to standards and are safe to be taken by patients. It is important so that patients are cured
effectively and no hazardous drug ingredient is taken by them.
4. Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)-
HCPC is formed in UK to deliver quality service standards parameters which are to be
followed by HSC so that they manage their quality. It regulates various professional doctors such
as therapists, clinical scientists, orthoptists and other professions as well. It has also responsible
for regulating social workers in UK.
(1.3) Impact of poor service quality on health and social care stakeholders
The poor service quality may have bad consequences on the patients in the HSC. RHCH
is poor in delivering the quality to their patients. One of the main factor is that patients' dignity is
not been met adequately (Khawandanah and et.al , 2015). The safety of the patients were
hampered resulting in anger, depression, anxiety and other harmful factors. It should provide
good quality and services to the patients depending upon their needs and wants. It will bring
reputation to healthcare in totality.
Patients were also left in the dirty bed. Cleanliness is an important factor in healthcare.
RHCH should provide full cleanliness in the healthcare. Beds should be regularly cleaned and
changed with new bedsheets so that diseases may not spread in the healthcare. This should be
kept in mind. It will provide negative impact on patient's behaviour and reputation will be
forever lost as needs and demands are not fulfilled in the manner which providers satisfaction.
The lack of training among the staff was also negative and poor impact on the
stakeholder. Also, at the busy times, nurses were not available to provide the services to the
patients. This has impacted on the quality of RHCH (Whitmore and et.al, 2014). There is a need
to change the quality of services in the healthcare institution. It is required to make major
amendments in the HSC so that patients can be provided with effective care and services can be
provided to them in better possible way which will enhance the reputation of the healthcare in
positive way.
(2.1) Discuss standards that exist in health and social care for measuring quality
The standards are something that agreed to do something. Standards in the healthcare
institution are important as it is based on the health of the people. It should be of utmost quality
so that service taker can be cured as early as possible in the best possible way. This helps to
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maximise the healthcare reputation. RHCH healthcare has the responsibility to provide pure
drinking water to the patients so that they may not have complications in their recovery such as
dehydration which is bad for their health.
CQC covers 16 health standards that are to be followed by the healthcare institution to
measure the quality of standards. Next issue is cleanliness. Cleanliness is very vital part in the
HSC. It helps to control the diseases in the right manner so that patients may not be affected by
the complications of their health. It also helps to control the infection in the premises. In RHCH,
people were left with dirty hands and bed were also not cleaned. This has badly impacted the
health of the patients in wrong manner. Standards can be measured through benchmarking to
umprove services in the hospitals (Büyüközkan, G. and Çifçi, G., 2012).
According to the case study, privacy was not up to the mark as toilet door was left opened
when patient was using it. CQC commission also respect the dignity and privacy of the patients
in the way which enhances their satisfaction in the best possible way. The incident of door left
opened in the toilet shows the failure of RHCH. By this carelessness of the healthcare, patients
feel neglected and not valued which is inappropriate to them.
(2.2) Different approaches to implement quality system in HSC
There are different approaches to implement the quality system in RHCH. It can
implement the benchmarking in the organisation so that it can measure its efficiency with other
competitors. The benchmarking helps healthcare to make corrective action if some standards
lack in the concern institution. This helps institution to make the most of it by implementing the
right actions so that it may flourish in the market. It will improve the sales, operations and
functioning of hospital in effective manner. RHCH can bring new ideas so that it can incorporate
the changes according to the demands and needs of the patients (Lee, Lee and Kang, 2012).
Another approach is setting care audit in the healthcare institution. Care audit is the
means to showcase the excellence in the hospital to identify the needs and demands of the
service taker which are not met by the institution so that it may implement to improve the quality
in their hospital. The advantage of care audit is to provide the best quality of services so that it
may conquer the demands of the patients in the best possible manner which maximises its
dignity. It also provides evidence of current practices so that guidelines of the external agencies
are met in effective manner.
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Monitoring is also essential part in RHCH as it will provide continuous clarity in
accomplishing the quality in the healthcare institution. It is helpful in improving the job
performance. It also helps in identifying the errors and mistakes and correcting them for the
betterment of the institution. It also ensures staff to perform their duties in the best possible way.
TQM (Total Quality Management) is the primary transition healthcare for managing its
quality in the best possible way so that patients may be satisfied and get treated at the earliest.
Main aim of this approach is to manage quality and becoming customer focus so that they may
be deliver best of quality services to users of it ion effectual manner.
