Task 5

Peer review of another group blog content: Team Saima

Team Saima's blog gives very reliable image of itself and the text is easy to read. References are clear and versatile. Course material was very broadly used and also they have used additional material. All the references seems very high-quality and reliable. 

Especially I was very impressed by the business plan, which was obviously made with a lot of time and effort. Clearly they have made a very comprehensive background search and calculations for it. Also the third task's leadership theories were very nicely explained.

Course goals are clearly reached because they truly have understood the meaning of leadership and management in social and health care. They also understand the future changes in this field and recognise the laws concerning social and health care.

Tasks were answered by finnish which made the text very easy to read and understand. This was also good because the vocabulary of laws and regulations are normally very challenging to understand even in your own mother language.

If I have to find some downside then it is the fact that I couldn't find the answer to task 3:D about the well-being and ethical issues. But other than that the course tasks were very nicely and  competently performed.

Task 4

This task is related to the entrepreneurship. Consider first what do the intrapreneuership and the entrepreneuership mean. How is the internal entrepreneurship reflected in the practice?

Intrapreneurship means developing a new venture in to the existing organization and entrepreneurship means developing a new venture outside existing organization. Entrepreneur spots a market place and turns this opportunity into business. Intrapreneur manages the business or creates something new for the business.

Internal entrepreneur is often described as something that performs the role of external entrepreneurship within the organization. Internal entrepreneurship exists in all types of organization. He/she invents new innovative solutions to the problems. In healthcare internal entrepreneurs can decide to do things differently. For example employee can start to run nurse receptions for customers to ease his/her own and doctors work but also to make better valued services for the customers. 

The task is also to establish a caring company, or other social and health care sector firm. An establishment of a company is related to an integral part of the business plan making. Explain the importance of a business plan in a business start-up process. You can use a pre-format for the business plan.

What are the special features related to the field of Sote entrepreneurship?

Business plan is a road map that provides a direction for the company and also helps to avoid the difficulties starting the business.

In social and health care you have to take account many laws and regulations that guide the work in this field. Also hiring the staff you need to ensure that they have a proper education. In the social and health care you need to be able to co-work with the public, private and third sector.

Business plan

Vision and Strategy

Vision is to provide homenursing for patients that are in hospice care in their own home or in the nursing home.

Business idea

Company will provide homenursing for hospice patients especially in Joensuu countryside but also in other parts of the North Carelia. Normally nurses that are working with homenursing don't necessarily have specialized skills to nurse dying patients. I can also provide consultation assistance through phone/e-mails/electric programs for other operators of health care.

Strenghts of the entrepreneur

At the time when I am going to establish this company I will be trained nurse who has specialized studies from hospice care and also few years working experience among hospice patients.

Products and services

Homenursing for hospice patients (includes the consultation of the doctors and prescriptions).
I also provide consultation assistance through phone/e-mails/electric programs.

I will charge the municipality, private nursing home or private person 50 e/hour plus night and holiday fees. I also charge 0,50e/km. Joensuu city provides vouchers for the patients.

Customers and market

There is a need for experts of palliative care. Approximately 140 person needs hospice care per year in Joensuu area and 400 in North Carelia. As people live longer and cancer becomes more and more common disease the need of palliative care knowledge is rising. People normally want to stay at home as long as it's possible so the need for home nursing is growing.

There is a unit for palliative care in North Carelia's central hospital which also coordinates homenursing. I will provide my services for them and I will also co-work with local health centers in countryside.

Practical arrangements

First, I will work by myself and if later the financial situation is favourable I will hire more employees. I won't be needing own space because I'm working through health centers. Basically what I need is a car, laptop and basic homenursing equipments. I will make contracts with other operators of health care.

Customers can have service vouchers from the Joensuu city to use my services. The car is my biggest investment and for that I can use start-up financing and loan.

Financing calculations

Used car 10 000e
Costs of the car (fuels, insurances, tires, repairs etc.): 3000e/year
Basic nursing equipments 1000e
Laptop, programmes, internet 2000e + 25e/month
Bookkeeping 1200e/year
Insurances 200e/year
Contracts, consultation of the doctors 5000e/year
YEL 3000e/year
Salary 12 000e

Total start costs (first year): 37 900e
Total costs per year approximately after the first year: 13 000-14 000e
Incomes in first year: 56 250e (3 patients per day, 150km driving, 5 fays per week, 50 weeks per year)

Task 3

1. The leadership has even greater importance to the social welfare and health care organizations. Please, define what the leadership is? What are the theories behind the different perfectives of the leadership according to the course material? What the leadership is about in the real working life? In addition, reflect how the leadership is linked to the strategy of the organization. What are your ideas about quality management?

