Using specific examples from own practice to support your discussion, make a case for why care settings must achieve the best possible outcome for users off service in their care.

Assignment Brief

Total Word Count: 4000 (+/- 10%)
Grading Weight: 100%

Learning Outcomes Covered

1. Critically analyse the need for care settings to achieve the best possible outcomes for service users.

2. Critically discuss the performance of teams in health and social care.

3. Critically discuss the management of continuous quality improvement (CQI).

4. Reflect upon strategies that develop, maintain, and evaluate systems and structures to promote the rights, responsibilities, and diversity of service users in care settings.

Student-Facing Marking Guide

Question 1 (Up to 40 Marks)

Task:

Using specific examples from your own practice to support your discussion, make a case for why care settings must achieve the best possible outcome for service users in their care.

Guidance:

• Consider the advantages of outcome-based care and the challenges of implementing it in practice.

• Include success stories or case studies, if available.

Requirements for a Pass:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of outcome-based care.

• Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages.

• Link to health and social care practice in general.

• Where possible, provide specific links to your own practice.

Requirements for Higher Grades:

• Critically appraise outcome-based care as a concept.

• Discuss drivers such as government policy, legislation, and regulator requirements.

• Provide examples from your own practice or case studies.

• Evaluate how you have contributed (individually, as part of a team, or within an organisation) to achieving person-centred care.

Question 2 (Up to 40 Marks)

Task:

With reference to a relevant team development and motivation theory, critically discuss the performance of teams in managing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in care settings.

Guidance:

• Use CQI tools and frameworks to support your critical debate.

• Consider team theories such as Belbin, Tuckman, Woodcock, and McClelland.

• Discuss motivation theories such as Maslow’s Needs Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory.

Requirements for a Pass:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of key team theories.

• Demonstrate familiarity with CQI tools such as PDSA.

• Critically discuss how, as part of a small or multi-disciplinary team, you contributed to achieving quality objectives.

Requirements for Higher Grades:

• Critically evaluate relevant team development and motivation theories.

• Discuss the use of CQI tools (e.g., PDSA, Fishbone) in health and social care settings.

• Provide examples of how teamwork, motivation, and quality initiatives enhance service user satisfaction.

• Make reference to frameworks designed to improve quality in the NHS and/or Social Care in the UK.

Question 3 (Up to 20 Marks)

Task:

Using a recognised reflective model or tool, evaluate strategies, systems, and structures used in health and social care practices to promote the rights, responsibilities, and diversity of service users.

Guidance:

• Consider the role of critical reflection in evaluating strategies, systems, structures, and policies.

• Apply models such as Kolb’s Learning Cycle or Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.

Requirements for a Pass:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of strategies, systems, and structures promoting rights, responsibilities, and diversity.

• Link discussion to your own contribution to person-centred care, considering rights, values, culture, preference, choice, and diversity.

• Where not possible, use a case study.

Requirements for Higher Grades:

• Critically discuss your performance in contributing to the design and implementation of service user care plans.

• Evaluate your role in promoting principles of support in health and social care.

• Make links to legislation, policies, outcome benchmarks, and organisations that promote the voice of service users.

• Show originality of thought and evaluative skills, leading to clear recommendations and/or conclusions.

Self-Evaluation Checklist

Before Submission, Ask Yourself:

1. Content and Depth

   • Have I covered all main points in sufficient depth?

   • Did I address all elements of each question?

   • Have I linked my discussion to wider literature and/or case studies?

   • Is my work analytical, rather than descriptive?

2. Application and Examples

   • Have I applied theories and concepts to my own practice (or case study if practice examples are unavailable)?

   • Have I used relevant examples to support arguments?

3. Structure and Coherence

   • Is my discussion well-structured and logically sequenced?

   • Did I use effective paragraphing and clear connectives?

   • Have I avoided irrelevant arguments or unnecessary repetition?

4. Critical Thinking

   • Did I consider the significance of the information included?

   • Have I questioned assumptions and analysed implications?

5. Referencing and Academic Integrity

   • Have I referenced all sources in-text and in the reference list?

   • Is my referencing style consistent with Harvard guidelines?

   • Have I paraphrased in my own words where possible, and used quotation marks where necessary?

   • Did I upload a draft to Turnitin to check similarity?

Presentation Guidelines

• Use Arial or Times New Roman (font size 11–14).

• Line spacing: 1.5.

• Text should be justified.

• Include a cover sheet with programme details.

• Maintain a clear, professional layout with headings and subheadings.

Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing

https://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Harvard_Quick_Ref_Guide.pdf

Sample Answer

Achieving Outcomes, Team Performance, and Continuous Quality Improvement in Health and Social Care

Introduction

Health and social care organisations exist to protect, support, and empower vulnerable individuals. Modern care settings are under increasing pressure from government policy, regulatory standards, and public expectations to provide services that deliver the best possible outcomes for service users. Achieving these outcomes requires outcome-based care, effective teamwork, continuous quality improvement (CQI), and a commitment to respecting rights, responsibilities, and diversity.

This report critically examines three key areas:

1. The need for care settings to achieve positive outcomes for service users.

2. The performance of teams in managing CQI, supported by team and motivation theories.

3. Strategies and reflective practices that promote rights, responsibilities, and diversity in health and social care.

Question 1: The Need for Care Settings to Achieve the Best Possible Outcomes for Service Users

The delivery of high-quality care is at the heart of health and social care practice, yet the emphasis in recent years has shifted from focusing on processes to achieving measurable outcomes for service users. Outcome-based care prioritises the results of interventions, such as improvements in wellbeing, independence, and quality of life, rather than the simple completion of tasks or hours of service. This shift reflects broader changes in government policy, professional standards, and regulatory requirements that place the service user’s experience and progress at the centre of care delivery.

The advantages of outcome-based care are well documented. At its core, it ensures that care is person-centred and tailored to the needs, preferences, and aspirations of individuals rather than being restricted to standardised routines. For example, an older adult may value being supported to live independently at home rather than receiving frequent hospital-based care. Achieving this outcome through tailored support or assistive technology not only enhances the individual’s dignity and autonomy but also reduces pressure on acute health services. The Department of Health and Social Care has consistently emphasised such personalised approaches in policy documents, and frameworks such as the NHS Outcomes Framework reinforce the expectation that services will deliver improvements in effectiveness, safety, and patient experience.

Another advantage of outcome-based practice is that it provides clear measures of accountability. Commissioners, regulators, and service managers require evidence that resources are delivering value and contributing to the health and wellbeing of populations. By focusing on outcomes, organisations are better able to demonstrate their effectiveness and justify investment. In my own practice, outcome-focused care plans enabled us to demonstrate to both families and inspectors that our interventions were making a tangible difference to residents’ quality of life. For example, one resident living with dementia had a strong personal goal of continuing to garden. Through collaboration with occupational therapists and physiotherapists, we created accessible gardening spaces and mobility support, which not only improved the resident’s physical health but also reduced agitation and enhanced mood. This example illustrates how outcome-based planning can transform care from a set of routine tasks into meaningful support that aligns with the individual’s aspirations.

Continued...