Legislation and social policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Legislation and social policy - Essay Example The nature of their duties are multifarious concerning the patients’ health, social security, psychological support to the patient and the family, ensuring support to the patient and the family at the community level, resolution of the uncertainties involved in the treatment and the support services. In fact the gamut of community care is very wide and it varies from arrangement of financial support though the NGO’s to the patients and their families to bereavement and follow-up services in coordination with the support groups and bereavement groups. Therefore, in order to make the services more effective, they need to interact not only with the families of the patients but also with the medical professionals of various disciplines to provide a comprehensive treatment to the patients and at community level for the resources that may be required in this connection apart from counseling to the patients and their families. 2. ... . Attlee announced the introduction of the Welfare State as outlined in the Beveridge Report. This included the establishment of a National Health Service in 1948, with free medical treatment for all. A national system of benefits was also introduced to provide social security, so that the population would be protected 'from the cradle to the grave'†. (BBC) In 1948 the Poor law, passed in 1598 was abolished through National Assistance Act, with provisions for welfare services. Spicker says that the 'Welfare State' was not intended to respond to poverty; that was what the Poor Law had done. The main purpose was to encourage the provision of the social services on the same basis as the public services - roads, libraries and so forth - an  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœinstitutional’' model of welfare.   Therefore, the concept of community care is wider in principle and application. 3. NHS and Community Care Act 1990 Reports of the various committees such as Working Party on Joint Planning, P rogress in Partnership (1981), House of Commons Social Services Select Committee Report (1985), Audit Commission, Making a Reality of Community Care 1986) and Griffiths Report, Community Care, Agenda for Action (1988) during the 1980’s had culminated into this legislation after considerable debate. Powel (2001) states, â€Å"Griffiths (1988) proposed that local authorities were strategically placed to oversee the delivery of community care within the matrix of policy, professional practice and older people themselves involved in the process†¦ The White Paper Caring for People which followed in November 1989 accepted most of Griffith’s proposals and approved the threefold matrix of user choice, promoting non-institutional services and targeting†. 4. Main Aims