According to Esko Oikarinen, who is director of basic in Ilomantsi, experienced manager doesn’t need to analyze his/hers managing skills in everyday work. The work itself contains co-operation with the personnel, municipality’s management and the residents who use or might use the services. Managing is also much about playing with numbers: financial issues are important in every work. Manager need to figure out how to manage with tightening budgets. The savings always have an effect on staff so important part of the work is to communicate with them. Human resource management is important part of the manager’s work: how to get the best out of the personnel and support them in doing that. Manager needs to integrate personnel’s efforts with each other, thereby aligning them with the strategy of the organization. Ethical issues are obviously very near in social and health care: basic questions like “what is right” and “what is wrong”. Ethical management is driven by values of the organization. The working environment of the social and health care is changing and for that manager should be able to foretell these changes and know how to be prepared for them. Quality management is a suitable way to execute leadership in social and health care because there are minimal requirements for the health care and today’s economical situation and the emphasis of the customer oriented approach forces managers to think through the quality management. 

Personally I can’t help thinking that in todays’ world quality management means only how to produce minimum level of services with less money. Tightening economical situation makes us see only the costs and not the true quality of the services. There are lots of discussion about more customer oriented approach in social and health care which may eventually reduce total costs but the change from todays’ production and supply based approach is huge. The change will take time and therefore the cost will increase temporarily.

2. Day-to-day management of the company is a very important part of the leadership like the human resources management and the diversity management are. How are the human resources management and the diversity management defined? What are your ideas about these previous matters? You may use course material/and/or interview someone with the experience. Furthermore, how does the human recourses management influence on the vision of the company

Diversity management can be described as a management activities related to hiring and utilizing personnel from different cultural backgrounds. Human Resource Management (HRM) is about maximizing personnel’s performance in work. It ensures that organization has sufficient, competent and healthy personnel. So basically HRM includes also diversity management and you can also think that HRM is every organization’s business but diversity management only for those who has employees from different backgrounds. Diversity management is normally linked only to cultural differences but it can also mean personality and age differences which makes it everybody’s business. For example, in social and health care there are lots of employees near to retirement and on the other hand lots of just graduated new employees. The question is how to get them to work together efficiently.

From my point of view it is the vision of the organization that effects to HRM. Firstly, organization needs to define its vision and then take care that the HRM supports that vision. Personnel need to be informed about the vision and they need to know what is expected from them. The whole process need continuous assessment made my managers because if the HRM is not working properly, the vision won’t actualize.

3. All of the work communities are constantly evolving. Please, describe what the key points of the management are in the changes, and give reasons why the changes are important. What kind of challenges is included in the change process? Furthermore, what kind of managerial skills are required for carrying out the change. In addition, how do the managers and employees work, so that the changes are successful? You may use the examples of your own experiences of working life as well.

In social and health care the main current changes are the development of the customer based approach, tightening economical situation, mass retirements and the development of the electronic programs and devices. Also service users’ better understanding about the health issues is definitely a challenge.

The organization need to have a shared vision before changes can be made. Social and health care is traditionally very inflexible sector. If the new procedures are in contradiction towards the old ones, feelings of unjust increase. Decision-making is rarely unanimous. For example managers and health care personnel has different views about matters.

Managers need to be able constantly use the latest information and also generate new knowledge to develop and evolve. They need to be able to manage changes, quality, human resources, diversity and all this within tight budget and the pressure from the outside.

4. Well-being of employees is important for the motivation and coping at work. Find out what matters are composed of well-being and how it is important part of the leadership. How the ethical questions are apparent in the management / supervisory work?
   
   Typical for well-being is that it is a complex and subjective concept. Well-being of the employees starts very basic things. Staff need to be able to work with equipment and programs needed in the work. They have to be properly trained and facilities need to be up-to-date, easy to use and designed for the work tasks. Staff’s mental and physical well-being need to be cared of and staff should be encouraged improve these things. The personnel must be provided the possibility to develop their skills and also maintain the existing know-how. The inner desire for learning need to be supported by the management. The personnel should be properly informed about changes in organization and also provide a possibility to affect these changes. Ethical issues arise from the organization’s vision and culture. In social and health care basic mission is humane. Ethical actions in an organization need ethical management. Ethical management improves the well-being of the personnel, makes the staff work better and the staff reacts to changes more positive way. It encourages in to a transparency in actions and to discuss openly about also difficult issues. In ethical management the decision is just and balanced. Equitable leader listens, discusses and makes rationalized decisions. This way leader also has a connect to the everyday-work of the employees. In ethical management employee feels that he/she is respected and his/her opinions are taken into account in decision-making. When ethical management is working well there is mutual trust between management and the personnel.

Rerferences: 

Graeme M. 2006. Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts. Elsevier. Netherland

Komu Hannele. Nursing management in social and health care.

Mäkisalo-Ropponen M. Eettinen johtaminen sosiaali- ja terveystoimessa.

Oikarinen E. Management in social and health care sectors.

Rissanen S. & Lammintakanen J. 2015. Sosiaali- ja terveysjohtaminen. Helsinki. Sanoma Pro Oy.

