Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care: Influencing Improvement

This essay explores contemporary issues within the health and social care sector, focusing on their influence on service improvement, particularly in the role of a care assistant. Key issues identified include the lack of advanced health technology, staffing shortages, limited advancement opportunities,...Read More

Contemporary Issues:
Table of Contents

POWERPOINT SECTION..............................................................................................................1
WRITTEN SECTION......................................................................................................................6
Introduction......................................................................................................................................6
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................7
Variety of contemporary issues within your own area of health and social care sector that
could influence service improvement.....................................................................................7
Key perspective and the impact upon care delivery...............................................................8
A specific perspective and it’s the impact on healthcare delivery in the UK.........................9
Recommendation to mitigate the issue and challenges created by Covid-19......................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

POWERPOINT SECTION
1

2

3

4

5

WRITTEN SECTION
Introduction
The study of contemporary issue by the health care students supports improved in solving
impact global issues through service learning and taking part in senior projects. The specific area
that has been chosen for current project and meets my career interest is the job role of assistant
care (Grima, Özen and Boz, 2021). It has been analysed and find out that the care assistant job
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that is also known as Professional Carer, are the one who are having the responsibility for
regularly up keeping their clients' hygiene along with properly ensuring the safety of patients
along with facilitating and ensuring effective social-emotional support for the patients and their
family members. Along with this, the main duties of a care assistant tend to include the
administering of medications, cleaning and maintaining hygiene at client's living area along with
effectively managing activity and designing care schedules of patients.
Main Body
Variety of contemporary issues within your own area of health and social care sector that could
influence service improvement
It has been analysed and observed that many contemporary issues are present within the
health and social care sector that could influence service improvement which comprises of Lack
of Advanced Health Technology, Healthcare Staffing Shortages, No Advancement
Opportunities, Lack of Mentoring, Poor Organizational Culture and Lack of Training or
Professional Development that has been commonly seen in the sector of care assistant. It has
been seen that the lack of advanced technology is a major issue faced as care assistant as it
directly affects and impact the level of the service provided (Sharma, Kaur and Syan, 2021).
Along with this, it has been that staffing shortage is also a common issue that is seen in within
the area of health care assistant that leads to issue of hectic schedules and burnouts in health and
social care sector. Along with this, lack of proper training and mentoring within the health care
sector are also vital contemporary issues that is negatively impacting the service provided.
Beside this, poor organisational culture within the care assistant are also leading the lack of
motivation and enthusiasm within the care assistant that is negatively influencing the service
providence within the health and social care sector. In the current 21st century the main
contemporary issues that are being influencing the improvement of health and social acre
services in all aspects and care assistant area are provided and discussed as below:
Covid-19- It basically comprises of situation of global pandemic that is created by spread
of corona virus and outbreak of this virus across all the regions of world including UK where it
has a more intense impact on health care services. It was first generate in the China the main
symptoms of which comprises of a high temperature, continuous cough and a loss or change to
your sense of smell or taste (Afolayan, 2021). The main influence of Covid-19 comprises of
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continuous spread of virus and rising number of cases and death that causes a situation of
shortage of staff within the health and social care area. Further, prevention of doctors and
medical staff from this virus during the examination and taking care is also a main issue along
with burnouts and tight schedules of doctors and other health care workers during the times of
this pandemic. Thus, Health and social care sector has been at the centre of the COVID-19 crisis
as they had the responsibility of treating COVID-19 patients and at the same time also faced
several challenges such as shortage of staff, lack of medical equipment due to huge increase in
demand for acute care and many more (Healy, 2021).
Brexit- This basically reflects the withdrawal and exit of the United Kingdom from the
European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community at the end of 31 January 2020.
Many issues and challenges are being lead out by the Brexit referendum as maximum number of
employees who are working within the health and social care services of UK are not having the
nationality of UK. Thus, the main issue and challenge created by Brexit comprises of shortage of
staffing due to which the UK heath care sector and NHS is not able to function in an effective
manner and complication related with the recruitment and retention of nurse and care assistant
has been faced. It also affects the manufacturing and supply of the medicine and other medical
tools that create many issues for health and social care area of UK which influence the level and
quality of service provided (Uncen, 2021).
Key perspective and the impact upon care delivery
It has been analysed and seen that the Covid-19 is a global pandemic that has affected
and impacted every area and section of economy and world but the sector that is most hardly hit
by the covid-19 is medical and health care sector. The key perspective that has been most
negatively affected by the issue of Covid-19 are presented and discussed as below:
International and global context- The impact of covid-19 at international and global context
comprises of sudden lockdown and restrictions in global trade and movement of people across
