The Health of People in North Queensland - Term Paper Example

Practice Report on a North Queensland Health Center: Name: Institution Affiliation: Table of Contents Executive summary 3 Introduction 4 Results of the organizational analysis, external environment scan and SWOC analysis 4 Conclusion 9 recommendations 9 references 11 Executive summary The health of our people in North Queensland is a pertinent issue in matters of national security, the economy, and the entire well being. Health systems experience a number of challenges during the execution of services. Problems cover a widespread of channels that are involved in the management of health care services. The system of health care in Queensland is usually subjected to a lot of pressure from the society. The challenges the health system is predisposed to are vast and they include the increasing demand from the society of improved health services. There is also a lot of expenditure requirements that fall into this category and the infrastructure that are in place seem to be inadequate in ensuring proper management. The problem of work force shortages are becoming a common which makes the health system inefficient in terms of delivering required services to the society. The people in North Queensland have been subjected to health inequities that threaten their well being greatly. The report will focus on some of these challenges and try to determine the proper ways of getting around the above stated problems. Among the recommendations, there should be an appropriate method of ensuring the society gets equal distribution of health resources. The design of the health system should ensure that the society is able to access services from a wide channel that ensures equity. Demand by the society should be assessed and a radical change to the method of delivery of health services to the Aboriginal and the Torres strait Islander people should be made a top priority. Radical changes that need to be made are; recruiting more professionals in the health center, adding more facilities for diagnosis, and subsidizing the services offered. The process of funding should be under strict monitoring so as to ensure appropriate allocation of funds that will aid in the improvement of health provision (Stewart et al., 2010). Introduction Health of the people is an important aspect that should be taken seriously. The people of North Queensland health is a determining factor of their well being. Health has influence in the economic status of a society. Security is also a key feature that totally relies on a good healthy society. Therefore it is an important requirement for the people of Queensland. There are a number of challenges that the health facilities in Queensland grapple with thus it is very important that strategies should be in place that will aid in curbing this menace of inequities. There are emerging challenges that seem to put the provision of health care under immense pressure. The issues associated with such pressure revolve around the growing needs of the population. Safety of the services provided is questioned as there is lack of professionalism in practice especially in a society that is located in a regional area (Foster & Fleming, 2008). Results of the organizational analysis, external environment scan and SWOC analysis The case of the organization in North Queensland, it provides the basic health services which are likely to be insufficient in relation to maintaining proper health care. The hospital provides inpatient, outpatient and emergency services twenty four hours a day and seven days a week which forms the primary acute care services. There seems to be a deficit in the infrastructure and thus creating a problem in service delivery. There is a large population at hand which has a lot of demands from such a health center located in a regional area. The public demands for health care services and such a health center gets overwhelmed sometimes thus ending up referring patients. This depicts an image of inequities in the general health practice. Looking at the services provided, there is the structure of emergency services that caters for stabilization of patient before referral to the secondary and tertiary institution for further management. The distance that is given to reach a referral unit is 500km which makes it challenge. The time taken to travel all that distance and is considered a detriment even to the patient being ferried. Chances of saving a critical case are slim. In terms of management of the elderly population, it is clear that the health facilities are well equipped and any sort of issues associated with the aged population can be handled properly. The well preparedness for the elderly population is attributed to the healthcare facilities having a physiotherapy center and radiological department that form a major part of the management team of patients. It lacks an operating theatre that could provide surgical services instead of referral to the secondary institution. Another challenge in this health center is the fact that it is a general institution which focuses on the general conditions (Stewart et al., 2010). There are no specialized personnel that can manage the complicated conditions that could arise. Referral of many patients could also mean a increase of workload to those working in the secondary and tertiary institutions. There is also the aspect of the long distance that has to be covered to reach the hospitals complicating the scenario further. For proper health service delivery there should be easy accessibility to the health resources. The long distance in this case denies the people access to better health resources. In cases of emergencies the long distances to be travelled have led to a rise in the death toll of the community from easily manageable conditions (Hoffmann, Bennett & Del Mar, 2013). Despite the challenges associated with the health center in Queensland, the equipments in the hospital are quite adequate to deal with any general cases that might arise. Having a physiotherapy department is an essential especially in an aged population that is likely to be subjected to a lot of injuries. There is radiology which is sufficient and forms part of an investigative department for proper management. The services in this practice system seem to suffice. Government should however, enhance further advancement in the services as more special services should be incorporated to ensure efficiency in the management of patients. There are tele-health services that have revolutionized service delivery to the population. The long distance that health care providers had to refer patients is reduced by these services. They entail video conferencing which create an opportunity for some of the patients who require special services to be served by the specialists. Health care providers seem to consult with ease and this has a positive impact to the society as the video conferencing and any other digital modality ensures excellent service delivery (Angus, Reeve & Ageism, 2011). The formulation of strategies for developing services that are geared towards effective service delivery has propelled service provision into another level and many emerging needs of the patients are catered for without incurring any more costs. Having a medical superintendent as the general practitioner for the society is excellent as there will be appropriate service delivery. The health of the people is subjected to a professional who can make sufficient recommendations that may improve the health status. Visiting homes and service deliveries is one of the greatest inventions the health system in North Queensland invested in and it has enabled proper monitoring of the status quo of health in the society. Many people can access a service this way and thus ensuring outreach to patients concerns, even those far away from the health