COMMUNITY POPULATION STUDY AND NEED
For this essay, the chosen population are wards within the Tonbridge and Malling area. Tonbridge and Malling borough has a population of 117,1001 in an area of 24,013 hectares, and is divided into 26 electoral wards. According to the Tonbridge and Malling Local Authority Health Inequalities Profile April 2010 Tonbridge and Malling is an affluent borough that contains small pockets of deprivation, it has one of the widest gaps in life expectancy in Kent between the richest and poorest wards. The gap in life expectancy between the wards with the highest and lowest wards is of 8.7 years which is one of the widest gaps in Kent. Only 1400 people live in the most deprived national quintile. For this
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The DOH (Healthy Lives, Healthy People 2011) states Public health has a clear priority ,and is seen as a core part of business across Government and is supported with the resources to ensure the focus on public health interventions is maintained; and the commitment to reduce health inequalities is a priority for all parts of the public health system, drawing on the Marmot review ( Marmot, M. (2010) Fair Society, Healthy Lives) to address the wider determinants of health and complementing the role of the NHS to reduce inequalities in access to and outcome from health services.
Sarah Cowley (Community Public Health in Policy and Practice) 2nd edition (2008) p.4 states “The definition of health needs in respect of health improvement is more complex than its clinical counterparts, as it concerns whole populations and determinants of health.” http://www.nice.org.uk/niceMedia/documents/hna.pdf 2002 states that a Health needs assessment is a systematic review of the health issues facing a population leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities.
Several definitions of health needs assessment are possible. In general terms, the purpose of a health needs assessment is to improve the health of a whole population and to target resources towards improving the health of those at specific risk or in under-served population subgroups.
Mackintosh et al. (1998: 18)
The assessment process is the back bone to any package of care and it is vital that it is personal and appropriate to the individual concerned. Although studies have found that there is no singular theory or understanding as to what the purpose of assessment is, there are different approaches and forms of assessment carried out in health and social care. These different approaches can sometimes result in different outcomes.
Health assessment is also vital in collecting information in the nursing process. In order to collect data in a systematic and standardized approach, and enable the nurse to determine different aspects of health and human function, the Gordon Functional Health Patterns which have 11 categories are usually used as a framework of the assessment.
In the “Marmot Review: Fair Society Healthy Lives” written by “Professor Michael Marmot” himself, he proposes the most effective evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities in England. Inequality is unjust and unfair and therefore it is a matter of social justice in cases where everyone has an equal,social, political and economical rights and opportunities.He simply stated that to reduce the steepness of the gradient sufficiently “actions must be universal, but with a scale and intensity that is proportionate to the level of disadvantage” Even though resources may be scarce and it is tempting to focus these limited resources on the most needy, we are eliminating some parts of the society and therefore only tackling a small part of the overall problem. Part of his solution was to “implement an evidence-based programme of ill health preventive interventions that are effective across the social gradient such as Increasing and improving the scale and quality of treatment programmes and focusing on public health interventions such as smoking cessation programmes on reducing the social gradient” Michael Marmot also raises the benefits to which reducing health inequalities will help the economy as well as socially. “It is estimated that inequality in illness accounts for productivity losses of £31-33 billion per year, lost taxes and higher welfare payments in the range of £20-32 billion per
When we are monitoring the health status of the community we are trying to identify and solve the certain problems of the community. We will be looking for the trends and patterns which will then be compared to other communities. This will help us to
7. Community Health Needs Assessment. The IRS requires non-profit hospitals conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years and then adopt and implement a plan to meet the community's health. The development of a free clinic requires such a study and "clearly demonstrates that the hospital taken action on the results," says Mr. Greeley.
These different needs could be race, age, physical health, mental health, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs and creeds.
A family health assessment is a process by which a nurse evaluates and describes the health status of a given family. It is a framework that helps to identify areas of potential risk for illness, opportunities for health education and actions needed to address these (World Health Organization, 2001). Specifics covered in a nurse led family assessment will include family history, perceptions about health, reports, health records, and any clinic test results. The nurse conducts an interview, compiles data and performs an appropriate
By reading the book I learned what the core functions and essential public health services were. Turnock (2011 p. 224) describes assessment as public health’s responsibility to provide information to the public about the communities health and wellness, which
Assessment is the initial stage of the nursing process. Roper et al consistently use the term ‘assessing’ to signify that it is an on-going process, and highlights its continuity throughout the patient’s episode of care (Aggleton & Chalmers, 2000). It is divided into two stages to allow for a holistic representation of the patient to be established (Barrett et al, 2009). Effective assessment allows the prompt identification of any changes in a patient’s health status, and if necessary; allows any action to be carried out immediately supporting the delivery of safe, effective care DH (). The formulation of an accurate assessment is a fundamental skill for a student nurse as outlined by the NMC (2004), and so it is important that a holistic approach is adopted for this skill to be achieved. An holistic approach supports the consideration of……..needs,(THEME?) which
Assessment in the nursing process will establish the patients' ongoing needs and provide a quality of care best suited to the individual, to achieve a desirable health outcome.
The needs assessment relates to an individual’s care and personal needs, the assessment centres on the activity for daily living and the
A community health assessment is a fundamental instrument of public health practice. Its objective is to depict the health of the community, by presenting information on health standing, community health needs, resources, and epidemiologic and other studies of present local health problems. It seeks to recognize target populations that may be at augmented risk of poor health results and to increase a better understanding of their needs, as well as evaluates the larger community surroundings and how it relate to the health of people. It also identifies those areas where better information is desired, particularly information on health differences amid different subpopulations, quality of health care, and the incidence and severity of disabilities in the population. The Community Health Assessment is the foundation for all local public health development, giving the local health component the instance to recognize and network with key community leaders, businesses and concerned residents about health priorities and concerns. This information shapes the foundation of improving the health status of the community by way of a strategic plan (The Municipal Public Health Services Plan Community Health Assessment Guidance and Format, n.d.).
This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. We believe that there is a direct link between socioeconomic/social class and health (Adler et al. 1994). I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic and health, social class then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, employability, environment and housing can impact on a person’s social situation and their health.
Assessment is described as”The first stage of the nursing process, in which data about the patient’s health status is collected” (Oxford dictionary of nursing, 2003, p23), following this phase a care plan can be devised.
Community health assessment is a process of systematic identifying and examining health indicators in a defined population. The purpose of this community health assessment is to gather and analyze information about health status, factors that can have an influence on community members’ health, and needs of the population within the target community. The collected data allow comparing the health status and needs of the residents in the Newmarket Health Centre (NHC) and residents in surrounding neighbourhood with the local health care services and resources available for them, which will help to identify health inequities among community members (Goodman, 2014).The main goal of this community health assessment is the strategic development of solutions to the identified health needs in a community.