7069SOH INDIVIDUAL REPORT ASSESSMENT SAMPLE 2023
Executive Summary
The paper depicts that priority setting is an important key factor for the health care organization of the National Health System (NHS) of the UK. The study also focuses on the workforce planning and development process for better outcomes of the UK healthcare sector. The third important factor of the healing system is managing the human resource and talent within the organization. Priority setting is important for healthcare organizations as there are limited resources available and the management needs to apply an effective strategy for smooth supply of resources (Reckers-Droog, van Exel & Brouwer, 2019). The management takes decisions based on the service priority to the patients and. Countries like New Zealand, Denmark, and United Kingdom are applying the priority setting in the management and gaining a financial advantage. The UK is now able to improve the health condition of people by maintaining the priority setting in health treatment. Due to this reason, the NHS authority has introduced the emergency service for diseases such as cancer (Moreno-Calderón, Tong & Thokala, 2020). Apart from that, Netherland has also become successful in this sector as the healthcare organization tackle decisions based on the priority of treatment.
The SMART analysis is beneficial for the healthcare sector of the UK, which identifies various loopholes in the health service. SMART goals are necessary for evaluating the health practices that are already followed by the NHS authority. The healthcare authority can identify the goals and try to meet the goals through SMART analysis. The analysis will empower the organization to make a strategic framework within the time period. HealthThe health promotion programs are important in the context of the UK and reducing health inequality. Apart from this the workforce development empowers the NHS authority to critically evaluate the need of the workforce to provide better service to the internal and external stakeholders. In case the key factors are followed then the investors invest more in that sector and the health quality of the country improve over time.
Talent management is vital for the resilient service in NHS healthcare. In each department, there is necessary of skilled and competent employees for the smooth flow of the work and gaming positive feedback from the clients. As NHS is a large scale health care organization hence it is difficult to manage all the employees and to satisfy all of them. The study reflects various risk factors that are needed to be analysis before planning any strategy and executing it in the practical field. New and updated technology is a threat to healthcare organizations. The communication issue is also a vital problem for healthcare service providers (Finer et al., 2018). However, these can be mitigated through embracing and analysing the above-mentioned key factors. The cost of technology is high for the organizations and there is s risk of data theft and for this reason, the employees are not wished to use the technology. However, it benefits the administration by providing faster service to the patients. The impact of risk management is discussed in the paper for sharing the knowledge of health practices in the UK.
Introduction and Context
Overview of the health system
An effective healthcare system empowers the healthcare organization to use the available resources, provide health services, and improve the health condition of people. The NHS of UK has been chosen as a healthcare system. There are different types of healthcare models, such as the Bismarck model, “the National health insurance model”, “the Beveridge Model”, “Out-of-pocket Model”, which are followed by different countries around the world (Hollis et al., 2018). The developed countries such as the UK, USA use the Beveridge model, where the government takes initiative for the health practices. On the other hand, the out-of Pocket Model is followed by developing countries such as India, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The Healthcare system is necessary for preventing people from getting affected by severe diseases. Due to this reason, the health authorities of different countries make different health plans for improving health services (Mollan et al., 2019). Mainly, there are three goals of the healthcare system such as lowering the cost of services, improving healthcare quality, and achieving positive feedback from patients. Priority setting plays a vital role in healthcare practices, and it is used by health organizations for taking decisions for the healthcare system. The organizations are applying a better workforce policy for the development of the health service and maintaining the workflow in the organization.
Assessment of current approaches
Priority setting and decision-making process
Priority setting emphasizes the process of decision making where the healthcare sector allocates the limited resources for better service to the patients. During the complex situation, the healthcare organization faces various problems from the patients’ side (Improvingphc.org, 2021). In case there are limited employees, medical staff, doctors in the health organization then the management uses the priority setting practices for allocating the staff to the individual department. The two factors such as risk control and safety practices are considered for priority setting. The health organization follows the safety policy for improving the psychological and physical safety of patients.
Workforce planning and development
Workforce planning defines a process where the healthcare system predicts the future need of workers and takes the previous steps for hiring eligible workers in the healthcare industry. Hence, the workforce planning process helps in analyzing the need of staff for mitigating the service gap (Hr.nih.gov, 2021). The organization plans for hiring the eligible candidate and it is beneficial for the cost-effectiveness of the healthcare system. These key elements are necessary for deploying the right employee at the right place for increasing the efficiency of service. For applying strategic planning in the healthcare system, proper workforce planning is necessary. NHS is itself a large scale healthcare authority which follows the workforce development policies in the management.
