Delivery in day(s): 5
NHS serves health care services to the people in United Kingdom and works in order to aware them about the health care services provided by the government for the local public. The current study identifies the communication theories which are applicable in health and social care. The report identifies the use of strategies to support users of health and safety services and explains the communication process is influenced by values and cultural factors in the organization. The study would also focus on the policies which the organization must focus on in promoting good communication process. The last section of the study would be focused on use of ICT in proper communication in social care.
The theories of communication in health and social care assist the management to identify the mindset of the employees and try to motivate them to perform better. Following are the theories that help the management to implement effective communication process:
Humanistic theory:This theory helps the NHS to identify the uniqueness of the person and also assists them to evaluate the behaviour of the individual person. With the help of this theory management can easily identify the perception of the employee towards the organization.
Behaviourist theory: Behaviour theory is the approach that helps the organization to reach to the inner mental states and identify the thinking of the employee towards the organization (Vlduescu, 2014). It is a form of materialism that helps the managers in the organization to identify the psychological needs of employees and try to fulfil them.
Techniques of communication are as follows:
Verbal: Under verbal form of communication managers can easily communicate the message to the employees with the help of oral communication.
Non-verbal:In this information and communication style, leaders in NHS give written format to the employees and they are required to read it to understand the particular information. This type of communication process help the manager to eradicate the various problems like lack of knowledge among the employees, improve the decision making power etc.
The communication skills help the managers in NHS to make the appropriate flow of information in the organization. It helps the managers to identify the problems faced by the employees at the work place. The management can challenge the poor practices at the work place like lack of information among the employees, low communication etc. These all problems are eradicated by the managers with the help of proper communication skills. It may improve the decision making process and also helps the manager of NHS to encourage the employees to take part in the decision making process. Communication may educate the employee about the various issues like treatment of the patients, how to communicate with the mentally ill people etc (Moss, 2015). This kind issue can be removed by the manager with the help of communication skills. It may help the manager to keep the employees motivated.
Various issues in communication may affect the organization to implement the proper communication channel in the NHS and it may affect the overall efficiency of the employees. The barriers in communication may affect the whole communication process and also affect the decision making process. Various barriers are as follows:
Misinterpretation: Sometimes employees may misinterpret the information and it may affect the whole communication channel in the organization. The manager communicates the different message and employees understand something different.
Inappropriate language: The language of the leaders may become the barrier in the communication process and it may depict the inappropriate interpersonal communication. The leaders in the NHS should use very formal language that does not affect the moral values of the employees (Phi.et.al.2014). It is the duty of the manager to create that kind of working environment that all the employees respect each other.
Employees in the organization must implement the kind of strategies that may help the business to identify the specific communication needs of the employees and also improve the overall efficiency of the candidates. The techniques are as follows:
Technological support: It is the best way to upgrade the skills of the employees at NHS and it also aids the management to identify the required skills among the employees. Technological support may help the NHS to identify the individual skills of the employees and support them to learn the new languages.
Alternative language: Managers in the organization must help the employees to provide the alternative language in the organization (Van Boekel.et.al.2014). Many times employees face the problem to recognize the words of patients in their language so management provides the alternate language facility to the employees.
Various factors affect the communication process in the organization and also affect the values and culture of work place.
Gender: In health and social care female employees are more comfortable and they can easily motivate the patients rather than the male employees. Female nurses in the NHS are able to speak more politely in spite of male nurse. The gender is the biggest factor in the communication process that affects the whole communication process.
Age: It is another important factor that affects the communication process. Senior employees have lots of experience and make the employees more comfortable in comparison to the fresher in communicating with people having care needs (Ting-Toomey, 2012).
Various laws and codes of practice may affect the communication process in health and social care. The laws may affect the NHS like discrimination law, equality act and confidentiality to share of information. This law may help the business to identify the problems of the employees:
Discrimination act: This act may help the business to identify the unequal practices in the organization and provide rights to the employees for the welfare of employees in the organization. Discrimination among the employees may affect the management in whole communication process for example women nurses is more effective in taking care of the patients in comparison of the male nurses.
Confidentiality to share of information: Organization has the duty to keep the data confidential and not to share with any person in the organization itself (Robson and Robinson, 2015). NHS employees have the duty to keep the data safe and secure in the organization.
