Paper Example on Challenges Facing the Delivery of Services to the Public

Health and human services delivery to the public is an essential function of the economy. The authorities concerned with health and human services should strive for the integrated revitalization of appropriate programs to ensure the complex social services issues are addressed. The presentation describes the challenges facing the delivery of services to the public. First, the presentation seeks to explain the issue of social inequality to undermine the provision of the critical services to those regarded socially unequal. Inequality in the provision of human and health services is often indirect and systemic (Murali, 2004). The contributing factors include socioeconomic issues and lack of appropriate communication. The other issues are communication which needs to be addressed to ensure the provision of these services is equitable.

Conceptual Framework

All stakeholders are striving to achieve an improvement in the provision of health services. To ensure this, an appropriate conceptual framework has been used to evaluate the issues of inequality and communication facing the provision of this critical service. The selected frameworks with aid in the development of a more comprehensive approach to health and human services (Ergo et al., 2011). It provides structured data which provides a clear description of the current features of the health and human services system. It also provides a dynamic assessment of the changes in the systems over time. The framework acts as a diagnostic tool as it identifies the strengths and shortcomings of the health and human services system. The conceptual framework also acts to establish the key areas of priority enabling the development of approaches to deal with the weaknesses facing the service provision (Ergo et al., 2011). It will help in determining the linkages that exist between the initiatives introduced in the system to enhance the outcomes, the element of health and humans services being affected by the initiative, the possible gaps and overall effects of the initiative. The selected conceptual framework has many audiences on many levels. For instance, at the federal level, there are policy makers, legislators, bilateral and multilateral who focus on the results of the system (Kagan et al., 2009). This means they can use the framework as a source of information in establishing the key inputs required to realize the necessary outcomes. The people of this audience is necessary to impact the health and human services to realize national change.

Ethical Practices

The provision of health and human services, especially to the minority groups, brings the issue of ethics. Ethics is critical in the sector and acting ethically brings some advantages such as the system becomes more effective and establishes a good relationship with the community (Frieden, 2011). It also allows the leaders to occupy a high moral ground when presenting the merits of the system and assures the legal and professional standing. Ethical behavior in health and human services related to how people are treated and informed. Some of the ethical drivers that arise in this sector include confidentiality, consent, disclosure, competence, and conflict of interest. In this sector, confidentiality is the most violated ethical issues. It is the expectation there will be confidentiality of communications and information from clients (Frieden, 2011). Confidentiality helps in protecting clients and organizations from privacy invasion and lead to the establishment of a bond of trust. There is consent which entails clients giving consent that their records can be used to promote service provision or agreeing to a specific medical service (Uenohara, 2017). The policies of various programs in health and humans services need to be disclosure to the public. Some details provided should include when these policies can be breached and what services are available. There also need for competence, which means the sector is availing all services they offer to all members of the public (Halwani, 2004). Another ethical issue is the conflict of interest. Those in place of authority in health and human services should ensure their issues do not impact on their judgment in performing their designated responsibilities.

Diversity and Inclusiveness

In health and human services, diversity can be described as the richness of human differences while inclusion can be described as the feeling of connection, value, and engagement. Diversity and inclusion entail a variety of life aspects. Despite the success that has been realized in health and human services, there is still the existence of health disparity (Campbell, 2011). The issue of diversity can be evaluated regarding patient satisfaction and quality results with great focus on racial, gender, ethnic and linguistic diversification. It, therefore, means that all stakeholders need to ensure there is appropriate representation in the provision of services. There is a need for inclusion health which entails the enhancement of primary health and human services to those referred to as socially exclude. The progress in the provision of services to the socially excluded groups need to be established and then access and quality to be improved. Having inclusion health in health and human services entails the provision of a framework that initiates and drives change in the outcomes the groups that are socially excluded. The framework will outline the specific challenges that service providers face when working with the socially challenged and also looking at the wider reforms in the sector. Any change in the provision of services should be supported by evidence that incorporates existing and new data and analysis on the health and human services needs and outcomes of everyone.

