HSC403 Healthcare Policy Assignment Sample

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Introduction to Healthcare Policy Assignment

The guidance on the development of healthcare structure in the UK can be described as challenging as it has been influenced by changes made by different British governments, a topic often explored through Online Assignment Help UK for academic clarity. This work examines the major policies implemented in the NHS, from Labour’s modernization of the service (1997–2010), to the Coalition government’s restructuring and partial privatization of the NHS (2010–2015), and aspects of current policies focusing on joined-up care, technology adoption, and long-term condition management for longevity, particularly in relation to their impact on service users.

HSC403 Healthcare Policy Assignment Sample

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Alan White 10 Years | MSc

Task 1

The significant historical and contemporary landmarks in healthcare provision in the UK

1.1 The main healthcare policy reforms introduced by the Labour Government (1997- 2010)

Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour Government made some profound changes to the health policies, emphasising modernising the National Health Service (NHS), improving access, and tackling health Inequalities. These reforms happened during Tony Blair's and Gordon Brown's premiership, with the goal of improving funding, decreasing the time that patients waited for their treatment, and introducing competition and performance indicators.

The most influential can be considered the NHS Plan of 2000 as being a 10-year strategy that emphasized patients’ orientation and productivity. It brought about massive subsidies in the development of the infrastructure for the NHS and increased the provision of new and more efficient facilities such as hospitals. The NHS received more than double the amount of funding it was provided before the pandemic to counteract underinvestment and past accumulation of deficits. Another key feature of Labour’s hegemonic healthcare policy was the measures of planned performance targets that aimed at decreasing the lengths of stays in Accident & Emergency (A&E) and those who chose to have a scheduled surgery. However, as with all these targets, they enhanced the service efficiency and as well aroused worrying signs that target conformance may demean the quality of the care offered (Dixon and Dewar, 2000).

Labour also continued with the policy on Public-Private Partnership through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), where private sector organizations were contracted to finance new hospitals in exchange for long-term annual payments by the government. However, it has been credited for the expansion of the health facilities in the country as it expedited the construction of the drastically famous buildings. Further, Labour tried to tackle health inequality through the introduction of Health Action Zones in the deprived areas and the opening up of the new NHS Walk-in centres for primary health care (Ham et al., 2015).

Further reform was made where patient choice and competition were encouraged in the NHS. Labor introduced the patient choice policy that was aimed at allowing patients to make their own decisions regarding the healthcare providers they wanted to be treated by, this made the competition between the NHS trusts immense. In 2004 the NHS Foundation Trusts were developed, which gave the hospitals more freedom regarding the financial and organizational structure of the services, looking to the local requirements. All the above reforms altered the face of the NHS for the better whereby the access and the efficiency were enhanced though calls for privatisation and misuse of PFI funding were under controversy.

1.2 The Conservative/ Liberal Coalition health agenda (2010-2015)

The Conservative Party, anchored by David Cameron in alliance with the Liberal Democratic Party came to power and passed one of the most centralized and extensive reforms in England’s NHS through the Health and Social Care Act of 2012. Their healthcare goals involved the economic rationalities of the health service, increasing the private sources of funding for the NHS, and the reform of the NHS managerial framework to de-syllabus bureaucracy. One of the biggest changes was the dissolution of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) that were replaced by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to be led by various GPs. This policy was aimed at decentralizing the decision-making process for the GPs to deliver proper healthcare services based on need. However, referring to the above change, critics asserted that it was counterproductive in that it provided an impression of having made healthcare more efficient but in essence made it complicated and bureaucratic. The Coalition also focused on patient-centred care, where AO, Memo, and the principle ‘No decision about me without me’ increased the involvement of the patient in such decisions. This was done as a measure to increase open access to information entailing changes in healthcare service delivery and the inclusion of the patient in the process (Patel, 2019). One of the other key elements of the Coalition’s health policies was the privatisation of more services within the NHS. Health and Social Care Act admitted private competition to some services provided by the NHS to enhance its efficiency as well as quality. But this was not welcomed without apprehension on the outsourcing or privation of certain NHS services as critics felt that new medical service providers might neglect patient care to make profits. The economy was also cut short as a strategy for managing healthcare in the Coalition. This resulted from the UK government’s Nicholson Challenge, which aimed at achieving £20 billion of efficiency improvement by the fiscal year 2015/16 across the NHS organizations in a way that service quality was not to be compromised. This raised issues on human resources and the burden the organization is facing in the NHS (Timmins, 2018).

