Quality Assurance for Social Care Agencies


Book Description

Quality Assurance for Social Care Agencies is specifically designed to enable you to set up a Quality Assurance system within a social services setting. Including practical checklists, it covers all aspects of Quality Assurance - from what is meant by Quality Assurance and how to implement it to how to monitor and maintain quality control. Examples and details of experiences are included to help you get it right first time.




Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes


Book Description

As more people live longer, the need for quality long-term care for the elderly will increase dramatically. This volume examines the current system of nursing home regulations, and proposes an overhaul to better provide for those confined to such facilities. It determines the need for regulations, and concludes that the present regulatory system is inadequate, stating that what is needed is not more regulation, but better regulation. This long-anticipated study provides a wealth of useful background information, in-depth study, and discussion for nursing home administrators, students, and teachers in the health care field; professionals involved in caring for the elderly; and geriatric specialists.




Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care


Book Description

Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health was released in September 2019, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Improving social conditions remains critical to improving health outcomes, and integrating social care into health care delivery is more relevant than ever in the context of the pandemic and increased strains placed on the U.S. health care system. The report and its related products ultimately aim to help improve health and health equity, during COVID-19 and beyond. The consistent and compelling evidence on how social determinants shape health has led to a growing recognition throughout the health care sector that improving health and health equity is likely to depend â€" at least in part â€" on mitigating adverse social determinants. This recognition has been bolstered by a shift in the health care sector towards value-based payment, which incentivizes improved health outcomes for persons and populations rather than service delivery alone. The combined result of these changes has been a growing emphasis on health care systems addressing patients' social risk factors and social needs with the aim of improving health outcomes. This may involve health care systems linking individual patients with government and community social services, but important questions need to be answered about when and how health care systems should integrate social care into their practices and what kinds of infrastructure are required to facilitate such activities. Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health examines the potential for integrating services addressing social needs and the social determinants of health into the delivery of health care to achieve better health outcomes. This report assesses approaches to social care integration currently being taken by health care providers and systems, and new or emerging approaches and opportunities; current roles in such integration by different disciplines and organizations, and new or emerging roles and types of providers; and current and emerging efforts to design health care systems to improve the nation's health and reduce health inequities.




An Introduction to Quality Assurance in Health Care


Book Description

Avedis Donabedian's name is synonymous with quality of medical care. He unraveled the mystery behind the concept by defining it in clear operational terms and provided detailed blueprints for both its measurement(known as quality assessment) and its improvement(known as quality assurance). Many before him claimed that quality couldn't be defined in concrete objective terms. He demonstrated that quality is an attribte of a system which he called structure, a set of organized activities whihc he called process, and an outcome which results from both. In this book Donabedian tells the full story of quality assessment and assurance in simple, clear terms. He defines the meaning of quality, explicates its components, and provides clear and systematic guides to its assessment and enhancement. His style is lucid, succinct, systematic and yet personal, almost conversational.




Social Work Case Management


Book Description

This new practice text provides a series of readings focusing on case management in a number of fields and in a variety of settings with different client populations. Each chapter examines a major component of case management practice by presenting information about an innovative program from a different location around the country. In conjunction, these readings provide a road map to social work case management.In addition to offering up-to-date practice approaches and examining the functions and skills of case management in depth, the authors provide the policy information needed for putting this traditional form of social work practice into today's service delivery context.




Medicare


Book Description

Health care for the elderly American is among our nation's more pressing social issues. Our society wishes to ensure quality health care for all older people, but there is growing concern about our ability to maintain and improve quality in the face of efforts to contain health care costs. Medicare: A Strategy for Quality Assurance answers the U.S. Congress' call for the Institute of Medicine to design a strategic plan for assessing and assuring the quality of medical care for the elderly. This book presents a proposed strategic plan for improving quality assurance in the Medicare program, along with steps and timetables for implementing the plan by the year 2000 and the 10 recommendations for action by Congress. The book explores quality of careâ€"how it is defined, measured, and improvedâ€"and reviews different types of quality problems. Major issues that affect approaches to assessing and assuring quality are examined. Medicare: A Strategy for Quality Assurance will be immediately useful to a wide audience, including policymakers, health administrators, individual providers, specialists in issues of the older American, researchers, educators, and students.




Commissioning and Purchasing


Book Description

This essential guide to commissioning and purchasing in social care provides case studies, guidelines, and checklists to help readers to assess need, develop care plans and select suppliers of care. It clearly explains: the reasons for the shift to commissioning and purchasing away from direct provision the distinction between commissioning and purchasing how to ensure that the commissioning and purchasing process fully reflects the views of users and carers contracts and tenders costs and prices in relation to providing quality care how safeguards can be built into the commissioning and purchasing process. This is an invaluable resource that focuses on the practical skills required to deliver effective care. It has been written for social care students, frontline staff and their managers to help them through the process.







Leadership and Management in Integrated Services


Book Description

Government drivers promote integrated health and social care services for children and adults yet the field is immensely complex, with the involvement of multiple agencies, professionals and other stakeholders. This book will help students and new practitioners make sense of this rapidly changing scene. It provides an overview and introduction to core leadership and management principles, the key management structures and organisations that comprise integrated services. It also considers some of the differences and dilemmas arising from the range of professions and organisations involved in delivering integrated services.




Leadership and Management in Social Care


Book Description

′This is a timely and well crafted text which is to be commended, with strong chapters from knowledgeable and committed authors. A stimulating read and one which will be of considerable use to those with responsibility for leading and managing learning in social care and social work′ - Keith Popple, Professor of Social Work, London South Bank University ′This is a welcome and timely book, which forecasts the growing need for workplace learning. I will be one of the first people to buy it′ - Jan Fook, Professor of Social Work, University of Southampton This core textbook provides an authoritative overview of the leadership and management of learning in social care education and practice. Written in response to recent policy and continuing professional development frameworks, the book provides the underpinning knowledge for candidates following post-qualifying awards for social work in leadership, management and practice education Key features include: " reference to the relevant post-qualifying standards in social work at Higher Specialist and Advanced levels " an interprofessional approach " case studies, activities and points for reflection. Leadership and Management in Social Care will equip readers with the relevant knowledge and skills they need to improve the quality of social care services and their delivery. With an emphasis upon continuing professional development it will become essential reading for students following social work and social care qualifications for continuing professional development. Social care practitioners responsible for staff development and interested in progressing to management roles will also find the book invaluable. Trish Hafford-Letchfield is a senior lecturer at London South Bank University for social work, higher education and leadership and management courses. Kate Leonard is a senior lecturer at LSBU and freelance trainer, assessor and mentor. Nasa Begum has been Principal Advisor for Participation at SCIE since 2003 and is a researcher. Neil Chick is Organisational Learning Manager for a housing association and coach mentor.