NHS should implement that kind of policies in the organization and also help the business to identify the taste and preference of the employees. The policies and procedures plays vital role in the growth of the organization and make the communication process successful. The policies and procedures may assist the organization to implement that kind of communication policies that may help the employees to communicate to leaders in the organization. The communication process must be transparent and easy to understand for the employees this can be done with the help for organizational system and policies. Management may adopt the policy that may help the employees to inform about the strategies adopted by the organization (Epstein and Buhovac, 2014). It is the duty of the leaders in the organization to keep the employees updated with the policies of the organization.
There are many ways to improve the communication process in the organization and also help the business to interact with the employees. To improve the communication process management must organize the group activities at the end of the week and always encourage the employees to participate in these kind activities. Leaders must take the initiative to develop the skills of the employees thus they are able to perform better in the organization and able to communicate with the leaders about the problems. The manager in the organization must create the friendly environment in the organization thus all the employees give their views about the management strategies (Bowling, 2014). Manager of NHS must challenge the discrimination in the organization and help the employees if they are facing any difficulty to perform the task.
Information and communication technology plays vital role in the growth of the organization that may help the business to achieve the goals on time. ICT is the best technique to improve the communication process in the organization and also help the business to improve the overall efficiency of the business stratgy. Information and communication technology is the way to secure the data in the organization with the help of spreadsheet and other software’s management can easily keep the data of the employees. It us the best way to improve the overall efficiency of the employees and make them updated about the current technology. Internet is the best source to communicate with the employees in NHS (Hanseth and Bygstad, 2015). Top management designs the policy and focus on the high use of technology in the communication process that help the management to deliver the information about the strategy in the organization.
ICT helps the NHS to maintain the records of the employees in the organization and make the employees informed about the policies of the organization. ICT fulfils the individual needs of the employees and maintain the accurate records of the patients in the organization thus it can be said that ICT is the biggest source of flow information in the organization. It improves the overall efficiency of the employee and makes them aware about the current position of the NHS in the market. ICT help the NHS to deliver the quality services to the patients and provide them facility to get the online treatment for the normal diseases. Proper accountability of the records can be maintained which helps the organisation in making them aware about the demand of the patients in the market (Antheunis.et.al.2013). The staff members can easily contact with any department in the organization and help them to transfer the skills to the employees.
The legal considerations may affect the organization in many ways and also bind the business to flow that kind of information on the internet that can not affect any social group. It is the duty of the marketing manager to publish which is properly checked and verified. The manager in the organization must ensure that the data which is collected must be kept secured and does not reveal to any other person. If NHS breaks the data protection acts than organization must be sued by the clients. ICT act May help the organization to keep the activities in the organization must be legal and gain the trust of the clients (Courtney, 2013). Management has to keep the data safe and secure and online platform is the most risky platform that affects the goodwill of the organization.
The above study gives brief about the ICT that it may help the organization to keep the data stored and safe. NHS uses the ICT to make the communication process easy and safe and make the employees updated about the policies and procedures of the organization. Various theories are adopted by the organization to improve the management process and make the good flow of communication channel in the organization. Various laws and rules may affect the organization process so NHS has to fair communication process.
Books and Journals
Antheunis, M.L., Tates, K. and Nieboer, T.E., 2013. Patients’ and health professionals’ use of social media in health care: Motives, barriers and expectations. Patient Education and Counseling, 92(3), pp.426-431.
Bowling, A., 2014. Research methods in health: investigating health and health services. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Courtney, K.L., 2013. The use of social media in healthcare: organizational, clinical, and patient perspectives. Enabling Health and Healthcare Through ICT: Available, Tailored and Closer, 183, p.244.
Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Hanseth, O. and Bygstad, B., 2015. Flexible generification: ICT standardization strategies and service innovation in health care. European Journal of Information Systems, 24(6), pp.645-663.
Moss, B., 2015. Communication skills in health and social care. Sage.
Phi, G., Dredge, D. and Whitford, M., 2014. Understanding conflicting perspectives in event planning and management using Q method. Tourism Management, 40, pp.406-415.
Robson, A. and Robinson, L., 2015. The Information Seeking and Communication Model: A study of its practical application in healthcare. Journal of Documentation, 71(5), pp.1043-1069.
Ting-Toomey, S., 2012. Communicating across cultures. Guilford Press.
Van Boekel, L.C., Brouwers, E.P., Van Weeghel, J. and Garretsen, H.F., 2013. Stigma among health professionals towards patients with substance use disorders and its consequences for healthcare delivery: systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 131(1), pp.23-35.
Vlduescu,., 2014. Uncertainty Communication Status. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, (21), pp.100-106.