Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care

Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care 1
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
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Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care 2
Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care
Introduction
Health and social care are very important aspects in the nursing practice especially when
patients and clients are incorporated into the care. Health care may be defined as the treatment of
the ill and other medical conditions in various health facilities and the community at large
(Reeves et al., 2011). Social care, on the other hand, may be defined as the support and care
provided to the vulnerable and the at-risk population in the community (Barnard et al., 2008). It
is important to note that health and social care may incorporate some elements of ethics,
sociology, law, and nutrition thus making it a quite sophisticated aspect of care.
Partnerships in health and social care are important because they bring several separate
organizations together. This aspect of coming together benefits all the parties involved due to
power-sharing, pooled expertise, and shared resources (Glasby and Dickinson, 2014, p.27).
Partnering with the users of services becomes even more important because everyone works
towards a common goal and it promotes a patient-centered approach to care (Mockford et al.,
2011, p.33). In this essay, we are going to talk about the importance of partnering with service
users. Additionally, the essay talks about person-centered care and personalization. Furthermore,
it talks about theories like advocacy, self-help, empowerment, user involvement, and working in
partnerships. Finally, the essay talks about the importance of anti-discriminatory practice and the
impact of inequality on user involvement.
Personalization and Person-Centered Care
Person-centered care has become a very important concept in in health systems all over
the world in recent times. Person-centered care means that the patients are involved in the care

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services provided by the various health facilities. Their input to the decision-making process is
important and they are made part of any decision-making process involving their health (Ekman
et al., 2011, p. 249). Such an approach helps the carers to understand patient experience and offer
the best available care options. Personalization, on the other hand, could be used to mean that a
patient, their families, and carers have the control and choice of their most preferred support on a
daily occurrence (Miles and Mezzich, 2011, p.3). Healthcare systems and practitioners can
ensure that they offer personalized care by employing the person-centered approach to care. In
doing so, they get to understand some of the things that may be important to the patient, they also
know how to support them, and finally understand their way of communication and how they
make decisions. The aim of all health and social care professionals should be to empower the
patients and their families through person-centered care thus enabling them to have control and
make their own choices regarding the type of service they wish to receive. The freedom of
choice enables every individual to be equal to the other in the partnership to deliver quality care.
It is very important to involve the service users in the plans aimed at offering health and
social care. Firstly, this involvement improves the health and wellbeing of the patient. Being in
control of one’s health and wellbeing can tremendously transform their lives. When individuals
are involved in care, they choose the support system or mode of treatment that are in line with
their preferences and thus making decisions that improve their mental and physical wellbeing
(Rhodes, 2012, p.186). Secondly, it improves the quality of care by reducing unnecessary
changes in care provision and treatments because all decisions are informed and based on the
preferences of an individual. There is thus a greater patient satisfaction. Thirdly, it enhances
financial stability in addition to enabling an effective resources allocation. When the healthcare

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practitioner involves the patient in a shared decision-making process, then the patient may
possibly make good use of the available resources thus potentially reducing overtreatment.
Critique of Personalization and Person-Centered Care
It is important to note that personalization and person-centered care are not standard
practices in most healthcare settings. This is due to the fact that most healthcare practitioners do
not engage in shared decision-making with their patients. They, as a matter of fact, see the goals
and preferences of the patients only in terms of certain health outcomes. It is important to note
that the adoption of a person-centered approach to care would require some big changes to the
way services are delivered (Koren, 2010, p. 315). The roles of all the parties involved including
the healthcare practitioners and the patients may also need to change to ensure that the adoption
of a person-centered approach is a success. These shortcomings are some of the factors that make
the implementation of personalization and person-centered approach to care so challenging.
It is also important to notice that personalization of care may sometimes seem
unreasonable as the patient or their families may not always make the best care and support
decisions. One of the most important standards of nursing requires that the nurse must always
ensure the safety of the patient. This may, however, become impossible through personalization
of care as the patient or their family may make a health decision that may seem detrimental to
their health and wellbeing (Entwistle and Watt, 2013, p.35). The nurse is thus forced to honor
this decision because the patient has the right to accept or refuse a particular treatment procedure
or medication.
There are several challenges that healthcare facilities and practitioners face in an attempt
to ensure the maximum involvement of the service users in support and care plans. Firstly, most