How Can Community Mental Health Services Be Improved in Auckland? HSC4012

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Word Count : 1517

Contents

TASK 1: LETTER. 2

TASK 2: ESSAY. 4

Ambulance Services: A Brief History and the Challenges Faced. 4

Challenge 1: Increased Demand for Ambulance Services. 5

Challenge 2: Workforce Shortages and Staff Burnout. 6

Proposed Solutions to Address These Challenges. 6

References. 7

TASK 1: LETTER

Julia Thompson
15 Greenfield Road
Auckland, AB12 3CD
Email: julia.thompson@email.com
Phone: 01234 567890

27th April 2025

Councillor Sarah Morgan
Auckland City Council
Town Hall
Auckland, AB12 3CD

Dear Councillor Morgan,

Subject: Urgent Need for Expansion of Community Mental Health Services in Auckland

I hope all is well with you. I write as an Auckland citizen concerned about the lack of community mental health services in our city. I am basically a great believer in the well-being of the people of the community so I find it a requirement to throw awareness on increasing the necessity for mental health provision within Auckland according to the Care Act 2014.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a clear duty to provide the care and support needed to promote people's well-being, prevent deterioration of health, and promote independent living. However, the current shortfall of adequate community mental health services in Auckland leaves many vulnerable individuals without the support they truly deserve. This shortfall is increasingly troubling, as many individuals have found it difficult to access the care they need, which in turn has a huge negative impact on their mental health and general quality of life.

Our mental health services are currently grossly over-stretched with waiting times topping alarming heights for access to any type of support. Hence, people find themselves facing mental health emergencies without timely care, thereby worsening their conditions and leading to longer-term and more involved problems. This, in turn, does not affect individuals only but also adds to the pressure on emergency services, hospitals, and the rest of our health structures.

There's quite a big gap in mental health services within this area, particularly where vulnerable groups are concerned, like the elderly, long-term sick people, and people from marginalized communities. Those are the people more vulnerable to mental health issues and face much difficulty accessing proper care. Otherwise, these people will deteriorate mentally, leading to increased hospitalization and less ability to live independently.

Funding community mental health services must be our priority if we want to ease some of the pressure from emergency and hospital services. Greater access to these community services to help individuals deal with their problems will lessen the chances of emergencies and, thus, overall public health found to be better.

For example, according to the Care Act 2014, I've got to say that very integrated and holistic models of care would significantly improve mental health care in Auckland. So, for instance, one simple action that could be taken is to increase recipient funding to local community-based mental health services and foster even closer collaboration between mental health practitioners, general health providers, and other social services.

I strongly recommend getting some immediate action going to secure additional resources for community mental health services in Auckland. The current provision is lacking and urgent. Without action soon this will worsen. Increase the ridership of these services beyond what it already covers of those having crises because it looks like it's going to help all-most everyone in the community, apart from meeting mental health needs. It will also assist in relieving the healthcare system at its current load and possibly create a healthier environment for all residents.

I appreciate that you have taken the time and care to deliberate on this significant matter. I await your response with eagerness, and I hope I may be able to witness some positive change soon.

Yours sincerely,
Julia Thompson
Resident of Auckland

TASK 2: ESSAY

Ambulance Services: A Brief History and the Challenges Faced

Ambulances are central to providing immediate, emergency health care for individuals with critical or life-threatening health problems. Ambulance services in the UK began with the establishment of the first services outside hospitals in urban areas around the end of the nineteenth century (Al-Sahab et al., 2021). At first, they were run by charity, mostly with horse-drawn vehicles to carry sick or injured patients to hospital. As medical advances evolved and systems of emergency care grew more defined, ambulance services became more organized and professional, increasingly integrated into the national healthcare system.

In 1948, upon the formation of the National Health Service (NHS), ambulance services were formally included in the comprehensive healthcare framework. Today, ambulance services are run regionally under NHS standards, being an important part of emergency care extending into the prehospital realm, such as the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the North-East Ambulance Service (NEAS). These services involve emergency care provision for life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and trauma, non-emergency transports for patients requiring clinical accompaniment while being moved between hospitals (Boyd et al., 2024).