center. There are community based programs regarding establishing community awareness in matters concerning child health and women health. There is a group of professionals that visits the regions and they included the chest physician, general surgeon, female practitioner, paedritician, obstetrician and a gynecologist. These professionals are there to ensure that the right services are delivered to the community. They are there to monitor the progress of those patients with certain complications and offer professional advice where it is needed hence more benefits for the patient (Lord et al., 2010). Matters concerning community health are focused on by the designated community health workers. The Aboriginal Islander health worker and community health nurse together with the school based youth health nurse and the health promotion activities have a great influence to the community. People in the society are provided with adequate and updated services. They are also taught how to intervene in cases of where it is an emergency. There are prevention strategies of certain diseases that the society is educated on and thus ensuring the community is safe. There are emerging challenges every time the population increases as the demands are increased. In the absence if strategies to manage such demands, there is the likelihood of frustrations in service delivery (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008). The services soon may be considered to the society thus adequate and regular review of any input the health care system is required. The increase in population creates pressure for the service providers that might lead to making of incompetent decisions that are likely to influence drastically the outcome of the patients. The ratio of the population require health services or the workforce available is low and thus requiring more recruitment of health practitioners. Health care is a dynamic entity that requires regular updates of the services and any new elements that are incorporated in practice as these updates impact greatly on the outcome of a patient. Patients are treated satisfactorily and hence improvement in the daily life is guaranteed (Peel et al., 2014). The key determinant in proper delivery of services to the society is the available resources. Resources are made available by the funding from government institution and any other institution that is for proper health care. In North Queensland, the funding system is a complex one that might infringe on service delivery. With this kind of system, there is the likelihood of the service providers being strained in their work. The situation can be harsh as there is usually a rising population of people with chronic diseases thus making the entire population frail and thus needing regular evaluation. Funds are needed to ensure stability lest the health providing institution fail in its efforts. The problem of having an overloaded system with fewer resources is a major challenge and many people are likely to succumb to their illnesses unless urgent measures are taken. There is the problem of shortage of professionals that may infringe greatly in the care of patients (Rao et al., 2010). As stated earlier, the professionals together with the community health care providers need to work together to enhance efficiency in service delivery. Rising demand of services together with the looming shortage of professionals calls for a reform in how the situation in North Queensland is managed. Failure to radicalize the health system will detrimental affect the society as lack of proper service leads to drastic outcomes (Bell et al., 2013). Technological advancements have influenced the service delivery system and many people are now able to access services with ease. The example of telehealth services is an invention that has ensured efficiency in health care provision. Some of these challenges are manageable with proper systems put in place that will ensure the channel of service delivery is stable. Based on the statements by the organization the need to act on some of the challenges is enormous and to achieve the vision of a healthier community, there is a lot that needs to be put under evaluation. Starting from the top of hierarchy, the government needs to reform the ways in which health centers get their funding. Mission statements that are depicted by the organization signify the urgency that is required for the actual results to be achieved. The delivery of health care services is often takes an interdisciplinary approach. For instance collaboration is a key feature in terms of service delivery and should be upheld at all times when managing patients (Moller, 2012). Conclusion To conclude having a healthy community should be one of the greatest priorities in the community. There should be proper channels that ensure health service delivery is at its best and the people should have access to services that benefit them health wise. The practice report is aimed at shedding light in some of the challenges and the proper recommendations that can enhance proper service delivery to the North Queensland people. The health infrastructure is evaluated with more focus on how the people are able to benefit. The stakeholders in health service provision play an important role in the management of some of the challenges. Recommendations Health care is a universal requirement in the community and thus any efforts to ensure proper services are in the right direction. Ensuring the people in a community have good health and a sense of well being should be a top priority of the health care providers. The community is entitled to medical and pharmaceutical services and thus the relevant channels should ensure the medical services are subsidized so that the disadvantaged people can also enjoy the services. Ensuring equity in service delivery will reduce the challenges in practice and many will benefit greatly. Another recommendation is the public reporting of health service use by the stakeholders in healthcare as there will be proper evaluation of the benefits and a follow up will be possible for those who are disadvantaged. Reporting on a regular basis of the services that have been deployed will enable the community and the health care providers in general track their progress in terms of ensuring equity in health care delivery. Health information about a community should be made available as there is the need to understand some of the factors that ensure proper service delivery and the key determinants of a healthy community. References Foster, M., Fleming, J. (2008). 'The Health Care System in Australia', in S. Taylor, M. Foster & J. Fleming (eds), Health Care practice in Australia, Melbourne, Australia, Oxford University Press. pp.46-73. Hoffmann, T., Bennett, S.,& Del Mar, C. (2013) 'Introduction to evidence-based practice' in T. Hoffmann, S. Bennett, & C. Del Mar (eds), Evidence -based practice across the health professions (2nd ed.), Australia, Elsevier. pp.1-16. Bartlett H, Rao DV, Warburton J. (2013). Ageing and Cultural Diversity in Queensland: Working together to make a difference. Report of a Scoping Project for the Queensland Government. Brisbane, QLD: Australasian Centre on Ageing, The University of Queensland Rao DV, Warburton J, Bartlett H. (2010) Health and social needs of older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: Issues and implications. Australasian Journal on Ageing; 25(4):174-9. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008). Australia’s Health. Canberra, ACT: AIHW. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009). Population Distribution, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Canberra, ACT: ABS. (Catalogue No. 4705.0.). Department of Communities. Ageing: Myth and Reality. Brisbane, QLD: Queensland Government. Angus J, Reeve P. 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