Improving Quality: Health and Social Care Management Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of quality management within health and social care organizations, focusing on the case of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the National Health Service (NHS). It examines stakeholder perspectives on service quality, the role of external agencies in setting quality standards, and the impact of poor service quality. The report evaluates different approaches for implementing quality systems, potential barriers to quality care delivery, and the effectiveness of existing systems, policies, and procedures. Furthermore, it assesses methods for evaluating service quality from both internal and external viewpoints, emphasizing the importance of user involvement in the evaluation process. The analysis concludes with recommendations for improving quality within health and social care services, highlighting the significance of clinical governance and continuous improvement.

MANAGING QUALITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
introduction......................................................................................................................................2
task 1................................................................................................................................................2
1.1 explanation of perspectives that stakeholders in health and social care have regarding
quality..........................................................................................................................................2
1.2 analyses of the role of external agencies in setting standards for quality in health and social
care...............................................................................................................................................3
1.3 assessment of the impact of poor service quality on the stakeholders...................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Explanation of standards for measuring quality that exist in residential care facilities........4
Different standards can be used in existing residential care facilities for measuring quality.
These are;.....................................................................................................................................4
2.2 Evaluation of different approaches for implementing quality systems.................................5
2.3 Analyzing potential barriers to delivery of quality care........................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
Role play......................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Evaluation of the effectiveness of systems, policies and procedures....................................7
3.2 Analysis of the factors that can influence the achievement of quality..................................8
3.3 Ways by which the health and social care service could improve quality............................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................9
4.1 Evaluation of the methods for evaluating health and social care service quality with regard
to external and internal perspectives............................................................................................9
4.2 Impact that involving users of services in the evaluation process has on service quality.....9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Appropriate management of quality at the time of providing health care service to
different patient is one of the major requirements of health and social care organizations. But,
maintenance and improvement in service quality if crucial task for hsc (fornaciari and callens,
2012). The current research report is based on managing quality in health and social care
organizations. It shed lights on the case related to the infection diseases methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus (mrsa). In addition, study will focus on nhs which also deal with these
types of diseases. Research includes the perspectives of different stakeholder towards the service
quality. It will also describe the different strategies for achieving the high service quality.
Including this, there are different policies and procedures which can affect the quality of health
and social care organization and services which are also described in the current report. Along
with this, different methodologies for evaluating health and social care service quality are also
describing in the following paragraphs of the report.
TASK 1
1.1 explanation of perspectives that stakeholders in health and social care have regarding quality
According to the given case, local health and social care organization is associated with
the different stakeholders and they have their own perspective towards the quality of services.
Major stakeholders of health and social care are service users, health care professionals and care
commissioners. As per the given case, service users are facing the infection problem due to the
sharing food and accommodation (boylan, 2008). As per the perspective of patients, quality of
the services can be declined due to the improper care, inappropriate cleaning facilities,
unavailability of resources, etc. Service users require high quality services for reducing the
negative impact of the infection diseases mrsa. According to the care commissioner’s perspective
quality of the services of hsc must fulfill all quality standards which will help in resolving the
different health issues of various service users. According to the staff or health care professionals
nhs provides best quality services to their patients but infection diseases reflect that all
professional has not provided appropriate service quality to every patient. Therefore, got
providing appropriate quality services organization should make arrangement of training and
development of every staff member (exter, 2008).
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1.2 analyses of the role of external agencies in setting standards for quality in health and social
care
There are different external agencies and regulatory authorities which play very
important role in developing standards for quality in nhs. Major agencies include nice (national
institute for clinical excellence), coq and health service commission, etc. Care quality
commission plays very significant role in setting quality standards for nhs (healy, 2011). Cqc
helps in developing and inspecting the fundamental standards of care for health and social care
organization for reducing the negative impacts of infection. These standards also focuses on the
different areas for examples, food and drink, staffing and health and social care workers, safety
of patient, cleanliness of premise and equipment’s. For attaining all the standards of cqc, nhs
needs to develop appropriate plan of maintaining clean and safe environment of patient. Along
with this, nice play important role in setting priority standard for health and social care
organizations. As per these standards, nhs needs to provide all required services to all patients
with the best evidence and practices (herring, 2013). Including this, major role of health service
commissioners is taking actions against different complains about the service providers. It also
help in improving the quality of the services of nhs. Along with this, actions of this agency also
help in improving the overall quality of health services of different health care organizations.
1.3 assessment of the impact of poor service quality on the stakeholders
As per the given case scenario, spread of infectious diseases methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) affect the health conditions of individuals. At the same time poor
quality services of nhs may have impact on different stakeholders in negative manner. It can
affect the physical and mental health conditions of different service users or patients. In this
infection major need of patient is hygiene and patient safety but, poor quality services cannot
provide appropriate safety to every patients which increases the health risk for every service
users. As per the given case, this infection diseases can affect the health conditions of elderly
patient. So, poor quality services can raise the social issues in nhs regarding the care of elderly
patients. Similarly, poor quality services of nhs has reflected in disciplinary actions of all health
care professionals (fillerup, 2007). It can create question mark on skills, knowledge and
capabilities of every professionals. Therefore, poor quality services of nhs have negative impacts
on all stakeholder of nhs.
