Public Services in Contemporary Society: NHS Case Study Report

This report examines public services in contemporary society, with a specific focus on the National Health Service (NHS). It begins by defining public services and their importance, followed by a description of the development of public services and the evolution of the NHS as a public service organization. The report then delves into the operational structure of public service organizations, exploring different structures like hierarchical and matrix structures, and how they apply to the NHS. It analyzes how the public sector is held accountable, both strategically and operationally. The report also explores various funding sources available to the public sector, such as taxes, and how funding is allocated. Finally, it identifies examples of emergency incidents, both in the UK and internationally, concluding with a summary of the key findings and a list of references.

Public Services in
Contemporary Society

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Description of the development of public services................................................................1
P2 Outlining the development of a public service organisation..................................................2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P3 Description of the operational structure of public service organisation.................................3
P4 Description of the way in which public sector is held accountable for all the actions and
direction both strategically and operationally..............................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
P5 Explanation of different types of sources of finding that are available to public sector........5
P6 Identification of the way in which funding is allocated to different public sector
organisations................................................................................................................................5
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................6
P7 Identification of different examples of emergency incident which are based in UK and
international.................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Public services could be defined as the facilities that are provided to the individuals who
need proper care so that the community members can live happily. These are mainly provided by
the governmental bodies of different countries so that standard of living of all the citizens could
be improved. All the individuals who are living in the jurisdiction of the country have the right to
get these services. Some of the examples of them are transportation, removal of waste, health
care etc. With the help of all of them, the legal authorities try to make sure that the citizens are
not facing issues to live their daily life properly (Broughton, 2019). The main aim of this
assignment is to understand the importance of public services for the individuals. For this
purpose, the entity which is selected for this report is NHS (National Health Services). It was
founded in year 1948 and its CEO is Simon Stevens. This assignment covers various topics such
as investigation of the development of public services, examination of accountability and
responsibility structure within the contemporary public services organisations etc. Apart from
this, analysis of the types of funding sources to the public sector along with the strategy,
structure and role of public sector organisations is also covered in this project.
TASK 1
P1 Description of the development of public services
Public services are the services that are provided by the government to all the individuals
living under the jurisdiction system of the nation. It is very important to pay attention towards
public services because these are essential for protecting the environment, ensuring the access to
education, providing better life to the individuals, improving infrastructure etc. Apart from this,
if a country is highly focused with providing better public services to all the citizens then it can
also help to strengthen the economy which will be beneficial for whole country. The government
is liable for providing public services and for this purpose the legal authorities will be
responsible for raising the taxes so that funds for offering such facilities could be generated.
Public services are developing continuously because all the governmental bodies are paying
attention towards offering very good facilities to all the citizens so that they can contribute in the
development of whole community (Guthrie and Martin-Sardesai, 2020).
In earlier years the legal authorities were only focused with offering health care services
to the individuals so that they can live the healthy life. With the development in technology and
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changes in time different other types of facilities are also offered by the governmental bodies.
These are transportation, environmental protection, societal development etc. All these
developments resulted in the enhancement of standard of living of all the citizens of nations
which are offering such facilities to people. If it is not possible for all the legal authorities to
make improvement in the daily life of the individuals then it may leave negative impact upon the
growth of economy because it may result in poverty which affects economy. The development in
the public services could be analysed with the help of the changes in the life of individuals. In
earlier years most of the people were living their life under poverty line. With the improvements
in public services the legal authorities brought changes in life of people and facilitated them to
make modifications in their daily life. In order to make sure that the economy is developing and
all the citizens are living a healthy life it will be very important for the governmental bodies to
offer public services to them.
P2 Outlining the development of a public service organisation
All the public service organisations are executed by the governmental authorities as they
are mainly focused with development of whole community and facilitating the individuals to life
their life easily without any type of struggle. NHS (National Health Services) is one of the
largest public entities in UK which is an umbrella term for all the healthcare systems that are
publicly funded. It was founded in year 1948 and since then it is funded by the general taxation.
It has been developed in last years and it established four different systems in different countries.
These are NHS in England, NHS Wales, Health and social care in Northern Ireland and NHS
Scotland. It shows that the enterprise has attained higher level of developed since it was founded.
The major founding principles that are focused by it are that the facilities that are offered by it
should be universal, comprehensive and free at the point of delivery. It is mainly involved in
offering health services to all the individuals who are living in UK so that they can live a healthy
life (Overview of NHS, 2020).
With the time NHS is being developed in last years because in earlier years all the
services were free for the patients but now all of them have to pay prescription changes with the
exemption fees. The entity has also developed the way in which medicine works, the side effects
of all of them and the resolution for all the medical issues that are faced by the individuals. It is
also focused with development in the standard of living of all the citizens so that they can live a
healthy life. The strategies of the entity are also being changed in last years and it has also made
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changes in its policies for wellbeing of all the UK’s citizens. The main goals when it was
founded was to become a good healthcare organisation which can help the individuals to find
solution for all their medical issues. With the passing of time, the enterprise took steps forward to
offer health care services to such individuals who are not able to get them because of financial
crisis. In the last years the enterprise has developed so far. Currently it is focused with treatment
of Covid-19 which is one of the major health concerns of all the individuals. It is working with
the motive of helping the people to take control of their health and wellbeing.
