Employability in Health and Social Care

Introduction

Employability refers to a person’s capacity for gaining and preserving employment. For individuals, employability depends on the knowledge, skills and abilities they possesses, in addition to the way they present those assets to employers Employability skills are in general needed to get most jobs specially in health and social care that can take employers to the top level. The report will outline a range of occupations within health and social care. The report will demonstrate research skills in researching careers; will also outline a typical hierarchy within health and social care. Finally the report will explain the importance of hierarchy in terms of the roles and responsabilities. (NHS 2014)

Range of Occupations in Health and Social Care and Careers

HealthCare is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental deficiencies in human beings, (Benbassart and Taragin, 1998). Social care in England is defined as the provision of social work, personal care, protection or social support services to children or adults in need or at risk, or adults with needs arising from illness, disability old age or poverty. Brotherton and Parker (2011).The health and social care Act (2012) sets out specific obligations for the health system and its relationship to work together. This act clearly states that it gives a duty to NHS, England, clinical commissioning groups and health and wellbeing boards to make it easier for health and social services to work together. Health can be provided in different settings example: Care homes patients homes, offices, clinics, hospitals community health centres and specialists hospitals (Smith, 2000). There are a variety of different occupations within the health and social care that gives opportunity to embrace career. Those entire careers have a code of practice and ethics, and they are accountable to themselves, to the patients and the actions they take. Healthcare professionals provides benefits and welfare service, they are: Doctors, nurses, occupational therapist, dietician, radiographers, speech and language therapist, prosthetics, paramedics, Social care workers are: Social worker, and nursing auxiliary, who works closely with people supporting them with their social lives outcomes.

Demonstration Skills in Researching Careers

Doctors and GP they are professional accountable for (HPC and GMC), (Doh 2009). Doctors observe, identify and provide treatment to patients who have been referred to the hospital by GPs and other health professionals. They apply medical knowledge and skills to the diagnosis, prevention and management of disease. Doctors they work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, public sector, (National Health Service), and the private sector. Treating patients, they refer them to a wide range of other healthcare professionals including nurses, radiographers, pharmacists and physiotherapists. They work also within a number of specialities examples: Anaesthetic, emergency medicine, general surgery, general medicine and gynaecology. (NHS 2014)

Nurses and midwives are professionally accountable to the Nurse and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Dental Nurse to General Dental Council (GDC). A dental nurse helps the dentist with clients in his care in all aspects; for example getting the appropriate tools ready, mixing materials and safeguarding patient wellbeing. Dental nurses also organises dentist notation for records and ensure the medical record is kept securely under Data Protection Act 1998. Dental nurse maintain the hygiene standards by cleaning the surgery and disinfects all the instruments (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974).In general practice, sometimes the dental nurse may help with reception work – making appointments, taking payments, dealing with paperwork and meeting and reassuring patients. Dental nurses can work in general practice, hospitals or the community dental services and can also train as a dental nurse in the armed forces. (NHS 2014)

Social workers support people with social aspects. Social work involves pleasing clients, families and friends. Social workers work closely with other organisations for example: the police, local authority (departments), schools and the probation service. Social workers specialise in adult or children’s services. They work with people with mental health problems or learning difficulties in residential care, working with offenders (supervising them in the community and assist them to find a job), supporting people with HIV/AIDS and older people at home helping with their health, housing or benefits. They also provide assistance and advice to children and young people to keep families together, working in children’s homes, managing adoption and foster care processes, providing support to younger people leaving care or who are at risk or in trouble with the lawand helping children who have problems at school or are facing difficulties derived by illness in the family. Social worker can work in a range of organizations, local authorities, independent organizations, charities, NHSin hospitals, mental health trusts and other communities settings.

A nursing auxiliary is a health care assistant that’s works alongside fully qualified healthcare practitioners, would assist with providing patient care, helping to look after their comfort and well-being. They can work in hospitals or community. There are supporting people in need. Nursing auxiliary there are involved in delivering programmes for the patient, in assisting with the client comfort levels. They can take temperatures, respirations, and others statistic like blood pressure, they maintain accurate and brief patient records, helping patient to move around, changing and clean dressings

Typical Hierarchy within Health and Social Care

A hierarchy is an organization structure in layers where each person has clear roles and responsabilities. The hierarchy of authority in health social care it is also important to sustain success. The hierarchy grows with the strength of a experienced managerial staff, and employers look to management to provide career progress. The structure offers key advantages, such as specific divisions of labour and clear lines of reporting and accountability, this means that authority, or power, is delegated downward in the organization, and that lower- levels individuals have less authority than higher-levels whose scope of responsibility is much greater. For example, a vice president of Patient Care Service in hospital may be in charge of several different functional areas, such as nursing, diagnostic imaging services, and laboratory services; in contrast, a director of Medical Records a lower-level position has responsibility only for the function of patient medical records. Furthermore, a supervisor within the Environmental Services department may have responsibility for only a small housekeeping staff, whose work is crucial, but confined to a defined area of the organization. The size and complexity of the specific health services organization will dictate the particular structure. For example, larger organizations such as a large community hospitals, hospital systems, and academic medical canters will likely have deep vertical structures reflecting varying levels of administrative control for the organization. This structure is necessary due to the large choice of services provided and the corresponding vast set of administrative and support services that are needed to assist the delivery of clinical services. Other characteristics associated with this functional structure include a strict chain of command and line of reporting, which ensures that communication and assignment and evaluation of tasks are carried out in a linear command and control (Thompson,2007a).A career in nursingcould start at band 2 as a clinical support worker rising to nurse consultant at a band 8.As a qualified nurse, would progress start a career at band 5. Examples of other roles, with typical Agenda for Change pay bands include: health visitor (band 6), nurse team leader (band 6), nurse advanced (band 7), a modern matron (band 8a), nurse consultant (band 8a-c). The Allied Health Professional diagram below demonstrates the level of bands with NSH.

