Changing Policies: Modifying Policies to Enhance the Quality of Services
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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MODIFYING POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
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WHY MODIFY POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
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WHO SHOULD WORK TO MODIFY POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
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WHEN SHOULD YOU TRY TO MODIFY POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
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HOW DO YOU MODIFY POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
Not so long ago, there were no quality standards that all nursing homes had to follow. The federal law that regulates nursing homes and their services dates only to 1987. Before that, in at least some states, there were no requirements for the training of staff, or for medical care for residents.
While many facilities provided a warm and supportive environment, and carefully tended to the needs of residents, others were reminiscent of the horrible images from Dickens novels, where abuse and neglect were common. Relatives and friends of the residents of these latter homes, when they realized what was happening, began to push states and the federal government to change the policies that governed nursing homes. Ultimately, laws were passed that ensured at least a minimum level of respect and care for all residents.
Most services are regulated, in some way, by official or unofficial policies. Sometimes, it is necessary to change those policies to make sure that programs and services are accomplishing what they are supposed to. In this section, we'll discuss some different ways in which policies might be changed, why you'd want to make those changes (and why not, in some cases), who should be involved, when changes might best be proposed, and how to go about making that happen.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MODIFYING POLICIES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES?
The delivery of services, whether to the public at large or to a target population, are controlled by policies at some level. The makers and users of those polices may be legislators ( in the form of laws and official regulations), federal or state agencies, public or private funders, or the service delivery organizations themselves. How do those policies relate to quality, and what kinds of changes can you make in them to affect the quality of services?
The kinds of policies that we're concerned with here are those that will ensure, to the extent possible, that services are as good as they can be. That means that services accomplish their purposes in meeting the needs of the target population and community, can be used by all who need them, and are cost-effective. Some basic guidelines that will go a long way toward promoting good services include:
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The people offering the services are competent.
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Facilities offering services, or where services are provided, meet basic physical and practice standards.
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Individuals, programs, and facilities follow the ethical rules of their professions, or, if none exist, they employ high ethical standards in their work and in their relationships with other organizations, funders, and the community.
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Programs are aware of and use the best appropriate practices available in delivering services.
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Services are available and accessible those who need them.
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Individuals and programs set and apply appropriate quality standards that both benefit and safeguard those who are affected by the services provided.
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Services are evaluated regularly and modified, when necessary, according to evaluation results in order to best meet the needs of participants and the community.
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