Business and Environment: ENGLISH NHS

Business environment is a term used to evaluate the inner and outer factors that impact a
businesses’ functioning. In this task, National Health Service (NHS) organisation will be
evaluated by analysing the relationship between evolving social and organisational structures
relevant to work and employment practices in contemporary society, and the lives and
experiences of working people, including their economic and overall wellbeing. The
organisational structure of NHS will be evaluated by providing the scope and size of the
organisation. In addition, the type of the organisation will be elucidated and its overall purpose,
the goals among other relevant organisational structure such as the stakeholder fraternity.
Values and ethics are critical propellers of success in any given business and hence the need to
review NHS values and ethics. As a public organisation, it will be important to review public
policy and legislation within the organisation. Lastly, the paper will analyse two forms of social
identity including class, gender, ethnicity, disability or age observed with the NHS organisation.
Type of Organisation

NHS is a statutory organisation bestowed with statutory responsibilities. Statutory

organisations are owned and controlled by the government to provide services to the public.

Wierzbicka and Niklińska (2016) assert that public run organisations acquire funds from varied

trustees and business persons. Compared to not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, statutory

organisations do not run businesses to acquire profits. As such, they elicit services to the public

using money raised through tax. NHS is the well-known public organisation that offers potential

health services to the citizens of U.K. The U.K. government finances the program using tax and a

comparable amount from the national insurance funds. The organization involves the department

of health and social care and services provided are free of charge. NHS provides services across

the entire English people including emergency services, dentistry, optical services, and disease

treatment. NHS delivers services through a tripartite structure through community healthcare,

hospital, and primary care.

Purpose, Objectives and Goals of the English NHS

Purpose

The main purpose of National Health Service in England is to oversee health budget, planning,
delivery and operations in health system as set in the Health and Social Care act 2012. NHS
directly commissions dentists, optometrists, and NHS general practitioners among other
specialists in health services.

Aims and Objectives

The 2020 envision of NHS main aim reflected on continuously improving care quality, creating
the safest, and highest quality care services. This aim was driven by the need to consistently offer
high quality care that is personal, effective, safe and one that is weaved in the dignity, delivered
with compassion. In line with quality objectives, NHS aimed at reducing to zero the number of
providers in special measures. Special measures reflect undeserving quality and failed
leadership. NHS is committed to implementing patient safety initiative in priority areas.
The English NHS strives to bring a healthy and safe environment to U.K. citizens by offering
personalized care (England.nhs.uk, 2019). The purpose and vision of the English NHS is to
develop and engaged environment in the healthcare system by joining hands with healthcare
providers and patients to offer optimal care services. NHS has risen its ambitions with
achievements in transforming infection control and moving mental healthcare to the community.
Recently, NHS has reflected resilience in maintaining services at a time of increasing demand
and slow down the growth of NHS budget. The core objectives that led to the formation of NHS
in 1948 were; to meet the needs of everyone, free services for delivery, and based on clinical
need rather than ability to pay. In 2000, the labour government increased the core objectives to
foster the provision of comprehensive range of services, shape its servoces along the needs and
preferences of patients, respond to different needs of different populations, improve the quality
of services while reducing errors, support and value support, public healthcare funds to be solely
devoted to NHS patients, and reduce health inequalities.

Organisational structure and Stakeholders

Organisational structure of U.K NHS
Organisational structure is a system that reflect how different departments present in an
organisation help in achieving the set objectives and goals. Mundenyi and colleagues (2015)
assert that organisational structures are developed to ensure a streamlined flow of information
across different hierarchies of an organisation. Since departmental heads are the backbone of
success in any given business, a strong organisational structure is vital for the landmark goals
and set objectives to be achieved effectively.
The structure below indicates the organisational structure of the English NHS. In NHS, the
organisation structure depicts the top management consisting of the prime minister, cabinet
minister, executives, and regional HAS’s. The middle managers consist of primary care trusts
and NHS trusts or secondary care. First line managers reflect GP’s, dentists, hospitals, mental
health and ambulance services. This structure is functional as funds flow from the top
management to the subordinate staffs. Managers at each level re key in motivating and
coordinating tasks and activities. The employees are divided based on the needs of each
department. NHS has managed to successfully deliver in the health sector since 1943 which has
been achieved due to the structure of the organisation that aid achievement of goal of the
company.

Stakeholder Fraternity
The English NHS has a variety of stakeholders like any other business who include the Academy
of health science, National healthcare school, and Affordable Housing and Sustainable
Committee (AHSC).

Values and Ethical Practice within NHS

The English NHS includes six core values that the staff including nurses, and physicians are
expected to demonstrate. These six values will be discussed in details below.

Working together for patients

Various factors contribute towards patient healing including the unity displayed by the staff and
family care givers of the patient. As such, nurses out to be patient advocates and advise them
on medication and their impacts. Like any other business, customer is the king and should be
given top priority. NHS values its patients and are given the top priority in any activity. All the
staff work together to provide a reliable, compassionate health service for patients. This value is
essential as t makes patients feel valued and that their needs are given a top priority. This value
is weaved with communication since it si important that patient opens up on their situation to
physicians.

