Healthcare Policy

Ignatius Mukombe 1315534 NUR0011-1                                   Page 1



The purpose of this essay is to identify a policy in a healthcare service ,how it is implemented within a healthcare service and how the policy outcomes are measured through audits .I will do this by defining the core terms of policy ,standards ,quality and audit in the relevant sections .I will also discuss the structure of health and social care in the United Kingdom (UK) and the need for collaborative working in order to improve health outcomes .I will also briefly discuss epidemiology and how it can affect public health and influence policy .I will finish the essay by giving a brief summary of the discussion and how it will influence my practice as a mental health nurse.

Healthcare Service is the provision of primary ,secondary and tertiary care as well as tackling health issues on a   national and global scale (NHSCONFED ,2012)   .In UK healthcare service are provided by the National Health Services (NHS) which was established in 1948 to provide free health care for all and to improve health outcomes for the nation .Health outcomes are defined as a change in the health of a person or a population which is a result of a planned interventions regardless of whether the intervention was intended to change the status of their health .The Secretary of Health has the comprehensive overview of the provisions of the health service .Department of Health has the strategic leadership role for   both the social and health care system within the UK .The above mentioned organisations are central in making and implementing policy (Clayton J ,1998) .The healthcare service that fall under the NHS that I would be looking at is Community Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) who services are managed by the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust (OBMH).

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and the application of this study to the...