No single discipline can provide a full account of why health care is the way it is. Introducing an accessible overview of health services and drawing on medicine, sociology, economics, history and epidemiology, this book provides a series of conceptual frameworks which help to clarify some of the complexity that confronts the inexperienced observer. Helping to determine what influences and shapes health services, it also examines some of the key processes involved in providing healthcare, considering three levels: individual patients, health care organizations such as hospitals, and regional or national institutions such as governments. This second edition has been updated to include recent developments and further examples and activities from low, middle and high income countries. The book examines: • how medical knowledge, staff, patients and finance shape health services • what factors influence utilization of health services • the roles played by users of health services • how to define and measure outcomes and assess performance • how practice and policy can be changed to improve the quality of health care Understanding Health Services, 2nd Edition is an essential resource for students of public health and health policy, researchers, public health practitioners and policy makers. Understanding Public Health is an innovative series published by Open University Press in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where it is used as a key learning resource for postgraduate programmes. It provides self-directed learning covering the major issues in public health affecting low, middle and high income countries. "This excellent book provides an ideal background to understanding how health services work and how they can be studied. Not tied to any particular country, it includes key chapters on how health services have developed and are organised, need and demand, the role of health professionals, and measuring and improving quality of care. The book is ideal reading for students on Masters courses in public health and related subjects from high-, middle- and low-income countries and includes learning objectives and exercises in each chapter which can be completed individually or used for discussion. Strongly recommended." Martin Roland, Emeritus Professor of Health Services Research, University of Cambridge, UK "Health services are central to attaining high levels of population health and providing those services consumes a substantial share of our financial resources. This book provides a splendid introduction to many of the key building blocks including medical knowledge and other key inputs, payment and other factors that influence utilization, and in turn quality of care and outcomes. The learning objectives are a wonderful aid for self-directed learning as are the directed activities and feedback, the text is lucid and the main concepts are very easy to access. This is a great book for someone looking to develop a broad understanding of health services. I will be surprised if it does not become a classic. It will surely be at the top of my list of recommended readings for my own students." Arnold M Epstein, John H Foster Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, USA

No single discipline can provide a full account of how and why health care is the way it is. This book provides you with a series of conceptual frameworks which help to unravel the apparent complexity that confronts the inexperienced observer. It demonstrates the need for contributions from medicine, sociology, economics, history and epidemiology. It also shows the necessity to consider health care at three key levels: individual patients and their experiences; health care organisations such as health centres and hospitals; and regional and national institutions such as governments and health insurance bodies. The book examines: Inputs to health services Processes of care Outcomes Organization of services Improving the quality of health care

New austerity measures have substantially changed the landscape for social and health care in the United Kingdom. Fully updated to reflect key developments under the New Labour and Coalition governments, this second edition of Understanding Health and Social Care provides an up-to-date guide to the increasingly important partnership between health and social care workers. Jon Glasby combines practical information about welfare systems with key theoretical material to present a complete picture of these overlapping fields.

Public health has become an essential area of focus in terms of the way it operates, the services offered, policies, and more. Maintaining an effective public health system and infrastructure, updated and useful policies, and health literacy are primary concerns. A critical analysis of public healthcare policy and services is critical to accommodate the changing health demands of the global population. Through a deeper understanding of the way public health services are offered, a look into policymaking and current policies in healthcare, and the way health literacy and health education are promoted, the current state and future of public health are acknowledged. The Research Anthology on Public Health Services, Policies, and Education presents a view of public health through an analysis of healthcare services and delivery; policies in terms of policymaking, ethics, and governance; as well as the way society is educated on public health affairs. The chapters will cover a wide range of issues such as healthcare policy, health literacy, healthcare reform, accessibility, public welfare, and more. This book is essential for public health officials, government officials, policymakers, teachers, medical professionals, health agencies and organizations, professionals, researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in the current state of public health and the improvement of public health services and policies for the future.

In recent years the pace of reform in health policy and the NHS has been relentless. But how are policies formed and implemented? This fully updated edition of a bestselling book explores the processes and institutions that make health policy, examining what constitutes health policy, where power lies, and what changes could be made to improve the quality of health policy making. Drawing on original research by the author over many years, and a wide range of secondary sources, the book examines the role of various institutions in the formation and implementation of health policy. Unlike most standard texts, it considers the impact of devolution in the UK and the role of European and international institutions and fills a need for an up-to-date overview of this fast-moving area. It features new case studies to illustrate how policy has evolved and developed in recent years. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect policies under the later years of New Labour and the Coalition government. Although written particularly with the needs of students and tutors in mind, this accessible textbook will also appeal to policy makers and practitioners in the health policy field.

The new edition of the best-selling reader Understanding Health and Social Care (previously edited by Maragraet Allot and Martin Robb) combines classic works with newly-commissioned material, offering readers unparalleled coverage of the key issues in health and social care. The breadth of material encompasses voices of service users, professional and lay carers, as well as academics and researchers. This Second Edition is organised into four new sections, each with a part introduction pulling together the main themes: - People focuses on those who use and provide health and social care services. - Places looks at where care is given - Approaches considers different ways through which care takes places - Ideas focuses on the ideas and policies that underpin care provision Full of real practice scenarios and examples, the book successfully makes the links between theory and practice, and will be an essential resource for all students studying at undergraduate level across the wide spectrum of health and social care.

Covering the principles of HIS planning, cost effectiveness, waste reduction, efficiency,population health management, patient engagement, and prevention, this text is designed for those who will be responsible for managing systems and information in health systems and provider organizations.

Health care systems are highly complex and dynamic. Different systems around the world vary in the way services are managed yet, regardless of these differences, the need for effective managers and managerial leaders is essential in allowing organizations or professionals to achieve specific goals. This book provides an understanding of the concepts of management, managerial leadership and governance within health care systems. It provides a thorough introduction to, and conceptual framework for, the analysis of health systems management and goes on to examine fundamental management tasks, including: Managing income and finances Managing people Managing strategy and change Managing results

Improving patient experience is a global priority for health policy-makers and care providers. The need to look at healthcare delivery through the eyes of patients is widely accepted, but how should it be done? What use can be made of this information, and what evidence is there that such exercises lead to better care? Understanding and Using Health Experiences: Improving patient care examines a broad range of different sources and techniques for gathering and analyzing health experiences. Providing an accessible and pragmatic overview of the diversity and richness of research in the field this book explores the strengths and limitations of different approaches, and assesses what each method can contribute to improving people's experience of illness, and the way that health services are delivered. The book looks at topics such as using focus groups to understand experiences of health and illness, patient surveys, and the internet as a source of information on people's experience. Using clear and engaging examples throughout, the book is accessibly written by experts in social science, health services, and health policy, and will be valuable to postgraduate students, healthcare practitioners, and individuals working in health and social policy, public sector management, and research.