Social Services: From 2 Different Sources
Services provided by government to improve the social welfare of those who need them.
advice and practical help with problems associated with social circumstances. Every local authority is responsible for establishing and staffing a social service department. Basic training for social work involves completing an approved degree in social work; there are also social workers with medical and psychiatric training who are seconded for work in hospitals (see hospital social worker) and specialist social workers in areas such as criminal justice. Social workers assess the eligibility of clients for such social services as care assistants and meals on wheels or refer them to the appropriate statutory or voluntary services; difficulties may sometimes arise when the hospital *catchment area is not coterminous with the local authority. In relation to mental health, social workers may obtain court orders for *compulsory admission where necessary and provide surveillance and support for those being treated at home or in designated hostel accommodation, including those discharged from hospital. (See also aftercare.) Case work involves identifying the causes of the client’s problem and, where appropriate, advising how best to correct them and/or adapt to the circumstances.
See DENTAL SURGEON.... general dental services
See PUBLIC HEALTH.... social medicine
Usually managed by NHS trusts, these are a complex variety of services provided to people outside hospital settings. The key parts are the services delivered by district nurses, health visitors and therapists – for example, physiotherapists and speech therapists.... community health services
The blend of health and social services provided to an individual or family in his/her place of residence for the purpose of promoting, maintaining or restoring health or minimizing the effects of illness and disability. These services are usually designed to help older people remain independent and in their own homes. They can include senior centres, transportation, delivered meals or congregate meals sites, visiting nurses or home health aides, adult day care and homemaker services.... community-based care / community-based services / programmes
Willingness and/or ability to seek, use and, in some settings, pay for services. Sometimes further subdivided into expressed demand (equated with use) and potential demand or need.... demand (for health services)
Transportation for older adults to services and appointments. May use buses, taxis, volunteer drivers, or van services that can accommodate wheelchairs and persons with other special needs.... escort services
The multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and ultimately health and well-being. Its research domains are individuals, families, organizations, institutions, communities and populations.... health services research
See “community-based care”.... home and community-based services; home and community care programme
Health services delivered on an inpatient basis in hospitals, nursing homes or other inpatient institutions. The term may also refer to services delivered on an outpatient basis by departments or other organizational units of such institutions, or sponsored by them.... institutional (care) health services
A network of organizations, usually including hospitals and medical practitioner groups, that provides or arranges to provide a coordinated continuum of services to a defined population and is held both clinically and financially accountable for the outcomes in the populations served.... integrated delivery system / integrated services network (isn)
The provision of assistance with laundry tasks for someone in his or her own home, either through a central facility or by a home help in the home.... laundry services
Comprehensive mental health services, as generally defined under some national (or state) laws and statutes, include: inpatient care, outpatient care, day care and other partial hospitalization and emergency services; specialized services for the mental health of the elderly; consultation and education services and specialized programmes for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of alcohol and drug abusers. They generally include a variety of services provided to people of all ages, including counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatric services, crisis intervention and support groups. Issues addressed include depression, grief, anxiety and stress, as well as severe mental illnesses.... mental health services
Health services concerned with the physical, mental and social well-being of an individual in relation to his/her working environment and with the adjustment of individuals to their work. The term applies to more than the safety of the workplace and includes health and job satisfaction.... occupational health services
See “ambulatory care”.... outpatient services
Health services targeted at populations with specific diseases or disorders.... population-based services
Health services re-orientation is characterized by a more explicit concern for the achievement of population health outcomes in the ways in which the health system is organized and funded.... re-orienting health services
Accommodation and support for people who can no longer live at home.... residential care services
The coordinated, or otherwise explicitly agreed upon, sharing of responsibility for provision of medical or nonmedical services on the part of two or more otherwise independent hospitals or health programmes.... shared services
Kin and other sources of support available to an individual.... social capital
Assistance with the activities of daily life (personal care, domestic maintenance, self-direction) delivered by a personal care helper, home helper or social worker and aimed at supporting older people who experience disabilities in functioning.... social care service