Respect and Dignity

Individuals who contact the NHS are treated with utmost respects and dignity they

deserve regardless of their relationship with patient. In addition, the staff at NHS are

respected for the services they offer in saving lives. The NHS strictly adheres to the

nursing ethical principles of autonomy, justice, maleficence, and beneficence. As such,

the opinions, needs, confidentiality or privacy and promoting a diversified services cape

is observed. NHS values the staff, patients and their family members. Healthcare

delivery might be impacted by various social factors including religion and social factors

such as identity of a person. Identity has become key impeding factor in the delivery of

healthcare regarding LGBTQ groups. The English NHS respects various groups and

acknowledges their existence and hence delivers a care tailored to their needs. With

regard to religion, some religious belief are against certain practices in healthcare such

as euthanasia or using patients for biomedical research. NHS observes various religion
practices, respects and avoids any treatment that may interfere with one’s dignity of

value in the society.

Commitment to quality of care.

Trust and loyalty are tied to the service provided in any given business. NHS earns trust
due to provision of quality services based on safety, patient experiences, and
effectiveness. The expectation of many is that NHS should provide quality care by all
means and if not, the government should intervene to provide one. To achieve quality
care, NHS carries out clinical audits that compare current practices to the gold standard
and their mismatch, and implement a change. NHS also encourages patients, family’s
guardians, and staff to regularly give feedback on the quality of care given. Based on
these attributes, it is evident that NHS is committed to excellence and that they value
third party opinions.

Compassion

The value of compassion is critical in the healthcare sector as it depict care towards patient and
hence faster healing process. Compassion value is about being emphatic towards patients by
putting imagining their experience and responding with humanity and kindness. NHS responds
to patient’s needs in an emphatic way to address distress, pain, or anxiety. Dalvandi and
colleagues (2019) allude that compassion is a virtue necessary in nursing. According to nursing
literature, compassion is the centrepiece and philosophical foundation in the nursing profession.
Compassion may directly or indirectly impact the quality of cares provided to patients for them to
evaluate the quality of services elicited by nurse. Dalvadi and colleagues further aver that
compassionate nursing care plan can lead to elevated satisfaction among patients, time and
cost saving, safer cares, higher confidence and coping skills.

Improving Lives

NHS and strives to improve health and wellbeing of clients who seek services. The organisation
does not only strive to improve the health of each patient but whole lives from a bio
psychosocial approach. The health of a patient might not only impact their physical condition but
also their psychological, occupation, and family relationship among other needs. As such, the
treatment provided at NHS is an all-round one that adequately address bio psychosocial needs.
The treatment is tailored to specifically meet their needs. The NHS seeks to push beyond zero
infectious diseases including COVID 19, and STIs. It strives to curb and prevent diseases such
as diabetes, heart and respiratory diseases and conditions such as obesity. The organisation
leads a campaign dubbed beyond zero against such diseases and creating leaflets, TV adverts
focussed on public health. In addition, NHS encourages people to lead health lifestyles by
regularly exercising, eating better, and getting good amount sleep. All these programs are
driven by the desire to improve life.

Everyone Counts

This value ensures that everyone is included in health matters. NHS strives to include all groups
including LGBTQ, disabled groups, unemployed and the poor in society on all grounds when
eliciting healthcare services. This value also reflects justice distributive and resource allocation
to those in need. Specifically, this value addresses the issue of inequality in the health care
where certain groups from a social class are valued than other groups. Resources are
maximized for the benefit of the community at large without any discrimination or leaving some
people behind. NHS has attained this value by ensuring that the unemployed group are added
to the health insecurity cover and that it does not financially seclude given groups. In addition,
the care provided at all levels of NHS including primary, hospital and community centres is free
of charge. NHS further approves feedback from the public meaning that everyone counts
towards the success of the organisation.

Relevant Public Policy and legislation

The Health and Social Care Act 2021 launched legal duties about health inequalities. The act
included particular duties for health organisations including the public health England,
department of health, NHS England, and commissioning groups. Specifically, the health and
social care act 2012 required these bodies to reduce health inequalities between citizens of
England. The act also initiated changes for local authorities delivering health functions.
The Equality Act 2010 was passed to initiate equality duties for all public sector bodies. The aim
was to integrate the advancement of equality in daily operations across all bodies. The England
NHS has produced document of NHS commissioners performing these duties from the health
and social act 2012, and the equality act 2010. These two legislation complement the setting of
framework for the public sector to act in reducing inequalities experienced within the local and
national levels in England.
In addition to these acts, there exists supporting legislation for the social act. The social value
act 2012 is a prerequisite of the health and social care act 2012 requiring all public sector
commissioners including health sectors and local authorities to consider socioeconomic, and
environmental wellbeing in contracts or procurement services. The creation of social value is
directly connected to efforts of curbing healthcare inequalities through health determinants such
as improving housing and employment. Ranmal et al. (2021) allude that when social value is
defined to capture health determinants, it can reduce local inequalities, health improvement, and
improvement of local peoples’ well-being.

Forms of Social Identity

 the type of organisation (statutory/non-statutory) and its overall purpose(s) or goal(s), as

well as any other relevant arrangements (e.g. organisational structure, stakeholders,
etc);
 values and ethical practice within the organisation;
 relevant public policy and legislation; and
 up to TWO forms of social identity (e.g. class, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, etc).
 References List

Dalvandi, Asghar; Vaisi-Raygani, Aliakbar; Nourozi, Kian; et al. (2019) “The importance and
extent of providing compassionate nursing care from the viewpoint of patients hospitalized
in educational hospitals in Kermanshah - iran 2017”, Open Access Macedonian Journal of
Medical Sciences. 7 (6), pp. 1047–1052, DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2019.204.

Ranmal, R., Tinson, A. and Marshall, L., 2021. How do Health Inequalities Intersect with Housing and
Homelessness?. European Journal of Homelessness _ Volume, 15(3_).