Human resource and talent management
Human resource management (HRM) is necessary for motivating the administrative staff in the workplace and retaining eligible employees for a long time. The HR managers in the healthcare sector play a crucial role in providing high-quality service to the stakeholders (Ingram, 2021). The human resources managers manage the personnel in the workplace and resolve the employee issue in a very effective way. Hence, in this way, the human resource team makes a good work environment and increases the skills and abilities of workers by motivating them. The HR managers of the NHS have to do various tasks such as recruiting staff, applying policies, and motivating them for better performance.
Critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses
Priority setting and decision-making process Pros and Cons
The advantage of following priority setting in the management is it empowers the authority to make decisions based on the changing situation. The health organization changes the decision whenever there is a change in the health practices. For instance, during the pandemic, the NHS authority has changed the rules and regulations for ensuring the safety of the patients. Due to this reason, NHS authority has followed the social distancing norms, sanitization of all staff and provided equipment for the treatment of Covid patients (Suhonen et al., 2018). However, the previous prediction can be caused by poor and complex service to the patients. For instance, the sudden break of Covid-19 affects the whole healthcare system and the priority setting was not beneficial at that time.
Workforce planning and development Pros and Cons
Workforce planning is appropriate for identifying the eligible employees and dividing the workload according to their skills. The healthcare work cycle can be maintained through forecasting the challenges and taking necessary steps according to them. Workforce planning is beneficial for short term goals. It is important for developing an action plan, implementing and monitoring it for better outcomes (White, 2017). Change management is not effective in the healthcare industry, and for that reason, the health sector faces problems in long term staff engagement. The healthcare system is changing rapidly, and poor workforce planning affects the healthcare organizations to delegate the task among the skilled employees. The managers of NHS health organizations do not get time for spending time on higher-value activities as the task delegation process creates complexity in the workplace. However, workforce planning is directly improving the healthcare sector of the UK as new practices are adopted in the healthcare sector.
Human resource and talent management Pros and Cons
Better HRM practice in the management increases the ability of managers to hire suitable candidates for providing the best quality service to the patients. The employees get motivation in the workplace and it is beneficial for employee retention and growth of the healthcare system (Willis, Cave & Kunc, 2018). The poor human resource management system increases the cost of employee training as management hires unskilled labour in the health sector. As the HRM policies are ineffective then it increases the labour turnover rate. The managers select employees randomly and it impacts the service quality. Healthcare organizations have to face loss for improper management. The HR managers give opportunities to the eligible candidate and it acts as the motivating factor for the other employees. Besides, they trained and motivated the employees in such a way that the employees always tried to be loyal to the organization.
Recommendations
The healthcare system of NHS management has to make effective strategies for better allocation of resources and improving the management. The SMART analysis is beneficial for the health industry of the UK and the objectives are discussed below:
Smart action plan
| SMART objectives | Strategic priorities | Option appraisal | Benefits | Costs |
| Training to the administrative and medical staff for developing their skills within six months | The employees who are facing challenges for providing service, they will be chosen for the training and learning programs | The skilled will be measured by the experts over time and their performance will be measured during the training session | It is beneficial for the healthcare service provider to manage the situation in a smooth manner and instantly response to the patients (Mazzucco et al., 2019) | $1000 |
| Improving the communication level of the employees for handling difficult situations in the workplace within four months | The lower level staff face communication problems as they directly communicate with the patients | Healthcare organizations can reduce the complexity in communication and help the healthcare organization to combat with the change management | Effective communication increases the confidence of employees to communicate with a number of customers and it is beneficial for instant solutions to any problem. | $500 |
| Improving the infrastructure of the healthcare system and addition of updated technology in the whole system within 12 months period | The departments, where the technology is highly needed and the substitution of technology will apply in that department | The use of automation technology increase work efficiency and the use of ERP system can be effective for future prediction and right decision making | It is used for instant payment of the clients and allocation of resources is based on the department workload (Fraher & Brandt, 2019) | $1500 |
Figure 1: Smart action plan for increasing the competencies of the workers
Source: (Self-Created)
Impact of SMART objectives
The SMART objectives reflected on the above chart are for developing the competencies of the health workers and improving the work environment for effective service to the patients. The application of artificial intelligence is to be used in the health system for quick response to the patient party. For instance, there will be a scope of voice search, virtual support and catboats for the patients that will improve the communication level (Tursunbayeva, 2019). The customer will get satisfaction from those things and it will be effective for gaining positive support from the customers’ side. There is a goal of providing training to the selected staff for improving their technical knowledge. Technical knowledge is necessary for the current healthcare system as all the systems are going to be compromised within a few years and the employees need to learn it for future support to the NHS. These are beneficial for lowering the burden of work among the workers and creating a sound work environment.
