The Healthcare Sector

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Created by
Jess Ainsley

Cards (55)

  • Examples of healthcare working environments other than hospitals
    • Dentist
    • Optician
    • Walk-in centre
  • Primary care

    Where an individual makes a first point of contact with a practitioner
  • Primary care providers

    • GP - General Practitioner
  • Primary care

    The GP will provide a diagnosis, treatment or medication
  • Primary care

    • Medical approach to treatment
    • Social approach to treatment
  • Examples of primary care
    • Dentist
    • Optician
    • Walk-in centre
    • Accident and Emergency
    • NHS 111 calls
  • What primary care does
    1. First point of contact
    2. Accessed directly by service users
    3. Deals with acute medical problems
    4. Refers to specialists
    5. Triage services
    6. General and specialist care
  • Patient participation groups (PPG)

    Groups of patients who have received care and treatment that regularly meet to engage with their doctors and nursing staff to talk about their experiences
  • How PPGs can impact services
    They can impact the way services are shaped and delivered
  • Why public opinion is important
    It helps the services meet the needs of the locality
  • Secondary care

    Involves hospital services, for patients who attend as out-patients or in-patients
  • Secondary care

    • Investigations, tests, x-rays
    • Observation or treatment for illness or treatment
  • Individuals may have been referred by their GP

    To receive secondary care
  • Planned operations or procedures in secondary care
    • Hip operations
    • Tonsils
  • Specialised care in secondary care
    Physiotherapist or a sports therapist
  • Tertiary care

    Provided by residential homes, nursing homes and hospices, as well as mental health services
  • Characteristics of tertiary care
    • Care is often long term
    • Highly specialised
    • Used as respite for individuals and their families
    • Palliative care - end of life
  • Tertiary care is also provided by practitioners who focus on the body (anatomical) system and provide a course of treatment for their patients
  • Tertiary care providers

    • Oncologist (cancer specialist)
    • Burns specialist unit
  • Holistic care

    Treating the person as a whole, considering social, biological, emotional and cognitive factors. The team of caregivers are not only professional but also family and friends.
  • End of life care
    Provided by hospices and charitable centres such as Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sue Ryder Services
  • employer and organisational settings:
    o NHS
    o private healthcare
    o private/non-profit organisations
    o social care services:
    • adult social care, children and young people’s social care
    • housing services
    • youth and community services
  • diverse working environments: hospital, GP surgery, community setting, residential setting, service user’s home, judicial care, schools, local authority departments
  • Personal factors that may individually impact patients
    • Pre-existing health condition
    • Physical disability
    • Mental health disorder
    • Learning difficulty or challenge
    • Age and or cognition
  • Pre-existing conditions
    Diabetes - Pancreas and breaking down sugar, Monitoring blood sugar, Wounds heal slowly, ulcers and eye check are important
  • Physical disability - Multiple sclerosis
    • Disease of the nervous system - inflammation of the myelin - protective layer around the nerve cell, Patients require mobility equipment plus physiotherapy
  • Mental health - Anxiety
    Caused when there is a threat to a person's safety, Sympathetic nervous system responsible for "fight or flight" responses, Parasympathetic nervous system responsible for "rest and digest" responses
  • Treatments for anxiety or panic disorder
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Talking therapy, Medication, Combination of medical and social approach
  • artificial intelligence technologies (for example machine learning radiology):
    o supports health teams to gain access to more expansive data across a wider geographical area
    o supports health professionals to stay informed in relation to trends in condition and response from a wider pool of individuals
    o supports diagnosis through use of patient data/images and complex algorithms
  • assistive computer technology (for example CAD/CAM/3D printing, health implants and robotic surgery):
    o supports the health team to treat or manage conditions more efficiently
    o provides solutions that may not have been previously available in order to support conditions
  • health applications (for example Evergreen Life, NHS app and My Diabetes My Way):
    o promotes healthier choices by offering advice and support
    o supports independent management of conditions
    o supports health professionals with ongoing monitoring of conditions
    o supports health teams to manage appointments
  • origins of the healthcare sector in the UK - National Health Service (NHS):
    o founded on 5 July 1948
    o the first completely free healthcare service
    o the creation of the NHS was the result of many years of debate and discussion from the early 1900s
    8o NHS Act 1946 when Aneurin Bevan became health minister
  • How the healthcare sector has developed since 1945

    1. NHS has undergone many changes, updates and re-organisations
    2. Due to expenditure exceeding demand and the resulting pressure on funding some services incurred charges (for example prescription charges)
    3. Private sector healthcare has developed in parallel with NHS: funded through private medical insurance or individual payments
    4. Private sector healthcare continues to expand
    5. Many charities have also developed services to support health and wellbeing and provide healthcare (for example Marie Curie hospices)
    6. Increase in multi-agency working to support individuals
    7. Increase in community care
  • artificial intelligence (AI):
    o improved diagnostics process
    o improving current triaging systems in which an individual places their symptoms on an online portal and are directed to a particular service
  • technological infrastructure:
    o remote access for healthcare professionals
    o collaboration across services
  • regenerative medicine: o restore function to damaged organs or tissues (for example scar tissue)
  • biomarkers:
    o assist in identifying early onset of cardiovascular disease
    o increase success rate of drug development programmes
    o accelerate availability of new therapeutics
  • remote care:
    o online clinics/virtual consultations
    o mobile clinics/screening
  • patient self-management:
    o personal digital health monitors
  • funding of services:
    o stretched funding as more people access the services