Demand-based Provision of Housing, Welfare and Care Services to Elderly Clients: From Policy to Daily Practice Through Operations Management

Abstract

Practical implementation of notions such as patient-orientation, clientcentredness, and demand-driven care is far from straightforward in care and service supply to elderly clients living independently. This paper aims to provide preliminary insights into how it is possible to bridge the gap between policy intent, which reflects an increasing client orientation, and actual practice of care and service provision. Differences in personal objectives and characteristics generate different sets of needs among elderly clients that must have an appropriate response in the daily routines of care and service providers. From a study of the available literature and by conceptual reasoning, we identify several important operational implications of client-oriented care and service provision. To deal with these implications the authors turn to the field of operations management. This field has deepened the understanding of translating an organisation's policy into daily activities and working methods. More specifically, we elaborate on the concept of modularity, which stems from the field of operations management. With respect to elderly people who live independently, this concept, among others, seems to be particularly useful in providing options and variation in individual care and service packages. Based on our line of reasoning, we propose that modularity provides possibilities to enhance the provision of demand-based care and services. 123Health Care Anal (2009) 17:68-84 DOI 10.1007 Furthermore, our findings offer direction on how organisations in housing, welfare and care can be guided in translating demand-based care to their operational processes.

Secondary analysis and literature review of community rehabilitation and intermediate care: an information resource

“…The importance of skill mix and configurations of staff types for achieving performance objectives such as quality, speed and efficiency has been demonstrated regarding the design of front/back office design 114,115 and the mix of skilled and less skilled staff (Baldauf et al, University of Warwick, 2009).…”

The barriers to empowering niche-innovations in long-term care

“…162-163) The LTC system has to move away from a fragmented, supply-driven towards an integrated, demand-driven system to improve the quality of care and to increase the operational efficiency to assure LTC for everyone (e.g. Béland, et al, 2006;Beukema & Valkenburg, 2007;De Blok et al, 2009;van den Bosch, 2010). An integrated care system is defined as "an organized, coordinated, and collaborative network that links various care providers to provide a coordinated, vertical continuum of services to a particular patient population or community" (Enthoven, 2009, p. 284).…”

“…The long-term care (LTC) system is struggling to deal with the growing pressure of an aging population, increasing costs and the scarcity of professionals (De Blok et al, 2009). The system is supplydriven and patronized by policy-makers (Beukema and Valkenburg, 2007).…”

“…More than ever, the LTC system is under pressure due to an aging population and increasing expenditures (van den Heuvel, 1997;De Blok, et al, 2009;Blanken & Dewulf, 2010;United Nations, 2010). Around the world, national programs are initiated to deal with these problems including Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (e.g.…”

“…Today, developed country"s healthcare systems face two major problems, increasing healthcare costs (Moreira, 2011) and an aging population (De Blok et al, 2009;United Nations, 2010) resulting in a growing demand for healthcare services 4 and the restructuring of healthcare organizations (Verleye and Gemmel, 2011). Therefore, a transition is needed which means moving away from a fragmented, supply-driven towards an integrated, demand-driven healthcare system in order to improve the quality of care and increasing operational efficiency to assure long-term care for everyone (Béland et al, 2006;Beukema and Valkenburg, 2007;Enthoven, 2009;De Block et al, 2009;Moreira, 2011).…”