TASK 2
P3 Description of the operational structure of public service organisation
Operational structure can be defined as the logical and chronological structure of an
operation which is executed by the organisation of single sequence and events in processes.
While planning to carry out all the operations in systematic manner it will be very important for
all the entities to make sure that effective operational structure is focused by the staff members as
it can help to meet all the long-term objectives. NHS is one of the largest public sector
organisations that are involved in the health care service. There are various types of operational
structures that could be focused by the entity while carrying out operations (Johnsen, 2019). All
of them are as follows:
Hierarchical structure: It is one of the most popular organisational chart types in which
all the staff members are having one supervisor who will guide them to meet expectations of all
their job roles. It is mainly used in large entities so that all the staff members could be monitored.
While working on specific tasks it could be used by NHS as it can help to meet long-term goals
of working on specific tasks (Zafarullah and Sarker, 2020).
Matrix structure: Under this type of operational structure the relationship of all the job
roles are set up as grids. When it will be used by the entities then all the staff members will have
multiple supervisors so that all of them can get proper support and guidance. In NHS it could be
used for carrying out all the operations in systematic manner. With the help of it, performance of
all the employees could be monitored. Apart from this, it will also help to measure the efforts of
the staff members that are made by them to meet their goals (White, Wyn and Robards, 2017).
Flat structure: It is mainly used in small entities where no hierarchy is followed to carry
out operations. There is no specific level of supervision in this structure. It could not be used in
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NHS because all the decisions in large entity like NHS are taken by senior authorities and they
have the right to control all the subordinates.
From all the structures NHS is following matrix structure which is facilitating it to
perform all the tasks properly and meet all the goals and objectives of business. With the help of
it, the efforts of all the staff members to contribute in the attainment of all the targeted goals
could be analysed (Noordegraaf, 2016).
P4 Description of the way in which public sector is held accountable for all the actions and
direction both strategically and operationally
Public sector is involved in offering such facilities to the individuals that can help them to
live their life in more systematic manner. Main objective of this industry is to develop the
infrastructure of country, growth of economy, enhancement in improvement in the standard of
living of individuals etc. The whole industry is held accountable for all the actions and direction
both operationally and strategically. There are various public service organisations in UK and
other countries around the world. One of them is NHS which is a large public sector entity
mainly established in UK. As it is a part of public industry so it is very important for it to be
accountable for all the actions and directions that are taken by it. For example, if the public
sector will take action to improve the standard of living of individuals or provide health care
services then accountability will be very important. If the industry will make any mistake while
carrying out operations related to the desired goals then it is essential to be accountable for the
same. If the level of accountability will be very low then it will be very difficult to carry out
future activities (Pahl, 2016).
On the other hand, if the strategies such as making new roads, rail lines, airports will be
formulated for the purpose of infrastructure development then also accountability will be very
important. If the public sector will take the responsibility of all the activities whether they are
right or wrong then it may leave negative impact upon life of individuals. While planning to
make new strategies for economic development the public sector will also be responsible for all
the actions and directions that are taken. If the responsibility will not be taken then it may result
negatively (Van Eijk and Steen, 2016).
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TASK 3
P5 Explanation of different types of sources of finding that are available to public sector
All the public sector entities need funding for carrying out all the operations so that all
the planned goals could be accomplished. If the organisations that are offering public services to
the individuals will not be able to generate funds then it may leave impact upon the functionality
of the whole entity. NHS is a public sector organisation which is involved in public services.
There are various types of sources of funds that are used by the organisation. All of them are as
follows:
Taxes: It is one of the main sources which are used by public service organisations such
as NHS for the purpose of performing all the operations. There are various types of taxes which
are charged by the enterprises on the services that are rendered to the clients or patients. Some of
the examples of taxes are direct and indirect tax. These are some of the taxes that are paid by the
tax payer themselves or paid through an agency (Pakleppa, 2019).
Direct government finance: It is also a source of funding which is used by most of the
public service entities. The government of all the countries provide funding to all the public
sector companies so that they can work for development of the community. NHS is also using
this funding to carry out all its operations and meet long-term objectives. In order to acquire
funding from government then the organisation will be required to share details of operations
with legal authorities so that funding could be acquired (Sassoon, 2018).
Private foreign finance: It is a type of foreign investment which is provided by the
foreign parties which are planning to be a part of public service organisations such as NHS. With
the help of it, the enterprise can fund all its operations. It can help to render all the services to all
the individuals who are not able to get the health services because of financial crisis.
All the above described sources of funding are used by NHS so that it can fund all its
operations and meet all the long-term objectives such as providing health care services to all the
persons who are not able to get proper care and support from others (Rădulescu, Bodislav and
Burlacu, 2018).
P6 Identification of the way in which funding is allocated to different public sector organisations
Public service organisations are involved in such activities that are performed for the
purpose of development of society and improvement in standard of living of all the individuals.