1.3 Recent proposals in healthcare policy and its potential impact on service

Users

Currently, the UK government has had priority issues such as the aftermath of COVID-19, lack of workforce, and increasing need for integrated care. NHS Long Term Plan 2019 is one of the important strategies introduced for the improvement of the NHS for the coming ten years. In terms of the change that has occurred in health care systems, there has been increased provision of digital health services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health services have shifted to more telehealth and digital consultations in the NHS to help patients gain remote access to healthcare services. This is advantageous for persons residing in the countryside or those with a disability on mobility However, the use of digital services is questionable because some patients such as the elderly or those who do not use the internet may benefit from it. The workforce shortage led the government to come up with the NHS People Plan (2020/21) that aims at hiring and keeping healthcare providers. There has been an intensification of the availability of training sessions for doctors and nurses, however, burnout and underfunding remain some of the thorny that affect the workforce stability. Reform of social care has also been an important factor, which has included tabling of the reforms to limit the amount of money people can be asked to pay for their care when accessing care services (Benbow, 2020). Despite its noble intention of increasing the financial security for the service users, such as the mentally ill patients, three issues have however been raised: Implementational delay and Sustainability of funding for the project remain another big issue that have not been addressed. Another recent advancement is the application of intelligent technologies particularly in the healthcare profession. Challenges and opportunities for the UK can be described following the NHS Digital Transformation Plan of 2023: cybersecurity is to be improved, and relative diagnostics based on AI applications can be more efficient and rapid to complete. Although such developments may increase the efficacy of the service delivery system, issues of data respect and algorithms-constructed bias must be handled.

Task 2

The theoretical frameworks, concepts and models in developing policy

2.1 The ideological backgrounds that can influence healthcare policy development

Ideological issues greatly impact the formation of health care policies since they reflect government agendas, key funding approaches, and state and market distribution. Labour’s key aim is to reform the area of healthcare; in particular, socialism instigated the National Health Service in 1948 and the subsequent Labour reform in 1997. Neoliberalism, in contrast, favours market rationality and competition and therefore impacted the Coalition Government’s strategy of increased privatization of the NHS between 2010 and 2015. It is pragmatic and incremental; it is displayed by the prevailing frau and control finances and performance once in power under both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party forms of government. Shapiro also points out that liberalism hinges on the principle of individualism, which is incorporated in policies such as patient choice and competition between the NHS providers. The current and future healthcare policies have adopted a combination of these ideologies where public health delivery is complemented by private sector management and practices to tackle issues such as workforce deficiency, digitization, and lack of adequate funding in social care sectors (Triggle, 2019).

2.2 How stakeholders can influence policy development

Stakeholders impact healthcare policies by determining priorities, lobbying for change, and monitoring its application. National and local authorities and other decision-makers implement laws, approve credits, and define medical policies and priorities; the latest one is the NHS Long-Term Plan (2019). Healthcare leaders are involved in policy matters because of the gaps they notice in the delivery of healthcare services and lobbying the authorities for better working conditions in the Royal College of Nursing over staffing standards. Consumers and support organizations want the service user views, especially on the need to increase their access and provision of funding to essential sectors such as mental health. Various private businesses work on new concepts of digital healthcare together with drug technologies and sometimes apply pressure to effect change. Policy changes are also influenced by the media and public opinion once the public is made aware of system-related problems and rallies for change in the healthcare system (Darzi, 2024).