The above approaches are evaluated on the basis of quality so that improvement may be
initiated in healthcare so that they may work upon its deficiencies and results in appropriate
quality standard's delivery to patients so that they get healthy easily and as such, quality must be
the primary responsibility of HSC to succeed.
(2.3) Potential barriers to delivery of quality in health and social care
The barrier in success of the RHCH healthcare can be lack of leadership. It damages the
reputation and name of the hospital and can result in many problems. The lack of leadership can
be seen in monitoring system as it was ineffective. Also, the data management was not up to the
mark. Also, patient information was not recorded in the database which means the regulations in
the Health and Social Care Act was not met.
Another barrier is poor communication as it reduces the effectiveness in accomplishing
the work by staff. When communication is not adequate then healthcare suffers as its quality of
services are affected by it (Singh Gaur and et.al, 2011). In order to manage the quality of
services, communication between the staff members should be vibrant and transparent. Thus,
communication barrier may be solved and services will be delivered to patients quite
successfully. As according to the case study, there were increase in number of patients were
waiting at the corridor for doctor which was inappropriate. It was also mentioned that patients
were been shifted because beds were not adequate in quantity for them.
Another barrier which can be analysed from the case study is that improper maintaining
records of the patients. This can lead to serious repercussions on health of patients in RHCH as
medication mismanagement may take place which is serious barrier in healthcare. Beds were not
in appropriate quantity which was a barrier to service quality (Akter, D’Ambra and Ray, 2013).
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These are the barriers to RHCH as it has not maintained its service quality and as such patients
were not satisfied with the services being used by them.
(3.1) Evaluate the effectiveness of system, policies and procedures used in HSC in achieving
service quality
In HSC, patient trust and loyalty is important so that it may achieve its objectives in
effectual manner. Also, RHCH has the responsibility to protect its service user from abuse and
harm. It has to make adequate policies and rules so that authentic protection can be provided to
patients and they may feel safe and secure. They should meet standards of work in lawful and
effective way. This makes patients extremely satisfied as healthcare ensures their security
through vibrant rules and regulations.
As per the case study, hydration chart provides evidence that how much fluid patients has
drunk and also it takes balance between the input and output of fluid which provides proof on
how much patient has recovered and any deviations can be identified from that. But, these were
not followed according to the policy. Nearly 90 % fluid charts were not utilised to assess the
mistake and output was not good as well. Patients has infections and had difficulty in drinking
themselves. This however breaches policy of CQC. The policy was not effective as staff did not
follow it (Vogus and McClelland, 2016). Dehydration impairs body and toxins spread throughout
the body. All of these repercussions were found because of inappropriate hydration charts which
lead to breach of policy.
Improper records lead to unfulfilled needs of service-user. As such, system becomes
ineffective. This may be such that if one staff forwards shift to another, then complications arises
because of not recording patients records. This could lead to over dosing of medicines. As, it can
be seen in the case study. RHCH should maintain effective system and policies so that patients
may get quality services which makes them healthy within stipulated time.
(3.2) Outline factors that influence achievement of service quality in HSC
The factor that influence HSC quality is service user expectations which is important as
they are experts of their own care. Service user should be placed in RHCH as centre and means
to allow taking part in decision making and getting feedback so that they are satisfied with the
service. Questionnaires can help express their thoughts and RHCH can implement their views so
that improvement in service can be accomplished by healthcare (Ahmed and et.al, 2017).
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Another factor is improved communication system so that it may achieve productivity
and strong relationships can be developed by it. When communication is strong, staff is able to
make good contribution to healthcare by delivering quality of services which is possible by
having clarity to accomplish tasks which proper communication provides to healthcare. As
according to case study, proper records of patients were not maintained and this can be achieved
by proper communication channel in healthcare.
(3.3) Discuss ways in which HSC can improve its quality
HSC can improve its service quality by adequately monitoring activities of staff whether
they are working accurately or not. Monitoring is important so that if any discrepancies are
observed by healthcare, it may resolve by taking effective measures. Also, duties and
responsibilities are met by staff with effective monitoring.
Another way by improving service quality is imparting training to the staff. It is essential
so that data management systems can be effectively handled by them. Also, training will reduce
problems which are faced by staff. It helps to develop individual capabilities by improving
service quality which they provide to patients.
Proper keeping of records of patients also help to improve service quality as complication
observed in providing drugs or medication may be reduced and no adverse effect may be
reflected to the patient's health (Ferrand and et.al, 2016). This is essential as patients recovery is
main concern of healthcare.