Task 2

Please, give answers to the following questions:

1. Social and Health Care is  controlled by many laws and you are already familiar with the last fall's Course of Client-Centered Service System in Social and Health Care. What do you think the five most important social and health care sector guiding laws / regulations are? Please, make arguments about why you choose the previous laws / regulations.

The constitution of Finland and the Act of Status and Rights of Patients because these are the base for every actions in the social and health care. Primary Health Care Act contains the laws concerning authorities’ responsibility and actions in organizing the health care for the population. The content of the primary health care itself is more specifically laid down in Health Care act. Health Care Act ensures that every citizen has the right to good-quality and client-centered health care in Finland and authorities have responsibility to produce these services. Act on Health Care Professionals ensures that the professionals has the education and training that are necessary for the profession. This law is in significant role on promoting the safety of patients and improving the quality of services. These are all very large-scale laws but they are the base where health care have to be built upon. You need to be familiar with extensive view before you can move in to details. These laws have impact on every action in health care so that is the reason why they are most important laws on my opinion.

2. The Social Welfare and Health Care Reform

-   What does the Government`s policy approach to the regions mean in terms of health and social welfare reform?

Responsibility for providing health services is being transferred to the larger autonomous entities from smaller and financially weaker municipalities. Especially small municipalities have had difficulties organizing and producing these services. This means also more flexible and efficient ways of organizing services. It also reduces overlapping purchases. Municipality’s health care personnel will move to work for these autonomous regions. Probably state will take care of the financing health care. In the future regions might rent spaces and devices needed to conduct health care from the municipality. Information systems need to be adapted so that they work together in these larger regions.

-   What is the aim of the reform now being prepared?

Reform is necessary so that it is possible to organize and produce equal, customer oriented and good quality social and health services in the whole country also in the future. Government’s interest is to reduce health differences, manage costs and to strengthen basic services.

-   How significant is digitalization in the reform?

One of the objectives of the reform is to maximize the usage of the information systems and also develop more electrical services for the people. In the future individual is more and more responsible for his/her health and to support this different electrical programs are going to be build up.

3. The Social Welfare and Health Care Reform in North Karelia

-          What is the aim of the reform here in North Karelia’s Siun Sote reform?

The aim is to make sure that everyone is able to use the services, to ensure the local services and also think how to get the region’s specialized know-how utilized effectively.

-        How can an equitable and an equal access to social and health care services be ensured?

It is promised that the development of the local services is continued also in Siun Sote so that equal services can be ensured also in the future. Users of the services were asked about the functionality of the current services when Siun Sote was prepared. Citizens can also take part at the launching of Siun Sote.

-       How is the staff taken into account in the reform and when does the Siun Sote reform takes place?

Siun Sote starts operating in the beginning of the year 2017 when 6000 social and health care professionals start working for Siun Sote. Personnel was also asked about the functionality of the current services when Siun Sote was prepared.

-          What are you wondering the most in Siun Sote reform?

I read that the regions might in the future rent the spaces and devices needed to conduct services. I started wondering are there some regulations about the fees because otherwise municipalities can set the rents high. The state will most likely take care of the financing. This leaves many questions about perhaps decreasing municipality tax and therefore increasing other taxes. I hope that this doesn’t mean that health care charges become more expensive for the users. I am also little sceptic about what will happen to local services. Will some of the services turn into electronic form to reduce cost? I didn’t found much information about the opinions of personnel about this change. I would like to hear more how they were prepared for it and do they feel that they have enough information.

References:

http://www.finlex.fi/

https://stm.fi/documents/1271139/1332838/Sote-uudistuksen+tietolehtinen+9_2015/a6f19294-ea52-4c47-b13f-ba15c571e843

http://www.pkssk.fi/en/sote

Task 1

*name of your team

I signed for this course later than everyone else so I'm going to complete this course by myself. My "team" is called HH.

* the strategy of action

First of all, I am going to read the course materials to get a proper overview of the course's subjects. Then I'm going to perform one task at a time and if needed find more information for the task in other sources.

* the roles and responsibilities of the action

Because I'm doing this course by myself I have a lot of responsibility conducting this course but I'm confident that I will survive for I have completed many e-courses before by myself. I am also familiar with many management and development practices because I have graduated in Bachelor of Business Administration few years ago.

* the aims of working

To get to know the health care working field with all its laws and regularities so that I am able to understand all aspects that are affecting on developing and managing in this field.

* the distribution of working / groundrules of team working

The same ground rules apply also working alone: determination, commitment and self-control.

* if somebody cannot come to a meeting or she/he don´t do her/his work, what then

If I for some reason don't do my tasks, I'll have to go and look in the mirror.

* the other rules which help your work and get around to  the goal

I will not execute the tasks by the last minute. Instead I will make a timetable which I am going to follow through this course. 

* how do you evaluate your team working, make a plan for evaluation

When the course is over I wish to have a good basic knowledge about the course's subjects. I hope that I can exploit things I've learned also in my other studies and eventually also in the work life. After the course I hope I'm able to apply these things into reality. I will also look back and think how well I managed to follow my timetable and therefore avoid stress.