Working In Partnership Essays Examples

Introduction

Working in partnership is solely for the purpose of building relationships that are inclusive and mutually beneficial. Those relationships are developed with the aim of improving the experience and quality of care that is offered by social and healthcare professionals. Such relationships include those forged between clients, their service providers and their care givers. Other associations include those among services and establishments that are involved in the provision and development of social and healthcare. Partnership is effective when it leads to improvement in the quality of care (Reeves et al, 23).
Local authorities have a mandate to contract amenities that meet the social care requirements of the people. This mandate is best carried out in corporation with other organizations. The main reason for working in partnerships is to make sure that there is a harmonized system of social and health care services make best use of resources, making the greatest use of the array of self-governing and statutory sector bodies that adds to service delivery and aiding services to be receptive to the views and needs of users (Reeves, 22).

Partnership Philosophies

Partnership philosophies include autonomy, empowerment, respect, independence and power sharing. This are the philosophies through which partnerships are founded on and are expected to work on.

Autonomy

Autonomy refers to the freedom from any form of external control. It can also be defined as independence. In the case of the social care and healthcare professionals, autonomy is maintained by ensuring that each professional maintains the roles and responsibilities they are supposed to perform to contribute to improved quality of care. In as much as partnerships are created, it is important to maintain autonomy so that each party attends to their responsibilities and is as such accountable. An example is where a social care giver would not give healthcare because they are not trained to do so and vice versa (Glasby et al, 35).

Empowerment

Partnerships thrive to empower the participating parties. Parties are empowered through receiving reinforcement from the other party. Health and social care professionals can use their expertise to create groundwork of collaboration as part of a procedure of assisting individuals to take responsibility of their own difficulties and meanwhile obtain support in making improvement in any problems that they may come across. Partnership is about creating relationships where clients and care givers can work together towards the goals agreed on. This concept of having a shared perspective is what leads to empowerment and better quality of health and social care as it assists individuals to obtain more control of their lives. Without empowerment, there is dependency which often times don’t lead to improvement in the lives of clients or even in the working relations between social and healthcare professionals (Reeves et al, 44).

Respect

A partnership would not thrive without respect. Respect is important because it assists each party to keep to their duties and respect and appreciate the role that the other party plays. An example is the mutual respect that exists between healthcare and social care givers. Before the evolution of medicine, social care was considered inferior to healthcare and it was assumed that only those who could not afford healthcare in hospitals resorted to social care. With the mutual respect that exists in a partnership, none of the professions is deemed inferior to the other which promotes good working relations (Glasby, 47).

Power Sharing

Power sharing is a core philosophy in partnerships. Power sharing means that the joint mandate of each of the parties is shared. Power sharing gives the healthcare professionals rights to be privy to the activities of the social care givers and can exercise a set level of authority in matters social care when the need arises (Reeves et al, 27).

Strengths of Working within Partnership Relationships in Health and Social Care Services

The benefits partnership relationships accrue to the professionals, the users of the services and for the organizations. Professionals benefit from harmonized service delivery, organized communication, effective use of resources, clear tasks and roles, prevention of replication and a professional approach. The benefits to the users include: informed decision making, autonomy, empowerment, and improved services. The organizations benefits from: mutual working practices, shared principles, articulate approach, all-inclusive service provision and cohesive services (Glasby et al, 55).

Barriers to Working within Partnership Relationships in Health and Social Care Services

There are some barriers associated with working in partnerships. Some of the barriers include
Lack of communication
Working in partnerships requires active and effective communication. Communication is important as it aids in avoiding assumptions, repetition of duties and responsibilities and also ensures a smooth flow of work. Without proper communication, partnerships do not thrive.

Lack of understanding responsibilities and roles

Another obstacle to working in partnerships is when the parties involved do not understand their responsibilities and the roles that they ought to play within the partnership structure. When roles and responsibilities are understood, it leads to an efficient and effective working partnership (Glasby, 63).

Different values and attitudes, negative attitudes

When some parties within a partnership do not share the same beliefs or values or have a negative attitude, it can affect the success of the partnership. For partnerships to be successful, all concerned parties have to work towards a common goal and desire to achieve it. Difference in opinion only leads to working in opposite directions and towards different goals which leads to inefficiencies (Reeves, 71).

Different priorities

The priority of every party within a working partnership should be based on the goals and objectives that have been set. There should be a clear understanding of what is being achieved so that resources and skills are pooled in the same direction.

Conclusion

Working in partnerships has been a much needed revolution in the social care and health care industries. The benefits of working in partnerships far outweigh the barriers or negative effects of the same. The community is the biggest benefactor of such partnerships.

Works Cited

Glasby, Jon, and Helen Dickinson. International Perspectives on Health and Social Care: Partnership Working in Action. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Internet resource.
Glasby, Jon. Understanding Health and Social Care. Bristol: Policy Press, 2012. Print.
Reeves, Scott, Simon Lewin, Sherry Espin, and Merrick Zwarenstein. Interprofessional Teamwork for Health and Social Care. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Internet resource.