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The funding is allocated on the basis of the objective for which the enterprises are performing
activities related to public services. In order to meet expectations of the clients or the targeted
audiences it will be very important for all the public service organisations to make sure that they
are able to get proper funding. The legal authorities allocate the funds to entities such as NHS on
the basis of their capability and future plans. For example, if NHS is willing to introduce new
services for proper treatment of Covid-19 then it will be very important for the enterprise to
share details of it with the legal authorities (Popescu, 2017). If the plan which is formulated by
the organisation will be effective then the governmental parties will assign funds to the
enterprise. When the plan will not be effective then it will not inspire the legal authorities to
assign funding to the enterprise. The key elements that are focused while allocating funding to
the public services organisations are the effective plan, market image and the objective for which
funds are required.
TASK 4
P7 Identification of different examples of emergency incident which are based in UK and
international
There are various types of emergency incidents which have taken place in UK as well as
different countries around the world. One of the main examples, of it is the London train
explosion which is the latest of 5 terror incidents in 2017 in UK. It was a blast of an improvised
bomb in London. It bought different terror incidents in United Kingdom. Due to this explosion
more than two dozen people were got infected due to this. It was one of the major emergency
incidents which took place in United Kingdom and left impact upon the standard of living of all
the individuals who got impacted due to this incident. When it took place in London then NHS
played a very important role to facilitate the individuals to deal with all the loss which was faced
by them due to the blast. It has also resulted in the loss of life and most of the individuals who
got impacted due to this lost their body parts. At the time of the difficulty NHS played a major
role and facilitated the individuals to deal with all the medical issues that are faced by them
(London blast incident, 2017).
Another emergency incident which took place at international level was 24 shot to death
in attack on drug rehab centre in Mexico. Group of gunmen burst into an unregistered drug
rehabilitation centre in Mexico which was not registered. It resulted in killing to 24 people and
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all of them were shot to death. The attack occurred n Irapuato city. All the individuals who were
presented in the centre were shot by the attackers and according to police nobody was abducted.
This emergency incident resulted in loss of life of 24 individuals who were shot by the attackers
(Mexico gunshot incident, 2020).
CONCLUSION
From the above project report it has been concluded that public services are such
facilities that are offered to the individuals who are not able to get proper treatment or care of
their medical issues because of weak financial position or other disability. There are various
other public services such as transportation, infrastructure development etc. all of them are
focused with improvement in life of whole community or the individuals who are following the
jurisdiction system of a country. These services are developed in last years and all the
organisations which are rendering them are also being developed. There are various types of
sources of funding which are used by all the organisations which are public services
organisations. These are taxes, direct government funds and foreign funding. All these funding is
allocated by the governmental bodies on the basis of the plan or market image of the enterprise
which is willing to acquire funds for the purpose of carrying future objectives. There are various
emergency incidents which has resulted in loss of life. Some of them are London’s blast in year
2017 and the gunshot incident in Mexico in 2020. Both the incidents were very crucial and
affected life of individuals.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Broughton, C., 2019. When the State Meets the Street: Public Service and Moral Agency.
Guthrie, J. and Martin-Sardesai, A., 2020. Contemporary Challenges in Public Sector Reporting.
In New Trends in Public Sector Reporting (pp. 1-14). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Johnsen, Å., 2019. Public sector audit in contemporary society: A short review and
introduction. Financial Accountability & Management. 35(2). pp.121-127.
Noordegraaf, M., 2016. Reconfiguring professional work: Changing forms of professionalism in
public services. Administration & Society. 48(7). pp.783-810.
Pahl, J. ed., 2016. Private violence and public policy: The needs of battered women and the
response of the public services. Routledge.
Pakleppa, Y., 2019. Tempered Tempos: The Politics of Waiting for Public Services in
Contemporary Cape Town (Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Humanities).
Popescu, V., 2017. THEORETICAL ASPECTS CONCERNING PUBLIC SERVICES IN THE
CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY. Studii Juridice şi Administrative. 17(2). pp.100-105.
Rădulescu, C. V., Bodislav, D. A. and Burlacu, S., 2018. Demographic explosion and IT
governance in public institutions. Managerial Challenges of the Contemporary Society.
Proceedings. 11(1). p.18.
Sassoon, A. S. ed., 2018. Women and the state: the shifting boundaries of public and private.
Routledge.
Van Eijk, C. and Steen, T., 2016. Why engage in co-production of public services? Mixing
theory and empirical evidence. International Review of Administrative Sciences. 82(1).
pp.28-46.
White, R., Wyn, J. and Robards, B., 2017. Youth and society.
Zafarullah, H. and Sarker, A. E., 2020. Contemporary Issues in Civil Service Management in
South Asia: Principles and Practice in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The Palgrave
Handbook of the Public Servant, pp.1-21.
Online
Overview of NHS. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.nhs.uk/>
London blast incident. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/15/world/uk-terror-events-2017/index.html>
Mexico gunshot incident. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.jems.com/2020/07/02/24-shot-to-death-in-attack-on-drug-rehab-center-in-
mexico/?topic=82148>
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