Risk Analysis
| Potential risk/hazards | Personal responsible | Risk rating | Mitigation strategies | Expected outcomes |
| Due to sudden changes in technology the healthcare system has to face challenges regarding skilled labour | Administrative and supporting staff | 4 | The employees are trained for improving their technical skills and knowledge (Blštáková & Palenčárová 2021). Apart from that, the manager is able to supervise the work of the staff to get an advantage in the healthcare system. The eligible candidates will be hired for better functioning of work. | It will effectively rescue the labour burnout in the healthcare organizations and increase the capacity of workers to handle updated technology. The health care organizations can utilize the resources as per the requirement. |
| The employees are not motivated in the workplace and it negatively affects the smooth functioning of tasks. | Human resource managers and operation managers | 3 | There is a need for grooming classes and appraisal programs for motivating the workers in the workplace. Appraisal programs will motivate employees to do the task more effectively and they will try to finish the difficult task. There is a need for career development opportunities for each employee and it is beneficial for employee engagement (Aremu, Shahzad & Hassan, 2018). | The efficiency of the employees will increase over time and it helps the organization to be cost-effective and provide the service to the customers at an affordable price. In the case of complex situations like Covid-19, The employees will work with self-motivation and the organization will be able to satisfy the customers. |
| Lack of knowledge of in healthcare can cause chaos in the health service | Higher authority | 4 | The higher authority needs to recruit such employees who are well versed with the health system. the healthcare system of the UK is facing challenges due to knowledge gap (Brouwer et al., 2019) | It will be beneficial for the reduction of human error in the healthcare system and create better outcomes for the national healthcare system of the UK. |
| Improper communication management in the health sector | The talent management team and directors | 2 | The employees are motivated to join the communication development programs for communication progress | The internal and external stakeholders will get benefit from the communication process |
Risk management impact
Modern health technology is still not suitable for healthcare employees. In case artificial intelligence is incorporated in the healthcare industry, then many of the healthcare employees will leave the sector as they are cont comfortable with new technology. The ERP software needs to be applied in the healthcare industry for managing financial resources (Drake et al., 2017). Many healthcare organizations are following the ERP software in its management for cost optimization. However, many employees are not skilled enough to tackle it. In case there are communication processes in the health system then it can cause inappropriate treatment and misdiagnosis of the patients. Hence, it negatively impacts the health system of the UK. Due to the knowledge gap of health workers, the health system is still not transparent and it is time-consuming to bring transparency in the whole system. Patients are paying high costs for getting health services from healthcare organizations due to the usage of traditional technology in the health sector (Dubé et al., 2020). In addition to that, the health system faces medical wastage, poor quality service to the patients and it affects the smooth functioning of the health system. Many organizations fail to maintain patients’ safety and it can cause dissatisfaction.
Conclusion
The training of medical staff will empower them to gain knowledge regarding the modern healthcare system, and it will be helpful in creating transparency and making the right decisions for better outcomes. After the outbreak of the pandemic, the whole structure of the healthcare system has changed, and the medical staff are using the traditional methods of service, which increase the necessity of development programs. At present patients are preferring online support for health problems and communication is necessary for the online service provided to the patients. There is a need for huge employees to manage the staff and patients in the health organization. Healthcare organizations have to deploy skilled employees so that they can handle the huge number of customers in the workplace. Apart from the technical advancement, the NHS has to apply the financial management policy in the health system for achieving the goal in future. After a certain period of time, the health organizations have to conduct appraisal programs based on employee performance. It will increase the capacity of workers. The motivation program will help the workers to work collaboratively and achieve the organizational goal collectively. The mitigation strategies will be beneficial for risk management in the healthcare sector.
The application of new technology in the health system can create limitations as the health workers are not well competent with the new system. The HRM and talent management team are hiring unskilled labour in the lower level and they fail to provide better service to the organizations and the patients as well. As the workers cannot use the technology then many UK healthcare organizations face challenges to provide online service to the clients. The workers cannot adopt the change management and the NHS authority face difficulty to retain medical staff such as doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff.
An effective training and development program can reduce the challenges of NHS authority. It will be beneficial for the priority setting process of health care. By developing the priority setting, the organizations can improve their decision making power. The introduction of modern tools will be effective for analysing the healthcare data and the NHS authority can improve the quality of service by evaluating the trend of health service. The motivation will be a part of the training process so that the health workers can try to develop themselves in their own way. The HRM is focusing on employee hiring and the employee engagement process.
The health leaders need to focus on the ratio analysis, cash flow, and financial statements for financial management. Ratio analysis is used to compare performance with the organization and the health organization itself. Cash flow management empowers the organization to maintain its liquidity. On the other hand, the NHS authority has to improve skills such as technological management, maintaining the safety rules in the workplace, relationship maintenance to retain the employees. This will improve the health system at an advanced level and appropriate for meeting the organizational goals.
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