Free Nursing Dissertations - Critical Analysis Of The Impact Of National Service Framework For Older
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF NATIONAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK FOR OLDER PEOPLE: STANDARD TWO
Undergraduate Degree Level Essay
3,500 words
Essay
The National Service Frameworks are a series of Government initiatives which are probably best seen, not in isolation, but as part of a continuum of a programme of NHS and Governmental reform. One could argue, with some justification, that these reforms started at the inception of the NHS, but on a more locally focused timescale, one can point to a number of related measures which have had a major impact on the way in which the NHS impacts on the care of the patient.
Reforms in the NHS are not universally considered to be either good, necessary or even useful. It is therefore vitally important that any measure should face critical evaluation and audit before it is proclaimed a success. (Morris AH 2002). One only has to consider the debacle surrounding the introduction of the set of reforms in the early 1980s that came after the publication of the Griffiths Report for an illustration of the point. (Griffiths Report 1983)
These were a set of reforms that were designed to streamline the administration of the NHS. It involved a major change in emphasis in the way that the NHS was run, and in short, it was badly conceived, patchily implemented and introduced piecemeal. By any critical analysis it proved to be a complete disaster. (Davidmann 1988)
It is fair to say that many very important lessons were learnt as a result of this episode. The introduction of new reforms since that time have been largely well managed and carefully orchestrated. (Bennis et al.1999). The thrust of this particular essay is centred on the impact of the National Service Framework for the elderly Standard Two. The introduction of the National Service Frameworks in general terms has been exemplary, with consultation periods, wide publication and pre-implementation pilots together with carefully planned National roll out strategies to try to ensure smooth implementation across the country. (Nickols F.2004). in order to fully consider the place of the National Service Frameworks in the modern NHS we need to consider some of the elements of the continuum refered to in the opening paragraph.
The NHS Plan (2000) is the document and concept that underpins a number of different elements in the overall NHS reforms. This, together with the Agenda for Change (2004) which outlines the changes proposed, can be considered the key document in these particular reforms.
In general terms, the main impact of the National Service Frameworks is to minimise the geographical inequalities and anomalies that arise as a result of the differing standards of care in different parts of the country. They represent a mechanism of setting a standard of excellence, goal or target that applies to the same set of circumstances across the country (Rouse et al 2001).
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