Social and Health Care in the UK - Term Paper Example

Social Care Introduction United Kingdom has recently revisited the debate concerning the term social work. The main reasons for the rise of the debate are poor publicity of social work and the fact that personalization has become the control philosophy in the provision of public services (Sims & Cabrita, 2014, p.1). Western and European countries experience boundaries in their health care and social care. For instance, NHS in the UK is financed from taxes and it is not charged immediately upon deliver. Contrary, social care has always remained regarded to as a mixed economy that is subject to charges. The differences in financing and the serious limitation in terms of resources has caused of health facilities and local government to reduce their roles (Lewis, 2001, p. 1). The discussion below tries to understand social care in UK and the way current policy and service-user intervention strategies bring about changes. Such changes are necessary to ensure that appropriate services remains provided in meeting the needs and changing demands of service users and carers. The Role of Care Givers Family caregivers are useful in enhancing the health and the quality of life for the old and vulnerable patients. However, a number of caregiver complains due to lack of support from friends and families and this affects the caregiver both psychologically and physically limiting their ability to offer extensive care to the needy individuals. A review conducted in Europe on end of life research noted that caregivers perform tasks that remain tiresome and they require additional support. The report also found out that the act of caregiving results to caregiver’s health deterioration and increased levels of poverty. The effects are more adverse where the caregiver is not receiving any support from either friends or family member. A deterioration of caregiver’s health consequently leads to similar decline of the individuals receiving the treatment (Joyce, Berman & Lau, 2014, p. 2). Definition of Social Care Social care is the delivery of essential services to children or adults who are more vulnerable to diseases, poverty, disability and even old age. The services offered in social care range from the social supports, personal protection, care, and the social works. There remain fundamentally two foremost-identified forms of care. The two are the formal care and the informal care. Informal Care Informal care occurs when a loved member of a family falls ill or rather is faces a certain disability and all the family members take the responsibility of taking care of the affected person. It is an involving process requiring the spouse, parents and even children to act as the caregivers. The caregivers in this case are usually untrained and they are not entitled to a basic pay monthly, rather it is on voluntary basis based on the personal relationship with the person receiving care. In informal care, there is no clear time line set for the caregivers. Instead, the caregivers find themselves working depending on the condition of the person in need of the care (NAO, 2013, p. 7) Formal Care Formal care involves the services by trained caregivers who are professionals in the field of care giving. The services they offer remain usually stipulated to them and regulated by the country law or an organization. In this case, the formal caregivers are entitled to a salary, they work with a time schedule, and thus they have specific contracts specifying the care tasks they are to deliver. Beveridge Report 1942 Presented report to British Government by Sir William Beveridge stipulated for development of a comprehensive social policy to minimize on the five giants (evils) that faced British society by then (Spicker, 2011, p. 42). The five giants that he proposed for emphasis to be laid upon were ignorance, idleness, disease, squalor and want. In his report, Beveridge was advocating for the reformation of the social welfare to improve the economic status of the country and the people in particular. For instance, he was on the frontline in supporting the expansion of the national insurance, the formation of the National Health Service (1948) with free medical treatment for the citizens and the provision of social security as a form of giving benefits to the citizens. Beveridge advocated for strong and legal policies on the welfare issues to be made solid and followed to the core for stability of the nation to be realized. To achieve this then a solid government policy was to be the platform where social advancement could remain realized for income security.Beveridge based his arguments on social survey topics on, poverty, old age and birthrates that were conducted during the war period (1939-1945). The Beveridge report is instrumental because current ideas on the modern welfare state based on his findings. Today, the ideas that remained outlined in the Beveridge Report considered to provide the foundation of the modern Welfare State (BBC, 2015, p. 1). Historical overview of informal social care in the UK The history of the social care started back during the war periods when the local authorities were left with the task of giving housing facility and accommodation that was under the 1948 National Assistance Act (Part III). Other services provided included the house nursing and house helps. It is the 1946 NHS Act that made the health service be in charge of both types of care. In the early 70s, NHS went through its crucial transformation and the house nursing was taken to the health authorities. Since time in memorial, there has been always a conflict between social care and health care. Doctors believe that a lot of the elderly people need social care more than the health care. On the other hand, local authorities have argued that they are to offer care to individuals with high degree of illness. (Lewis, 2001, p2) The central objective of NHS and the reason behind the establishment of the Community Care Act in the Department of Health 1990 was to ensure that health and social services collaborate with each other (Johnson and De Souza, 2008, p. 65). This led to the development of measures such having written community care plans. Despite the implementation of the Community Care Act, health and social services still have difficulties when relating to each other (Griffiths, 1998, p. 1) The emergence of informal care as a policy issue A report performd by the NAO points out the major risks and the problems that occur due to radical change of a system. According to this report the UK government lack knowledge on the ability of the care system to absorb and cope with emerging pressures. The report cautions that the significant transformation of the system to improve the overall situation and to minimize costs will be a challenging task to achieve (NAO, 2014, 1). Health services in