Health and social care is the term used to describe the services provided for a person’s physical and mental health. It is a complex area of work and involves many different professionals working together. People working in this field must be able to understand the ethical issues that may arise, such as questions of confidentiality and privacy.
A person can only receive social care if they are assessed as having eligible needs by their local authority. The assessment will look at the impact a health problem has on that person’s daily life and what they need to do in order to manage their condition.
Community health workers act as a bridge between the medical and the social care sectors. They help to identify a patient’s social and environmental risk factors. They can then connect them to appropriate social care services. A community health worker can be a person who is involved in their own care or someone who is paid to provide support to others.
Integrated care can be challenging to implement, particularly in a complex organisational environment. Successful partnerships between different agencies need to address a number of obstacles including differing professional philosophies, organisational cultures and resource allocation.
Ultimately, it is government that has the biggest responsibility to establish a comprehensive national strategy for integrated health and social care. By tackling this issue, countries can foster smarter caring that reduces the need for invasive and costly procedures and ultimately contributes to healthier populations. health and social care