different nation to control the spread of covid-19 (Grima, Özen and Boz, 2021).
National level- At national perspective a severe impact in the economy of nation has
been lead out by covid-19 due to sudden lockdown which has affected all business operation and
decision making along with losses for shareholders and stoppage of supply of crucial material.
Further, a major impact on government policy has been also seen as they had to made many new
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provisions and strict rules for all business sector include medical and health acre for having
proper social distancing other precautions (Sharma, Kaur and Syan, 2021).
Local perspective- The local perspective comprises of the health care practitioner, service
users, action groups, local media are most negatively affected and impacted by the impact of
covid-19. The negative impact of covod-19 on heath ace practitioner and care assistant comprises
of the fact that they need to treat the patient and reduce the rate of death along with protecting
themselves from the spread of those delay virus. Along with this, sudden increase in convid-19
cases has created and leads to the issue of shortage of staff to take proper care of patients and
also impacted the level of service (Afolayan, 2021).
A specific perspective and it’s the impact on healthcare delivery in the UK.
The Specific perspective that has been selected for current project comprises the on the
heath care practitioner and care assistant from the lack perceptive who are greatly impacted by
covid-19 and also influence the health care delivery within the UK. It has been seen and analysed
that the increase in the number of deaths and serious illness within the local hospitals and
perspective is the biggest negative impact of covid-19 that creates a drastic impact on health care
delivery in UK as people started getting panic and many mental illness has been also seen such
as depression and anxiety in people (COVID-19: Five dimensions of impact, 2020). Further, an
indirect impact of covid-19 has been also seen on the health care delivery within UK as the
people with acute conditions and chronic conditions other than COVID-19 are facing an issue of
lack of medical assistance and care as a high level of interruption and disruption is being lead out
during the time of covid-19 scenario in form of lock down and social distancing norms along
with strict government interventions to restrict movement to curb the transmission of COVID-19.
Further, the most vital and severe impact of covid-19 on the health care delivery within UK
comprises of hammering of the service capacity and resilience of health care sector in form
shortage of staff and lack of skilled care assistance and availability of practitioner and doctors.
This, tend to create a negative impact on healthcare delivery in the UK as it suffers the level of
services offered to patient due to burnout of doctors and hectic schedule of care assistant along
with lack of proper care to continuously rising patients who are affected with covid-19 and other
fatal diseases creating a sense of anxiety in patients and health care worker (Healy, 2021).
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Recommendation to mitigate the issue and challenges created by Covid-19
Following recommendation could be made to ensure that the challenges of Covid-19 get
mitigate in best possible way and gives most appropriate results with minimum disruptions to
healthcare services provided.
 It has been analysed that the stooping the spread of covid-19 within the health care
practitioner and assistant is the most effective way to ensure better treatment for patients
along with mitigating shortage of staff. Thus, ensuring a regular and proper availability of
a safer and secure PPT kits along with other health and medical care techniques and tools
should be provided within health acre industry of UK to effectively diagnose and treat
covid-19 patient which is the first and foremost recommendation for medical and heath
care.
 The another vital challenge that has been faced within local practitioner is lack of medical
acre and support service for the patient who are dealing with other severe and chronic
disease. Thus, providing online care and assistance and guidance through making use of
digital channels together with providing improved digital medical solution for acute
conditions and chronic conditions that has been also interrupted during the time of
lockdown and covid-19 scenario is also recommended (Uncen, 2021).
 Shortage of staff is the another biggest challenge lead out by covid-19 thus, ensuring
improved recruitment and retention of health care practitioner and assistant has been also
recommended for NHS through making use of online techniques to overcome the issue of
shortage of staff. Along with this, proper training and guidance for care assistance has
been also recommended to ensure better use of medical technique and facilitated an
improved quality services and care within health care sector of UK.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of current project, a conclusion can be made that many contemporary issues
and challenges in form of lack of staff, shortage of talented candidates, inefficient techniques,
etc. are faced with in heath and care sector. A summarisation can be made that covid-19 is the
most fatal global pandemic that has disrupted and interrupted health and social care services
through lockdown and other strict provisions. At last, a summarisation can be made that adopting
use of online consulting and digital guidance are effective recommendation to mitigate challenge
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of convid-19 along with ensuring improved recruitment and retention of nurses and care
assistance.
REFERENCES
Books and journal
Afolayan, O.T., 2021. Management Theories and Contemporary Issues in Managing Libraries in
Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice, pp.1A-13.
Grima, S., Özen, E. and Boz, H., 2021. Contemporary Issues in Social Science. Emerald
Publishing Limited.
Healy, J., 2021. Book Review: Contemporary Issues in Work and Organisations: Actors and
Institutions. By Russell D. Lansbury, Anya Johnson, and Diane van den Broek.
Sharma, R.R., Kaur, T. and Syan, A.S., 2021. Contemporary Issues in Sustainability Marketing.
In Sustainability Marketing. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Uncen, H., 2021. Institutionalization of adult education in China: government regulation and
contemporary issues.
Online:
COVID-19: Five dimensions of impact. 2020. [Online] Available Through:<
https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/blogs/covid-19-five-dimensions-of-impact
>.
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