Assessment of Quality Systems, Policies, and Procedures in Healthcare

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Unit 27: Managing Quality in Health in Health and Social Care
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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................................3
Task 1: Understand differing perspectives of quality in relation to health and social care services. 675...............4
1.1 Explain perspectives that stakeholders in health and social care have regarding quality...............................4
1.2 Analyse the role of external agencies in setting standards..............................................................................4
1.3Assess the impact of poor service quality on health and social care stakeholders.........................................5
Task 2: Understand strategies for achieving quality in health and social care services..........................................6
2.1 Explain the standards that exist in health and social care for measuring quality..........................................6
2.2 Evaluate different approaches to implementing quality systems..................................................................6
2.3 Analyse potential barriers to delivery of quality health and social care services..........................................7
Task 3: Be able to evaluate systems, policies and procedures in health and social care services........................8
3.1Evaluate the effectiveness of systems, policies and procedures used in a health and social care setting in
achieving quality in the service(s) offered...........................................................................................................8
3.2 Analyse other factors that influence the achievement of quality in the health and social care service.........8
3.3 Suggest ways in which the health and social care service could improve its quality....................................8
Task 4: Understand methodologies for evaluating health and social care service quality.......................................10
4.1 Evaluate methods for evaluating health and social care service quality with regard to external and internal
perspectives........................................................................................................................................................10
4.2 Discuss the impact that involving users of services in the evaluation process has on service quality.......10
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................12
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Reference List........................................................................................................................................................13
Introduction
Health and social care sectors are the one which promotes health and operates for the welfare of people. It
works to make the world a better place to live and makes sure that people are aware of the ways that promotes
health and their welfare. It is liable for the proper diagnosis of people and makes people aware of the methods
that can be used for their welfare. In this assignment, the role of external agencies in setting proper standards for
health and social care sectors like Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust has been described. The role of
stakeholders in health and social care sectors and the impact of poor service on them has been illustrated. The
approaches that are used for the implementation of quality systems have been described along with the barriers
that exist in health and social care centers have been described. The effectiveness of policies in the operation of
health and social care centers have been specified and the ways that can be adopted to improve the quality of
services that are delivered by health and social care centers have been described.
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Task 1: Understand differing perspectives of quality in relation to health and social care services. 675
1.1 Explain perspectives that stakeholders in health and social care have regarding quality.
The stakeholders play a key role in setting standards for health and social care sectors. It makes sure that the
quality of the services that it provides meets the standard. The stakeholders of health and social care centers are
the consumers, the workers, the technicians and the legal bodies like Central Quality Commission (CQC). The
perspectives of the stakeholders in health and social care centers have been described below:
Consumers: The consumers play a crucial role in the maintenance of quality in health and social care sectors as
it is the consumers for which centers like Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust operates. Thus, the health and
social care centers make sure that the consumers are satisfied by the quality of the services that are delivered top
them.
Workers: The motivation and the dedication of the workers of Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust play a
vital role in the proper delivery of quality services to the consumers. If the staffs are well motivated then the
performance of any organization in any sector improves, therefore, the efficiency of health and social care
centers improve when its employees are motivated.
Technicians: The technicians in health and social care centers make sure that the devices that are used are
efficient and meet the standard. They make sure that the devices or tools are working well such that the patients
can be treated effectively (Millar et al., 2015).
Legal bodies: The legal bodies like Central Quality Commission investigate and scrutinize the performance and
operation of the health and social care centers. These bodies keep a check on the health and social care centers
and formulates policies so that the centers deliver proper services to the patients or consumers.
1.2 Analyse the role of external agencies in setting standards.
External agencies like Care Quality Commission (CQC) and National Institute for clinical excellence play a
crucial role in setting standard for the proper operation of health and social care centers. These bodies make
sure that the health and social care centers operate efficiently and deliver apt services to the patients. The role of
external agencies in setting standards has been described below:
Care Quality Commission (CQC): Care Quality Commission supervises and scrutinizes the performance of
health and social care centers like Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust. It makes sure that the health and
social care centers deliver proper services to the consumers. It sets standards for the proper operation of health
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and social care centers. In case, the performance of NHS does not meet standards then Care Quality
Commission takes appropriate actions such that its performance can be improved (Issel and Wells, 2017).
National Institute for Clinical Excellence: It generates guidelines for the proper operation of health and social
care centers. It sets standards such that NHS takes apt steps for its proper operation such that it is able to take
proper care of the patients. It guides the employees of NHS such that they deliver quality services to the
patients. It imparts data and information for the proper operation of health and social care centers.
1.3Assess the impact of poor service quality on health and social care stakeholders.