There are several strategies used by managers to create and maintain excellent performances. These include formal methods such as offering training programs, assisting with leadership, providing continuing education, especially, for clinical and technical fields, and providing job enrichment. .

.

http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/career-framework/?sec=cf

Importance of Roles and Responsibilities of Hierarchy

Hierarchy is very important in health and social care in terms of roles and responsabilities, to sustain success, because designed to benefit the company and the employers of maintaining managerial integrity. Accountability is one of the fundamental issues to sustain success achieving goals (Barr and Dowding 2012). Those at the top of the hierarchy have more authority than those lower down. The organizational structure is designed to deliver its business, assign work task, monitoring and review of individual performance and to ensure excellent delivery of service. The role is fulfilled sensitively and skilfully by the managers, it can create a strong sense of security and a feeling that there is a reliable safety net if things should start to go wrong. The senior manager in the care home is all health care environment, be it a traditional setting, a home health facility or even hospice care, and have a hierarchy of health care professionals. Hierarchy roles involve leading, controlling and organising other various functions within the health care system. The role and responsibility of the hierarchy is to ensure that tasks are being done exactly and correctly and priorities workload within the team. The Hierarchy has responsibilities to encourage staff to perform well as management team will be accountable if anything goes wrong. Tasks are carried out in the best way possible to achieve goals and that appropriate resources inclining financial and human resources, are adequate to support the organization. There are other role involve example recruitment and development of staff, acquisition of technology, services additions, and allocation and spending of financial resources. (Boblitzand Thompson, 2005). Managers are responsibly to ensure the patient receives the most appropriate firmly and effective services possible and assesses achievement of performance target that are desirable for the hierarchy.

Conclusion

In conclusion health and social care gives the opportunities to embrace different careers doing to the extent of occupations. With Allied Professional when starts with band 1 there are opportunities that take employers to the top level and employees can became example: Nurses or social workers, because the training employers provides can take to a high education. Employers can provide employees with training and a good employability skill.

References

Bach,S. and Grant, A.(2009) Communicating and Interpersonal Skills for Nurses.(Transforming Nursing Practice) Exeter: Learning Matters.

Barr,J. and Dowding ,L.(2012) Leadership in Health Care 2^nd edn SAGE Publication

Benbassat, J., & Taragin, M. (1998). What is adequate health care and how can quality of care be improved? International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 11(2), 58-64.

Brotherton, G.and Parker, S. (2011) Your Foundation in Health and Social Care. London: Sage Publications

Career Frameworks, (2014) .Career Framework Interactive Resource – Administration, business support and management of health services. Available from: http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/career-framework/?sec=cf&id=3 [Accessed 29/11/2014]

Department of Health Professions (2009) Confidentiality NHS Code of Practice London, DOH

Health and Safety Executive (1974) Health and Safety in the Workplace Act 1974 www.hse.gov.uk accessed 31/10/14

Magee, J.C., and Galinsky, A.D. (2008).Academy of Management 104 (4), 590-609

NMC (2004) Code of Professional Conduct Standards for Conduct Performance and Ethics. London, Nursing & Midwifery Council.

NMC. (2009) The Code: Standards of Conduct, Nursing and Midwifery Council Tilley, S and Watson R. (2004), Accountability in nursing and midwifery 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishing Oxford

Prospect, (2014).Social worker: Job description | Prospects.ac.uk. Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/social_worker_job_description.htm [Accessed 29/11/2014]

Ronay, R., Greenaway, K.,Anicich, E,M., and Galinsky,A. D. (2012). Seeking Structure in Social Organization: 106 (4), 509-609.

Smith, J. (2000) Health Management Information Systems: Library of Congress: Open University Press: Buckingham

Sullivan, E, and Decker, P. (2005) Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing; 8th edn Pearson/Prentice Hall

Taylor,G. and Thornton ,C.(1995) Managing People Directory of Social Change :Radius works. London.

NHS Careers (2014). Available from: http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/ [Accessed 31/10/2014]

Health and Social Care Act 2012. Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/enacted [Accessed 29/11/2014]

NHS, (2014).Careers in the allied health professions -. Available from: http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/allied-health-professions/careers-in-the-allied-health-professions/ [Accessed 31/10/2014]

NHS, (2014).Social worker – Available from: http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/wider-healthcare-team/careers-in-the-wider-healthcare-team/clinical-support-staff/social-worker/ [Accessed 29/11/2014]