Task 3

The impact of previous and current healthcare policy upon service user groups

3.1 Policy developed during the coalition government and its impact upon service users

The Health and Social Care Act 2012, under the Conservative-Liberal Democracy, government was one of the greatest reforms in the healthcare sector. The commission explicitly redesigned NHS management to disembowel Primary Care Trusts and devolve the local funding of healthcare to general practitioners through unmanned Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). Moreover, the act promoted outsourcing by exposing the companies to the private structure and enabling them to seek contracts in the NHS (House of Commons Health Committee, 2014). Thus, the policy had at least some positive and negative similarities and differences among the service users. While the decision-making was decentralized in some cases and ensured the improvement of the service effectiveness, some voices claimed that the privatization of the services brought only fragmentation of the care and regional disparities. It was during this period that financial stringency also put a lot of pressure on the NHS, thereby resulting in increased waiting lists. Nevertheless, the policy of patient choice along with greater integration of health and social care was intended to increase the availability and joined-up delivery of the services (Bambra, 2016).

3.2 The government’s policy on supporting service users with long-term conditions

Currently, the UK government has made an effort to support service users with long-term conditions on integrated care, digital, as well as personalized care. The NHS Long Term Plan for 2019 positions ICS as one of the key strategies as a way of providing coherent care for people developing complications of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or chronic respiratory conditions. The second one is self-management support whereby patients are taught on management of their condition through education, the use of technology, and several other tools. Programs such as Personal Health Budgets provide the option of a self-directed care plan as persons have to select the services they would like to use. Increased availability of telehealth and remote monitoring also has its advantages because it allows patients to take care of themselves without having to go to the hospital so often. To the service user, these policies promote independence, availability, and the disjointed nature of professional service delivery. However, challenges remain (Layard and Clark, 2014) (Marmot, 2010). Challenges like the digital divide may also deny disadvantaged elderly people or those who cannot cope with virtual means the opportunity to avail themselves of telehealth services. Firstly, the issue of inadequate resources and shortage of workforce in the implementation of ICSs may also be another challenge. These policies have the potential of enhancing the quality of the lives of the people of Alabama as well as reducing direct admissions to these hospitals but their effectiveness lies in adequate funding, equal implementation, and more importantly, appreciable measures in reducing disparities in access to digital healthcare services (Department of Health, 2000).

Conclusion

The topic for this study has also focused on Labour’s and Coalition’s structural changes for the NHS and contemporary policies on integration, digital, and long-term condition policies. However, there are some issues to consider such as privatization, funding issues, and the digital divide which affects the continuing development of healthcare services.

References

• Bambra, C. (2016). Health Divides: Where You Live Can Kill You. Bristol: Policy Press.
• Benbow, D. (2020). 'An Adornian ideology critique of neo-liberal reforms to the English NHS', Journal of Political Ideologies, 25(2), pp. 216–233.
• Darzi, A. (2024). 'Tories' health reforms 'left UK open' to Covid calamity', The Observer.
• Department of Health. (2000). The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, A Plan for Reform. London: The Stationery Office.
• Dixon, J. and Dewar, S. (2000). 'The NHS plan', BMJ, 321(7257), pp. 315–316.
• Ham, C., Baird, B., Gregory, S., Jabbal, J. and Alderwick, H. (2015). The NHS under the coalition government. The King's Fund.
• House of Commons Health Committee. (2014). Public expenditure on health and social care: Eleventh Report of Session 2013–14. London: The Stationery Office.
• Layard, R. and Clark, D.M. (2014). Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies. London: Penguin Books.
• Marmot, M. (2010). Fair Society, Healthy Lives: The Marmot Review. London: The Marmot Review.
• Patel, A. (2019). 'How the Health and Social Care Act 2012 has affected commissioning of mental health in England', British Journal of General Practice, 69(Suppl 1), p. bjgp19X703373.
• Timmins, N. (2018). 'The Lansley reforms succeeded in unintended ways', Health Service Journal.
• Triggle, N. (2019). 'Are Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms being binned?', BBC News.