Any previously existing mental-health problems may worsen under the stress of pregnancy and childbirth, and a woman’s socio-economic circumstances may be an in?uential factor. Mood swings are common in pregnant women and mothers of new babies; sympathetic support from sta? and relations will usually remedy the situation. If postnatal depression lasts for more than a week or two the use of mild ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS may be justi?ed. If depression persists, referral to a psychiatrist may be advisable. Rarely, severe psychiatric problems – puerperal psychosis – may develop during or after pregnancy and referral to an appropriate psychiatric unit is then essential. If the mother’s social circumstances are unsatisfactory, advice should be sought from social services departments. Mothers may also need advice on bene?ts to which they are entitled and how to claim them. Bene?ts Agency o?ces or Citizens’ Advice Bureaux as well as antenatal clinics are useful sources of information.... psychological and social problems
A process within society which both formally, through law, and informally, through customs, norms and mores, attempts to influence and order the actions of social groups and their members and thus maintain public order.... social control
A situation in which individuals are prevented from fully participating in society by factors such as age, poverty, disability or ethnicity.... social exclusion
Any set of persons within society with particular demographic, economic or social characteristics.... social group
The extent to which individuals are engaged with their families, friends, neighbours and communities.... social integration
A condition in which an individual has extremely limited social networks and supports.... social isolation
An individual’s web of kinship, friendship and community ties.... social network
See “informal care”.... social network care
Benefits that include income for eligible persons from social security, old age, disability, and survivors’ pension schemes.... social security benefits
Emotional, instrumental and financial assistance obtained from an individual’s social network. Social support provided by family, friends and neighbours is referred to as ‘informal support’, whereas social support provided by formal service agencies is called ‘formal support’.... social support
An intervention designed to enhance an individual’s physical, mental and social functioning through improved coping skills and use of social supports and community health care services. Those who practise social work are generally called social workers. There are many different types, specialties and grades of social worker. Those who specialize in care of older adults are often called geriatric or gerontological social workers.... social work
In the UK, this NHS authority (UKTSSA) provides a 24-hour service for matching, allocating and distributing organs. It is also responsible for keeping the records of all patients awaiting transplants. Established in 1991, the authority allocates donor organs without favour, following protocols set by advisory groups. It also administers the Human Organ Transplant Act on behalf of the Department of Health. (See TRANSPLANTATION.)... transplant support services authority
A collective term for disorders such as Asperger’s syndrome and autism, which begin in childhood. Problems tend to persist throughout life.... social and communication disorders
see domiciliary services.... community services
(HHS) the major US government agency providing health care. The department was created in 1953 and assumed its current name in 1980. HHS administers more than 300 health and health-related programmes and services, including *Medicare and *Medicaid. Other activities include research, immunization services, and providing financial assistance for low-income families. Almost a quarter of federal spending occurs through HHS.... department of health and human services
(in Britain) health and social services that are available in the home and are distinguished from hospital-based services. They include the services of such personnel as community nurses employed by care trusts (see district nurse; community midwife; health visitor) and social workers and care assistants employed by social service departments of local authorities. The term community services is applied to these services.... domiciliary services
(HSCIC) formerly, an executive nondepartmental public body set up in April 2013 to collect, analyse, and publish UK national health data and supply IT systems and services to health-care providers nationwide. It was rebranded as *NHS Digital in August 2016.... health and social care information centre
see HEMS.... helicopter-based emergency medical services
a social worker employed to assist hospital patients with social problems that may arise through illness. See also social services.... hospital social worker
(NHSPSA) see NHS Business Services Authority.... nhs prescription services authority
see Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.... public services ombudsman
an extreme fear of humiliating or embarrassing oneself in social situations (e.g. dating, parties, eating with other people, asking questions, etc.). Symptoms include shaking, blushing, gastrointestinal disturbances, sweating, and other signs of anxiety; people with social anxiety disorder may avoid social situations. Treatment includes cognitive behavioural therapy, occupational therapy, and medication (e.g. antidepressants, anxiolytics, or beta blockers).... social anxiety disorder
see National Statistics Socio-economic Classification.... social class
the application of marketing techniques to achieve behaviour change for a social benefit, for example reduction in *health inequalities.... social marketing
see social services.... social worker
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