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TASK 2
2.1 Explanation of standards for measuring quality that exist in residential care facilities
Different standards can be used in existing residential care facilities for measuring quality. These
are;
National occupational standards (NOS) - These standards give a detailed account about
the skill set, understanding and knowledge that is to be possessed by health car staff for
carrying out a particular task. These thus aid in measuring the overall quality to be
processed in residential care settings. The National occupational standards further present
a set of Key activities that can act as a major tool to improve their performance (Deeks,
Dinnes and D’amico, 2003).
NHS performance framework- This framework assists in the organization about the
criteria that is used for performance assessment. Irv further provides data to health
authorities about what is meant by poor quality abs how to deal with the same. The
framework is inclusive of 5 areas being transparency, consistency, proactivity,
proportionate and recovery focused (Øvretveit, 2000). These principles thus act as a
major guideline for measuring quality in residential care facilities.
 Skills for care- This is regarded as development body that aids in addressing the social
care practiced followed in England. It further aids in measuring quality of services. The
development body further makes sure that staff members have got the presence of right
set of skills and values by which they can deliver high quality care (Varkey and
Kollengode, 2011). Standards of Proficiency for Social Workers- These standards have led to setting up of
areas so that safe and effective practice can be ensured within health care profession.
They are regarded as threshold for protecting the service users who visit the residential
home. These proficient standards are a must to be met by staff members. Proper using of
these standards can ensure that residential care facility is effectively able to measure the
quality of service and compare it both the benchmarks. Loopholes can then be worked
upon (Robert, 2013).
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2.2 Evaluation of different approaches for implementing quality systems
There can be use of many approaches by which proper quality systems can be implemented in
the organization. These are as follows;,
 Setting targets – It is very essential for management team at NHS to set targets. It can aid
in implementing quality systems. This is likely to bring a substantial improvement in
quality residential care setting of NHS. Monitoring- Effective monitoring of quality systems can be done by making use of
cameras, video recording etc. In this regard, a senior nurse can be appointed that may
assist in monitoring through cameras. Recording can be taken with respect to whether
hand washing is being practiced or not, floor cleaning is being done as well as how often
equipment’s are being washed after usage. The action can be taken against those who are
not adhering with the above mentioned practices.
 Training session – This can be regarded as a major approach that can assist in
implementing quality systems within residential care setting of NHS. Trainers can be
appointed who can reveal about importance of quality (Büyüközkan, Çifçi and Güleryüz,
2011). They can further take activities within premises so that quality can be maintained.
Presentations can be taken by them followed by disturbing pamphlets with respect to
how hygiene and quality can be maintained. This will aid in communicating about
importance of quality culture and make staff adhere with quality (Epping-Jordan, Pruitt,
Bengoa and Wagner, 2004).
 Providing adequate resources- Quality systems can only implemented when the staff
members have been provided with adequate resources. These include hand washing
equipment’s, masks etc. Other than that separate and isolated eating areas must be made
for patients who are suffering from infectious disease.
 Commitment to Quality – The Company can make Commitment to Quality as its
mission. This can help in delivery of safe, cost-effective care. It may further led to
launch of initiative so as to increase quality, control and productivity. Initiatives in the
areas of patient safety, medical staff governance as well as practices of nursing can be
launched. It can lead to addressing of issues related to patient safety and reporting, as
well as nursing excellence and patient throughput.
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2.3 Analyzing potential barriers to delivery of quality care
There is a presence of many barriers that may affect the overall quality in health and social care
services. These are;
 Lack of resources – There are instances when the facility may face lack of resources in
form of masks, hand washing gels, towels etc. An absent of huge rush during festive
season is also a cause of concern. Other than that lack of finances can e dot non
recruitment of staff as well as purchase? Communication- This section plays a crucial role so as to deliver proper care. Hence,
communication of information must be done on right time so as not to hinder the quality.
Urgency of situation must be made aware to all so that proper step can be taken by every
staff member. It can also be assessed that none maintain of supportive and friendly
culture may led to barrier in communication. His may ultimately affect the overall quality
being practiced in company.
 Lack of proper training – It can further be a key reason by which quality care cannot be
provided by staff members. There is a possibility that new recruits may face issues with
respect to adhering with quality standards. Hence training can asset in rectifying the
given issue.
 Huge inflow of patients as well as work load – This may make it difficult for care
workers to adhere with the quality standards. They may tend to forget washing hands as
well as equipment’s.