(4.1) Outline methods for evaluating HSC quality with regards to internal and external
perspectives
The methods for evaluating quality can be conducting focus groups and interviews. As it
is good method and technique for RHCH as it will impart them with fair and accurate results and
opinion about the service. While, interviews will lead to identify issues and to accomplish better
quality of service.
Another method is questionnaire and survey. It may help healthcare to get feedback from
patients and it will help them to make improvement in healthcare facilities (Georgiadou and
Maditinos, 2017). It will endure to learn when errors occurred and also it will give them
transparency to things which are going wrong on their ends so that it may satisfy service users by
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providing with adequate services. Questionnaire will give them clarity in accomplishing tasks
and customers satisfaction may be achieved by them in totality.
(4.2) Outline impact of involving service users in evaluation process at HSC
The advantage of involving patients in evaluation process at RHCH is essential as it will
develop self esteem and also it will give chance to patients so voice their views that are given to
them by healthcare. Moreover, it will provide transparency of sharing information along with
patients and relatives across all health to become partners with commissioners.
In contrary to above advantages, involving service user in evaluation process can be
dangerous. They may be afraid to approach the process for reasons such as they be scared that
individual care planning and treatments however they might not consider take thoughtful of
process when information is inappropriate.
Strategies involving service users at RHCH need to take into account in involving
patients and family members. They must contribute in decision making so that their own needs
are taken in account and should be involved in service quality improvement (Mosadeghrad, 2014
Factors influencing health-care service quality).
CONCLUSION
Hereby it can be concluded that healthcare has to make optimum quality of services so
that it may satisfy needs and demands of service user with full effectiveness. Various rules and
regulations and policies are to be followed by the health-care so that it may protect and safeguard
the security and safety of patients. This will help health-care to improve upon the service quality.
Various methods such as questionnaires and surveys should be conducted by it. Also, barriers to
poor quality like communication and not maintaining records of patients should be resolved by
it. All such measures will surely improve the service quality and patients will be satisfied and
objectives will be accomplished in effectual manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Al Issa, S. and Macian-Juan, R., 2014. Experimental investigation of countercurrent flow
limitation (CCFL) in a large-diameter hot-leg geometry: A detailed description of CCFL
mechanisms, flow patterns and high-quality HSC imaging of the interfacial structure in a
1/3.9 scale of PWR geometry. Nuclear Engineering and Design. 280. pp.550-563.
Ding, X. and et.al , 2014. Quality improvements of cell membrane chromatographic
column. Journal of Chromatography A. 1359. pp.330-335.
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Eom, J.E. and et.al, 2014. Quality of functional haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from
cryopreserved human umbilical cord blood. Vox sanguinis. 107(2), pp.181-187.
Khawandanah, M. and et.al , 2015. DMSO induced myocardial infarction during allogeneic
cryopreserved bone marrow transplant. Annals of hematology. 94(3). pp.511-513.
Whitmore, B.C. and et.al, 2014. Enhancing Science with the Hubble Source Catalog.
In American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts# 223(Vol. 223).
Büyüközkan, G. and Çifçi, G., 2012. A combined fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS based strategic
analysis of electronic service quality in healthcare industry. Expert Systems with
Applications, 39(3), pp.2341-2354.
Lee, S. M., Lee, D. and Kang, C. Y., 2012. The impact of high-performance work systems in the
health-care industry: employee reactions, service quality, customer satisfaction, and
customer loyalty. The Service Industries Journal, 32(1). pp .17-36.
Singh Gaur and et.al, 2011. Relational impact of service providers' interaction behavior in
healthcare. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal. 21(1). pp .67-87.
Akter, S., D’Ambra, J. and Ray, P., 2013. Development and validation of an instrument to
measure user perceived service quality of mHealth. Information & Management. 50(4).
pp .181-195.
Vogus, T. J. and McClelland, L. E., 2016. When the customer is the patient: Lessons from
healthcare research on patient satisfaction and service quality ratings. Human Resource
Management Review. 26(1). pp .37-49.
Ahmed, S. and et.al, 2017. Service quality, patient satisfaction and loyalty in the Bangladesh
healthcare sector. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 30(5). pp .477-
488.
Ferrand, Y.B. and et.al, 2016. Patient Satisfaction With Healthcare Services: A Critical
Review.Quality Management Journal. 23(4).
Georgiadou, V. A. and Maditinos, D., 2017. Measuring the quality of health services provided at
a Greek Public Hospital through patient satisfaction: Case Study: The General Hospital of
Kavala. International Journal of Business & Economic Sciences Applied Research. 10(2).
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Online
Mosadeghrad, 2014 Factors influencing health-care service quality [IOnline] Available
Through: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4122083/>
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