the UK usually have a lot of political influence as well as media interventions because NHS is a crucial national system that it becomes difficult to be left hanging. For this reason, the government has expressed special interest in terms of support to the NHS system. (Glasby, 2012, p4). Care from the public funds is currently decreasing and the majority of the care is usually the informal mode of care. However, local authorities usually offer a variety of preventative and universal services that are easily available. Local authority mostly pays for the most vulnerable and high-risk individuals. UK Policy Interventions Currently, a number of bills have been enforced which influence the way adults are able to use and invest in particular kinds of care. For instance, the care bill through the department of health made new legislations that are to govern the local authority in administering of social services. The bill for instance advocates for the introduction of new levies based on an individual’s capability and reduce pressures on carers and self-funders. From the start of 2015, the bill will bring a transformation on how local authorities assess and give funds to adults care needs. On the beginning of 2016, the bill will have introduced a system in which limit is set according to eligibility of an individual contribution to meet care needs. The government aims at reducing public spends and at the same time, maintaining spends on care and support. Beginning years 2001 and 2011, the number of caregivers rose faster than the population growth of most regions. Informal caregivers work for long hour and apparently, they are getting older too. Delayed entry and exit mechanisms from the social care system place a rise in demand on the important services. Discharges because of social care have reduced and remain a major problem for hospital trusts. UK Care Giver Policy The UK government through its budget of 2014 has reduced regulations making it easier for its citizens to access their pension savings. This augments the economic position of the individuals and improves social welfare of the carers and the citizens receiving the care. It is expected that the budget will reduce taxes by increasing the extent of the tax free individual allowances from GBP 10,000($17,134.7) to GBP 10,500($17991.4) come April 2015. Expectations are that the maximum tax-free childcare support will rise to GBP 2,000 (3436.94) annually for every child. (Social Landscape' 2014, p. 1). In addition, the development of the New Public Management NPM has led to the outsourcing of a number of English adult care provision services from the local authorities to and a more independent sector. NPM encourages the embracing of individually owned practices and those of market sector into public sector management as this will help in promoting the level of efficiency (Atkinson, C, & Lucas, R 2013, p1) Intervention Strategies Health services in the UK are pressurized to include personal distinct influences to help reduce the gaps that exist in the health care. The measure will help in ensuring the sustainability of those health services and in the long run, users will accept them since they will see relevance in them (HM Government 2010,p1). NHS England (2013) defines person-centered health care as the care base on the needs convenience and choices of individuals and their carers as well as their families. Person-focused care has gained much popularity since it is a key component of changes in social care services and in health (Perez-Merino, 2014, p. 1). Provision of flexible care It is clear that the provision of flexible health services may not sustainable in the end due to cost implications. However, provision of a range of services should remain implemented by the UK government to help individuals make choices according to their needs, abilities and wants. This will help in making treatment, services and support accessible to all citizens in the country. A collaborative working system A health system that collaborates, multidisciplinary teams and the cross sector offers chances to healthcare practitioners and care givers to deliver tailored care and the development of health promotion corridor that satisfies the clients. Development of advance health technologies Technology accomplishes an imperative role in health care. According to a project done by the national health worker project (DH 2013b), use of technology results into cost saving and increase in the level of productivity. For instance, with technology a number of community staff can spend more time with clients who are in need of additional support and higher levels of interventions. In addition, with technology, patients can get relevant and updated information concerning their health situation and get information on the right treatment. This helps them decide on their self-patient care corridor. Conclusion Social and Health care in the UK experience boundaries that pose major challenges to the beneficiaries of the services due to the limitation of fund in NHS. NHS in the UK has put more emphasis on social services that remain operated within the locality and on those users of services who need critical care. The cause of the challenging border between the health and social care in the UK have been for some time been associated with differences in the administration, finances and professionalism that exist in both services. References Atkinson, C, & Lucas, R 2013, 'Policy and Gender in Adult Social Care Work', Public Administration, 91, 1, pp. 159-173, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 March 2015. BBC. 2015. Fact File:Beveridge Report: November 1942. Web. March 19, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a1143578.shtml Glasby, J. (2012). Understanding health and social care. Bristol, Policy Press. Griffiths, J 1998, 'Meeting personal hygiene needs in the community: a district nursing perspective on the health and social care divide', Health & Social Care In The Community, 6, 4, pp. 234-240, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 March 2015. Johnson, J., & De Souza, C. (2008). Understanding health and social care: an introductory reader. Los Angeles, Sage. Joyce, B, Berman, R, & Lau, D 2014, 'Formal and informal support of family caregivers managing medications for patients who receive end-of-life care at home: A cross-sectional survey of caregivers', Palliative Medicine, 28, 9, pp. 1146-1155, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 March 2015. Lewis, J 2001, 'Older People and the Health–Social Care Boundary in the UK: Half a Century of Hidden Policy Conflict', Social Policy & Administration, 35, 4, p. 343, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 March 2015. National Audit office (NAO). 2014. Adult social care in England: overview. Web. March 19, 2015. 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