Introduction
Nations invest a lot of money and time in ensuring that they establish the best ways of improving human health. Health care in the United Kingdom, especially England, is free at the point of delivery (Morrison 2012).
However, the needs of individuals accessing provision have not been addressed adequately. Health care facilities are congested due to the high number of the aged population seeking medical attention from them. In addition, the involvement of other stakeholders to collaborate with the government in reducing medical costs has been a major achievement even though people are yet to enjoy its benefits (Spyker 2013).
Background
The increase in life expectancy in the United Kingdom means that more people live longer. Therefore, the government has to spend a lot of money to provide medical care for the elderly. There are a few cases of deaths and medical complications caused by alcoholism and other drug-related behaviours.
The free medical care services offered by the government through health care facilities have been overstretched. There is little progress made in ensuring people get proper care despite the enormous funds used to finance various projects. This research paper is aimed at establishing whether or not the government is doing enough to ensure affordable and high-quality medical services are available to the public.
Aims
The United Kingdom boasts a robust health care system and policies that guarantee its people a happy life. The aim of this research is to identify serious weaknesses that make the health care system ineffective in offering high-quality services to the public, despite the heavy spending by the government to promote this sector.
In addition, the research will give an overview of the policies that improve or hamper the effective discharge of duties by physicians. However, not all programmes or policies established to develop this system have failed. This research will highlight those that have facilitated the proper delivery of services and those that are a burden to patients, nurses and the government.
Objectives
This research will test the application and effectiveness of the major policies and programmes established to improve the provision of health care services. Policies will be identified, and their expectations analysed to identify how they improve access to medical services by the public. In addition, they will be assessed based on their application in today’s United Kingdom and whether there is a need to improve or abolish them.
Literature Review
The United Kingdom’s health care system has improved during the last five decades. Ewan B. Ferlie and Stephen M. Shortell argued that there is a growing deficiency in the provision of health care in all regions, including the United Kingdom and the United States (Gilles 2011).
They argue that there should be changes in leadership, technology and communal approach to addressing the challenges affecting the quality of healthcare services offered to the public. Ferlie and Shortell believe that it is possible to diversify the delivery of health care services if the concerned stakeholders pay attention to their responsibilities.
Secondly, Neil Redding argued that some of the problems facing the United Kingdom’s health care system are inevitable. For instance, he claims that the government and public cannot live happily without facing challenges that occur when one sector of their lives improves (Bevan 2010).
He observed that cigarette smoking had reduced significantly; however, there has been a tremendous rise in the number of people suffering from obesity and overweight. This author believes that the United Kingdom cannot avoid the obstacles that hinder the successful diversification and provision of high-quality health care services.
Research Methodology
Quantitative and quantitative data will be collected using direct interviews, observation and information obtained from secondary sources. Key government officials working in the health care sector will be interviewed to present their views on the progress they have made to diversify medical services.
Patients and physicians will be asked to fill questionnaires and submit their opinions on what the government has done or should do to improve the health care sector. Quantitative methods will be used to collect information from a sample population, and the results analysed based on the age, sex and location of respondents. Positivism and anti-positivism responses will also be examined to identify the levels of satisfaction of the respondents regarding the subject of study.
Sampling techniques will include surveys conducted on secondary sources and the behaviour of a population. Urban and rural areas will be identified, and samples picked to represent the entire population. The population will be selected randomly to get the actual representation of the respondents. Data analysis will be done using various approaches, including comparing the information received through different sources. Tables, charts and photographs will be used to present the information obtained from the field.
Limitations of the Study
The population of the United Kingdom is not homogeneous, and this means that the information collected from a sample may not necessarily represent the truth about the healthcare system. Secondly, the health care system in this country complex; therefore, it is not easy to identify the stakeholders that are involved directly in the affairs of a particular sector.
Therefore, it is likely that the research may fail to highlight some important issues that affect the performance of this system. Lastly, it is not easy to differentiate the government, nurses and patients’ failures that make it difficult to diversify this sector. Some stakeholders play specialised roles while others work with other parties.
Work Plan
The research will be divided into three phases. The first stage will take two to five months and involve the preliminary exercise of identifying and collecting data from primary and secondary sources. The second step will take three to six weeks and involve preparing and analysing the data collected from various sources. The last phase will take less two months and involves presenting the information collected. This stage will include testing the hypothesis formulated and giving reasons to support or oppose it.
References
Bevan, G 2010, The Four Health Systems of the United Kingdom: How Do They Compare? Summary Report, Simon and Schuster, New York.
Gilles, A 2011, What Makes a Good Healthcare System? Comparisons, Values and Drivers, Simon and Schuster, New York.
Morrison, S 2012, Economic Analysis in Healthcare: The Shaping and Impact of New Communication Technologies, Sage Publishing, New York.
Spyker, S 2013, Technology and Health Care: How the Information Revolution Affects Our Spiritual Lives, Skylight Paths Publishing, New York.
Appendix
Appendix 1 – Informed Consent
You are invited to participate in the research aimed at identifying effectiveness of the governmental policies introduced to develop and improve the UK healthcare system. If you choose to take part in the research, you will be asked a number of questions. This will take you 20-30 minutes. You will be able to withdraw from the research at any time. You may also leave some questions unanswered if you do not want or cannot answer them.
This study does not involve any risks and it will not affect your personal life or career. At the same time, it has numerous benefits for the UK society as it may unveil weaknesses of the policies that will be removed in the future. We will take all the necessary precautions to keep information about you confidential.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. The contact information is provided below.
Appendix 2 – Interview Questions
- Do you think that the policies introduced are effective? What makes you think so?
- Do you think operations in healthcare facilities are efficient? Can they be improved?
- What major obstacles to introduction of efficient policies can you identify?
- What are the areas of your major concern? Why?
Are you working on development of a policy? What are its major points?