This is my full assignment for my distinction graded Unit 10.
It includes; fluency, structure, photographs, diagrams, full reference list, little to no plagiarism plus more that are not included in the singular tasks!
Please keep in mind that this is my own published assignment that has been...
Science Industry Organisations
National Health Service
The NHS is a Government funded healthcare system that allows residents of the UK to
access the services without paying the full cost when used. With 1.7 million workers and treating 23
million patients each month, the NHS is the fifth largest employer in all of the UK.
The structure of the NHS is set out in a way that the Government is at the top of the pillar but when
it comes to decisions, they have little say. At the top of the structure is the Department of Health.
This is Government run and deals with funding and new ideas for healthcare. Next is NHS England,
which oversees the commissioning side of the NHS. Up next are the Clinical Commissioning Groups
which control around 60% of the NHS’ budget due to them overlooking health needs in local areas.
Finally, are the NHS’ Trusts which provide the services that the CCG’s authorise. These include
hospitals, ambulances, primary care, sexual and mental health services which all come under this.
The purpose of the NHS is outlined in their mission statement, which is “to provide care and services
that we and our families would want to use” (Mission Statement Academy, n.d.).
The NHS’ Key Principles
The NHS has seven key principles it follows that have been put together by the public,
patients, and staff, meaning these principles are beneficial to those who use the NHS. The four top
key principles are important in showing how the services are delivered.
1. The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all
The NHS delivers a service to all, no matter what race, age, religion, relationship status, sexual
orientation etc. And so, staff prevent and diagnose health problems with every patient being on an
equal level. This equality allows patients to feel comfortable not only when they are booking in to
use the service, but also when they are having the service carried out by a member of staff as they
know they will not be discriminated against. This improves the mannerisms patients have towards
staff as no matter the person, the patient knows they will be receiving the best care possible as
these qualities do not matter. However, the downside of equality is that the use of the NHS
increases meaning there is more demand from patients. The more demand there is, the more costs
there will be needed to hire more staff, purchase more supplies, and possibly open up more centres
that offer services.
2. Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay
The NHS and most of the services provided are free of charge due to the NHS being funded from
National Insurance Contributions. This allows patients to receive the care they need as of when they
need it and not because they can pay for it at that given time. This access improves the levels of
good health in the UK as patients are using the services when they are needed. If they were not to
use the services due to not being able to afford them, then things like sexual health will plummet as
STD’s are not being treated. However, the use of National Insurance Contributions to fund the NHS
can be deemed unfair by those that have no use of the NHS. People of a much higher income like to
go private as waiting times are massively reduced but they still have to pay National Insurance
Contributions.
3. The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism
The NHS will not give anything but high-quality care to patients and respect to their staff. This is
done through education and training to employ those who meet these standards and are able to
carry it out throughout their work placements. These high standards allow patient care to be
increased as the respect given to staff allows them to feel happy in their workplace which in total
helps them give out the highest standard of care. However, possible candidates for employment
might feel that good education being a must for producing high standards is not fair. Not every
, candidate would have been able to afford the top universities in order to get their degrees and so
they might feel that comparing education allows for a judgement to be made based off where they
went to university, not their skill set.
4. The patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does
The NHS will not have set instructions that tell how to deal with a patient and their diagnosis’s. Every
patient is different and so are their care plans. That is why the NHS works with every single one of its
patients, what they need, what works best and follows this up with family members and carers. This
allows confidence from the patient as they know any decision made will be fed through themselves
as well as knowing that their care plan is specifically for them and their personal recovery. However,
these tailored approaches mean more time spent understanding conditions and what will and will
not work. This takes time away from diagnosing and helping other patients and so there are backlogs
of patients waiting to be seen.
The Influence of UK Legislation on the NHS’ Principles
Within the UK, there are legislations in place that apply to the NHS and therefore affect how
they give out their services. Legislations are laws passed by Parliament, and by ignoring them the
individual will be breaking the law. Without these legislations, the processes and outcomes of the
services given would be completely different. There is one very important legislation within the NHS
that affects the way services are brought across.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012
Health inequalities were first legally introduced within this legislation and are the avoidable
differences in health across the different groups of society. Where we are born, live, and work all
affect the opportunities we have for good health.
- The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all
The above principle is massively influenced by the Health and Social Act 2012 legislation. The NHS
has services available as of when people need to use them. However, within this principle it is
mentioned that it has a wider duty to those with health inequalities. This means that those
individuals get paid particular attention due to the fact that their low health lines up with the
circumstances they are in and allows them to be treated quickly.
- Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay
The above principle is partially influenced by the Health and Social Act 2012 legislation. The NHS is a
huge service funded through the Government and tax payments from the public. The Health and
Social Act refers to people, but is not limited to, lower incomes, homelessness, and deprived areas.
Therefore, these individuals do not have the money to afford costly services that an individual of a
higher income might be able to afford, for example a blood test or CT scan. The legislation therefore
includes these groups of individuals allowing them to receive the care they need and improve the
overall health of the inequalities.
- The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism
The above principle is influenced by the Health and Social Act 2012 legislation. High standards mean
that the NHS is to follow key laws and legislation put into place to ensure the workplace is kept
professional at all times. This professionalism in regard to the legislation is put into practice by not
looking at individuals with health inequalities and discriminating against them or looking upon them
because they have not got what is thought as basic human requirements. This allows the services to
be carried out in a non-judgemental manner and allows more individuals with health inequalities to
come and use the services.
- The patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does
The above principle is not influenced by the Health and Social Act 2012 legislation. It does not
depend on health inequalities to determine whether the patient is cared about more and gets a
higher amount of care than someone who does not obtain the inequality. Each patient requires their
own individual care plan; a homeless individual, an individual with wealth, an individual with
multiple jobs, an individual who has kids. Therefore, every patient is different, and the NHS will not
put people into two huge categories of those with inequalities and those without allowing equality in
the services they provide.
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