Health and social care centers works to cure people who are suffering and treat them so that they can lead a
normal life. Therefore, if their performance does not meet standards then it adversely affects the customer
satisfaction. It reduces the productivity of the organization which in turn decreases its profit margin. It affects
the reputation of the organization. It also decreases the motivation of the employees in healthcare organizations
if the management of the organization is not efficient. This drastically affects the performance of health and
social care centers. There have been cases when the performances of health and social care organizations have
been so poor that it has resulted in its permanent closure (Simonet, 2015). A bad reputation of an organization
affects its customer base, thus in the same way it affects the organization in healthcare sectors as well. Poor
services might also result in death of the patients therefore, it is necessary that the performance of the
organizations is monitored properly. It adversely affects the brand name of the organizations thereby reducing
its customer base. Therefore, external agencies like CQC and National Institute of Social Science monitor the
performance of organization healthcare sectors and make sure that the standards are met.
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Task 2: Understand strategies for achieving quality in health and social care services
2.1 Explain the standards that exist in health and social care for measuring quality
For the proper operation of health and social care organizations it is necessary to set standards and measure the
quality of the services that are offered to the patients. Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust is monitored by
external agencies like CQC, National Institute for Clinical Excellence and Health Service Command. These
organizations make sure that the standards that are set are met effectively. It safeguards the organization in the
healthcare sector by monitoring their performance. The performance of health and social care organizations can
be measured by keeping a track of the number of successful and unsuccessful treatments that has taken place in
the organization. The feedbacks of the patients are also taken into account such that the quality of services can
be checked. The performance of the leaders of the organization along with the performance of the staffs of
healthcare organizations are monitored and supervised to make sure that quality services are delivered by the
organizations (Littlechild et al., 2015). The safety issues are also taken into consideration to keep a track of the
operation of the organizations. Strategies and objectives are devised such that the performance of the
organizations can be tracked and measured. The machineries and equipments are checked at regular intervals so
that best services are delivered to the consumers.
2.2 Evaluate different approaches to implementing quality systems
Quality is something that can be used to measure the performance of an organization. It determines the
performance of the organization. It is also aids an organization to investigate and structure equation which helps
the organization to identify its drawbacks and work accordingly to improve its performance. In order to improve
the quality of the services delivered by health and social care organizations it is necessary that the organization
works for people and focuses on customers or patients. If total quality management (TQM) is implemented in
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust then the organization can be analyzed extensively. This approach makes
sure that each aspect of the organization is examined and enables the organization to make continuous
improvements in its operation. This approach will aid Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust to operate
smoothly and eradicate the drawbacks that exist in its administration. Total Quality Management System will
not only aid Royal United Hospital Bath NHS to improve the quality of its services but will also aid the
organization to cut down its cost of operation. It will assist the organization to raise its standard of quality and
provide the best services to the patients (Bee et al., 2015). The overall performance of the organization will
improve if total quality management (TQM) is implemented in Royal United Hospital Bath NHS.
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2.3 Analyse potential barriers to delivery of quality health and social care services
The quality of the services offered by an organization indicates the performance of the organization. However,
there are barriers that exist for an organization that obstructs it from delivering best quality services to the
customers. The barriers may be external or internal. Health and social care centers like Royal United Bath NHS
Trust face several obstructions or barriers in the process of delivering best services to the customers. The
internal barriers that it faces are it fails to use the latest technologies. The organization fails to use adequate
communication system which adversely affects its performance (Valentijn et al., 2015). It affects the
satisfaction derived by the customers as Royal United Bath NHS Trust fail to provide the best quality services.
The external barriers that Royal United Bath NHS Trust faces are the lack of support socially. The inadequate
financing system of the organization also affects its performance. Due to unstable financial condition of the
organization prevents it from making investments in the adoption of latest technologies. Inefficient leaders, lack
of proper training programs, etc adversely affects the performance of the organization and are potential barriers
that prevents Royal United Bath NHS Trust from delivering the best quality services to the patients thereby
affect the satisfaction derived by the customers.
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Task 3: Be able to evaluate systems, policies and procedures in health and social care services
3.1Evaluate the effectiveness of systems, policies and procedures used in a health and social care setting
in achieving quality in the service(s) offered.
The policies and procedures that are followed in an organization play a key role in determining the effectiveness
of a system. It makes sure that the employees are satisfied with the job they are doing. If the employees are
satisfied then the performance of the organization improves thereby increasing the satisfaction derived by the
customers. In case of Royal United Bath NHS Trust, proper employee engagement programs along with proper
training and development programs makes sure that the employees do not lack skills and get an opportunity of
improving their performance as well as knowledge. Rewarding the employees through incentives based on their
performance is another way through which the employees are motivated and encouraged to increase the level of
their performance. It contributes to improve the quality of services that are delivered to the customers or
patients. Monetary or non-monetary rewards that are given to the employees boost the morale of the employees
which ensures the delivery of best quality services to the patients or customers (Radey et al., 2017). It also aids
to create a good working environment in the organization thereby improving the quality of services that are
delivered to the patients. Conducting awareness programs and seminars on health for the customers also aids to
improve the performance of the organizations.