The ambulance services, despite their crucial role in public health, have been faced with challenges due to the extensively evolving scenario, especially in the last decade. The two major problems affecting ambulance service provision will be discussed in this essay: increased demand for service and shortage of workforce. These problems not only affect the timely delivery and quality of care but also stretch the limits of their human resources and the greater healthcare system.

Challenge 1: Increased Demand for Ambulance Services

According to some of the primary statistics, increasingly demanding emergency responses have created several challenges for ambulance services in the UK (Evans et al., 2023). The rise in numbers of 999 calls that have been evident over the last decade has steadily gone up the lengths and population limits, while it expands the numbers of patients that reach ambulances or add pressure to ambulance crews. Some of the reasons contributing to this include, but are not limited to, the following.

One issue is the aging population. With more elderly individuals suffering from conditions that require urgent medical intervention the demand for emergency medical service increases. Elderly persons are more likely to have health emergencies like heart attacks, stroke, and fall that require immediate intervention from ambulance services. A report from the NHS Confederation states that the elderly population over 65 will exponentially increase, putting more strain on ambulance services.

The increase in the number of people consuming mental health services is also driven by the growing number of patients who suffer from mental health crises. Mental health emergencies, involving self-harm, suicidal ideation, and severe anxiety or depression, have most often found their way to the ambulance 999 call. Not only do these crises take a lot of time and resources to manage, but they require considerable training for paramedics to provide the best care possible to the patient at the time of acute illness.

Also, public expectation about ambulance services has changed. With the rapid expansion of healthcare coverage and public awareness, they have begun thinking of ambulances as a resource that is needed not just during life-threatening health emergencies but also for non-urgent health situations.

Challenge 2: Workforce Shortages and Staff Burnout

The most common impediments facing ambulance services today are the increasing need for services and staff burnout and shortages. The workforce challenges for ambulance services in the UK have become evident over almost a decade, characterized by a high burnout level among paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) (Miller, 2021).

Another major factor contributing to staffing shortages is the whole recruitment and retention dynamics in the NHS. Paramedics and EMTs also stress under demanding working conditions that include long hours, heavy physical and emotional workloads, and sometimes exposure to traumatic situations. Creativity and emotional strength are stretched while rushing to meet life-and-death emergencies, with mounting sorrow for the challenges encountered while managing patients in emotional distress. Burnout is therefore the cause of a number of problem events, leading to further declining morale and a rising turnover rate. This further compounds what is already a staffing crisis (Shepard et al., 2022).

Proposed Solutions to Address These Challenges

Preventative measures that minimize pressure on the ambulance crews are crucial to addressing the increasing demand for the ambulance service. Community health services, together with urgent care facilities geared towards less severe cases should be built to lessen the number of non-urgent 999 calls (Qawwas et al., 2022). Increasing the telemedicine offerings for non-emergency visits would alleviate some burden on ambulance resources. Education campaigns geared toward clarifying what constitutes an emergency and when emergency medical services should be contacted could reduce unnecessary calls for an ambulance.

Workforce shortages can be countered by improving recruitment and retention of ambulance services. Competitive pay, expanded opportunities for professional growth, and better working conditions must all be considered in attracting and retaining appropriately qualified staff (McGarry and OConnor, 2023). Alongside this, ensuring that mental health needs are tended to with proper support systems and counselling services will help alleviate the incidence of burnout and foster job satisfaction. Further potential mitigations for occupational stress could incorporate more structured support frameworks for paramedics, including regular debriefs and access to mental health services.

The ambulance service is majorly challenged with increasing demand and shortage of staff. However, with preventive measures, policy improvement on staffing and provision of better support for ambulance workers, most of the issues can be resolved. By addressing these areas, the NHS will ensure that ambulance services continue to offer timely quality care to those in needs.