Team Structuring and Functioning

For the provision of quality services to people, effective team structure and functioning are critical. The structure of a team in an organization determines its operation and performance. Presently, there is a new team structure which is less hierarchical and less structured. These teams are also more fluid in comparison to traditional team structures (Beaglehole & Dal Poz, 2003). A team can be described as a group of employees possessing complementary skills and efforts that are synergistic and functioning to achieve a common objective. The creations of teams entail structure of a team in a way they generate relevant expertise (Troster et al., 2014). For the provision of services to the public, teams should be structured to change and adapt appropriately. The team structure should be integrated to include the appropriate culture. By doing this, there is the authority, and a more concrete structure is realized and also portrays the cross-functional benefits of a team (Van der Haar et al., 2017).

Creative Solutions

Inequality in the delivery of health and human services might lead to organizational challenges (Murali, 2004). Leaders in health and human services sector should, therefore, look at the five major areas to deal with arising challenges. This will be the realization of an integrated, result-based revitalization of services to deal with the complex challenges. One of the solutions is the use data push for better interventions. Traditionally, data in the field of health and human services has been utilized for reporting or operational reasons. However, there is need to use data to develop better programs proactively. The application of predictive analytics will help in determining high-need service areas and the appropriate use of data (Morris & Oakes, 2017). This will enable the development of insight-driven practice models to find solutions to problems. Leaders in the sector can also apply rapid-cycle evaluations which are a method used in exploration and then actions using data insights are carried out. Another way of finding solutions is through the utilization of ecosystems. Ecosystems can be described as the various interconnections between various industry actors to design new solutions that deal with the causes of challenges in health and human services. Ecosystems are supported by data insights which result in multiplier effects of scale and effects (Morris & Oakes, 2017). Another solution to help organizations deal with challenges is through service design which involves integrating people and placing them at the center of programs. After using data insights and development of ecosystems, it is essential to make people a priority. Organizations also need to reimagine their culture. This entails changing the hearts, thoughts, and habits of the employees. It, therefore, means that norms and culture in the organizations much change. The existing practices in organizations in health and humans services must be challenged (Morris & Oakes, 2017). Another step organizations need to take is to promote a culture of innovation. Innovation will continue influencing health and human services, and this means changing the mindset. Organizations must have adaptive leaders who can pursue other avenues despite them disrupting how things have been traditionally done. The change can be systematic or improve the already established systems. The future of health and human services is held by evidence-based services and needs the use of data at the center of the service delivery.

References

Beaglehole, R., & Dal Poz, M. (2003). Public health workforce: challenges and policy issues. Human Resources for Health, 1(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-1-4

Campbell, K. (2011). Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 201115. Department of human services. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from https://www.humanservices.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/8378-1203en.pdf

Ergo, A., Eichler, R., Koblinsky, M., & Shah, N. (2011). Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Outcomes: A Framework. USAID. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from http://www.mchip.net/sites/default/files/HSS%20and%20MNCH%20Framework_final.pdf

Frieden, T. (2011). CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report United States, 2011. CDC. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/SU6001.pdf

Halwani, S. (2004). Racial inequality in access to health care services. Ontario Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/race-policy-dialogue-papers/racial-inequality-access-health-care-services

Kagan, J., Kane, M., Quinlan, K., Rosas, S., & Trochim, W. (2009). Developing a conceptual framework for an evaluation system for the NIAID HIV/AIDS clinical trials networks. Health Research Policy and Systems, 7(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-7-12

Morris, D., & Oakes, R. (2017). 5 Keys to Enhancing Health and Human Services Delivery (Industry Perspective). Govtech.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from http://www.govtech.com/opinion/5-Keys-to-Enhancing-Health-and-Human-Services-Delivery.html

Murali, V. (2004). Poverty, social inequality and mental health. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 10(3), 216-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/apt.10.3.216

Troster, C., Mehra, A., & van Knippenberg, D. (2014). Structuring for team success: The interactive effects of network structure and cultural diversity on team potency and performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 124(2), 245-255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.04.003

Uenohara, B. (2017). Chapter 19. Choosing and Adapting Community Interventions | Section 5. Ethical Issues in Community Interventions | Main Section | Community Tool Box. Ctb.ku.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2017, from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/analyze/choose-and-adapt-community-interventions/ethical-issues/main

Van der Haar, S., Koeslag-Kreunen, M., Euwe, E., & Segers, M. (2017). Team Leader...