3.2 Analyse other factors that influence the achievement of quality in the health and social care service.
There are several factors that influence the quality of the services provided by the health and social care
services. The documentation followed in an organization affects its performance and it also aids to establish the
significance of rewards that are given to the employees. Devising appropriate strategies and objectives that must
be followed by the organization aids to measure the quality of services that are delivered to the patients. Royal
United Bath NHS Trust must take care of its financial stability and take appropriate steps to improve the quality
of its services such that it can make significant investment in latest technologies and in the conduction of
adequate training programs that will make sure that the employees are skilled (Acharya et al., 2017). It will aid
the organization to reach heights of success and deliver best quality services to the patients. The inconvenience
faced by the patients due to inadequacy of the services will be reduced if Royal United Bath NHS Trust takes
proper measures to improve its services. It will ensure customer satisfaction thereby increasing its profit margin,
hence rectifying the drawbacks that currently exist in its system.
3.3 Suggest ways in which the health and social care service could improve its quality.
In order to improve the quality of services that is offered to the patients it is crucial for Royal United Bath NHS
Trust to identify the drawbacks that exists in its current system. The proper identification or recognition of the
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flaws will aid the management of Royal United Bath NHS Trust to devise apt strategies and ways such that it
can be conquered effectively. It must organize training and development programs such that its employees get
the opportunity of working on their skills and improve their skills and knowledge (Greenhalgh et al., 2016). It
will also aid the employees to improve their knowledge thereby assisting them to enhance their performance
which in turn will aid the organization to improve its performance. It is also required for Royal United Bath
NHS Trust to increase the workforce such that the work can be effectively allocated among the employees and
reduces the extreme work pressure. This will make sure that the employees or staffs of Royal United Bath NHS
Trust deliver best quality services and the performance of the organization is enhanced. Rewarding the
employees based on their performance and making investments for the adoption of latest technologies in the
organization will make sure that the patients face no problem and are happy or content with the services they
get from the organization.
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Task 4: Understand methodologies for evaluating health and social care service quality.
4.1 Evaluate methods for evaluating health and social care service quality with regard to external and
internal perspectives.
The external agencies like Care Quality Commission and National Institute for Clinical Excellence keeps a
check on the performance of organizations like Royal United Bath NHS Trust. They monitor the performance
or the operation of Royal United Bath NHS Trust and makes sure that effective services are delivered to the
patients. It aids to identify the flaws that exists in the current system and encourages the organization to conquer
them. In order to evaluate the performance of Royal United Bath NHS Trust it is necessary to take feedbacks
from the patients. The feedback from the patients plays an important role to determine the performance of the
organizations like Royal United Bath NHS Trust and aids it keep a check on the administrative functions of the
organization. The internal factors of the organization can be improved by adopting Total Quality Management
(TQM). This approach will aid Royal United Bath NHS Trust to enquire its performance in the financial field.
Not only it aids to understand the internal problems of Royal United Bath NHS Trust but it also assists to
fathom the needs and behavior of the consumers. The external agency supervises Royal United Bath NHS Trust
to develop effective procedures and healthcare practices which will make sure that the patients are satisfied with
the services they get (Batalden et al., 2015). Total Quality Management is the best approach that can be adopted
by Royal United Bath NHS Trust since this method assists to analyze both internal and external factors that
affects its operation and administration. It aids the organization to grow and gain competitive edge over other
organizations in the market thus increasing the profit margin of the organization and improving its name in the
market.
4.2 Discuss the impact that involving users of services in the evaluation process has on service quality.
The involvement of users of the services offered by Royal United Bath NHS Trust can affect it both positively
and negatively. It aids to assess the quality of services offered by Royal United Bath NHS Trust in every aspect.
It helps the management of the organization to identify the exact areas where the organization fails to meet the
expectations of the customers. In this way Royal United Bath NHS Trust will get to know the exact needs of the
customers aids to serve the patients in the way they want to be treated hence improving the satisfaction gained
by the patients thereby aiding the organization to increase its popularity in the market. The management will get
to know the areas in which it lacks to provide apt services to the customers thereby enhancing the quality of
services offered to the patients (Robotham et al., 2016). However, if the organization fails to work effectively
on the feedback that it received from the patients then it creates a negative impression in the minds of the
people. This in turn, decreases the customer base of the organization affecting its profitability. Therefore, it is
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necessary for Royal United Bath NHS Trust to take appropriate steps in order to improve the quality of services
that it offers to the patients and rectify the errors that exists.
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Conclusion
Royal United Bath NHS Trust works for the treatment of people who are suffering from acute diseases. It serves
around 500000 people in Bath and its surrounding areas. However, as per recent inspection it was found that the
performance of the organization does not meet the standards and has increased the risk of providing
inappropriate care and treatment services to the patients. Thus, it is necessary for external agencies like Care
Quality Commission and National Institute for Clinical Excellence to interfere in its administrative functions
such that the flaws and drawbacks that exists in the current system of Royal United Bath NHS Trust can be
amended. The organization must conduct training and development programs to improve the performance of its
employees and invest on latest technologies to improve the quality of services offered to the consumers.
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