TASK 3
Role play
Attached oral presentation
3.1 Evaluation of the effectiveness of systems, policies and procedures
There are different system, policies and procedures which can improve the service quality of
NHS. Evaluation of the effectiveness of these is described as under:
Clinical governance is a major system which focuses on the continuous improvement in
the service quality of different health care services of NHS. Therefore, it is helpful for
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maintaining high quality strand tads for residential care services and settings. Therefore, it is
helpful for achieving the high quality standards for providing service to every patient (Eriksson,
2012).
ISO9000 is one of the major quality standard for health and social care organizations. It
focuses on the high quality of services by hard work, good planning and continuous
improvement. So, it is very effective for improving the documentation and records of all patients
of NHS. Along with this, it is also helpful for proving best services to every patients as per their
needs and requirements of health conditions (Tasman, 2008). It is also very effective for saving
cost and improving productivity of NHS.
National government of UK has introduced different policies for improving the quality of
services of health care organizations. These policies are very effective for maintaining quality of
services for residential and nursing care. Along with this, all these policies also focuses on the
safety and security of service users and maintaining of the favorable environment for patients
and professionals (Willis, 2013). Overall, different policies help in managing high quality of
different types of health services.
3.2 Analysis of the factors that can influence the achievement of quality
Availability of resources is one of the major factor which can influence the service
quality of health services of NHS. If organization has appropriate resources for providing
different services to patients then it can maintaining high quality standards. But, lack of
resources can re4duce the quality standards of health care services.
Capability of professional in terms of Skills, knowledge and competencies of different
health care professional can also affect the service quality. Experienced and skilled professional
can maintain and achieve all quality standards (Collins, 2009). But, lack of training and
capabilities can create problem in providing qualitative services to all patients.
Health care professional can determine the needs and requirements of patients by making
communication with them which will help in providing qualitative services. But, poor
communication with patient will lead inappropriate identification of requirements of service
users which can harm the quality standards also (VanVactor, 2013).
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3.3 Ways by which the health and social care service could improve quality
 Implementing quality standards: NHS should follow all quality standards, policies and
systems which have developed by different authorized health and social care agencies
(Fillerup, 2007). This implementation will help in maintaining high quality standards in
health care services.
 Training and development of staff: Using this way NHS can improve skills, knowledge
and capabilities of every health professional which will help in managing quality of
services at the time of providing service to different patients (Daly, 2012).
 Guidelines: As per the given case, organization is suffering from the infection diseases.
So, company needs to develop a standard guideline for providing service to different
patients. It will help in maintaining quality standards.
TASK 4
4.1 Evaluation of the methods for evaluating health and social care service quality with regard to
external and internal perspectives
For evaluating the service quality in NHS, SERVQUAL method has been chosen. This is
a quality management framework. The main components o high quality service are highlighted
by it. ServQual is based on five dimensions which define the quality of service. These are
reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy and tangibles.
The method can be applied to the issues in the case study facility NHS. It is facing the
issue of spread of infectious diseases. With the help of five dimensions of Servqual, various
areas of service of the residential home can be evaluated. This will comprise of finding out the
reliability, assurance, responsiveness of service. A questionnaire can be prepared for this. It will
be based on evaluating the quality of care service in different areas of the residential home.
Following it, the management can be asked to fill the questionnaire. Therefore, gap can be
determined in the dimensions which could not fulfilled by the residential home while providing
service.
The case study facility suffers from various problems related to quality. These are sharing
of accommodation and eating areas, lack of isolation wards for infected residents, lack of hand
hygiene and awareness regarding prevention of infection. Possible strategies and solutions for
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improving service would include placing infected patients in separate isolation wards. The eating
places should also be separate for healthy and infected individuals. Along with that, good hand
hygiene practices should be implemented. The service users can be involved in the problem
solving effort through various methods. These include questionnaire and discussion sessions.
4.2 Impact that involving users of services in the evaluation process has on service quality
There are various strengths of ServQual method. It assists in understanding the
perceptions of service users about their service needs and expectations. It is beneficial for
providing appropriate services to service users. Along with this, it also helps in determining the
perception of the healthcare staff at the facility. Further, it helps in gap analysis and thus leads to
improvements in the service. Overall, ServQual method is effective for maintaining hihgh quality
services in health and social care perspective. But, on the other hand, the method also suffers
from some limitations. It lacks reliability and validity. Also, ServQual method in not based on an
established economic or statistical theory. All these limitations can affect the total quality of the
health care services of the organization but different health care companies use appropriate
precautions and strategies for managing these limitations and improving quality of HSC practices
and services.
CONCLUSION
It can be coincided that stakeholders often possess different perspectives towards quality
to be maintained within health and social are setting. Hence the need on art of NHS management
is to take into consideration all the areas before ensuring for quality. In the same way, external
agencies have further got a crucial role to play in maintain the overall quality. Poor quality is
likely to increase patient inflow and affect the health status of entire nation. However, it is
further true that quality achievement has further got a presence of many barriers such as lack of
resources, proper training huge inflow of patients among others. The need is to implement proper
quality mechanisms so as to make the nation a healthy one.
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