Sustainability: The health and livelihood of people seeking asylum

To write a 1500-2000 word persuasive essay on the following: ‘Sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about the future in which environmental, societal and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of an improved quality of life’ (UNESCO 2015). - Choose a scenario from the list below and scope it to a specific location, community, organisation or aspect. - Explain the key sustainability concerns from an environmental, social and economic point of view. - Discuss responses to these concerns that could help to achieve sustainability. Scenarios 1. Food production 2. The health and livelihoods of groups of people seeking asylum 3. Personal lifestyle choices in modern urban settings 4. Resource usage in a professional organisation (e.g. hospital, school, law firm, etc.) 5. Tourism You should start your essay by first providing the background to the scenario and the stakeholders involved; and a definition of sustainability that is applicable to your scenario and reflects your potential solutions. Further Instructions:  You must support your arguments with in-text references from credible academic sources;  You must include at least 6 references;  Consistently format in-text citations and a complete reference list at the end of your essay using APA 6th edition Referencing Style.

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Answer

The health and livelihoods of groups of people seeking asylum
Various healthcare practices are marked with certain problems in regards to how they
should sustain their healthcare workforce that satisfies the rise in demand for adequate
healthcare. According to various sources, the nursing workforce tend to deteriorate with regards
to the escalating rates at which nurses tend to exit their profession, which largest percentage exit
in their early career and over the age of 55.The exit impacts a looming scarcity of nurses in their
work places which adversely results to reduced retention rates and low productivity. The effects
threaten the lives of the vulnerable populations of not only the older adults but also the children,
people with pre-existing diseases and the poor ("THELANCET.", 1859). This essay will,
therefore, identify and establish the necessary improvements needed in retentions and
productivity as having the greatest potential to advance sustainability.
Sustainability in regards to nursing and medicine practice refers to a continued
commitment aimed at bringing about extensive changes and modifications to the workplace
context for nurses to secure the healthcare workforce it requires. It also includes reforms and
innovations put in place in making a better use of the organizational existing nursing workforce,
both through positioning them more effectively and through the reduction of the rate at which the
nurses exit their career.
The current situation in healthcare workforce is not sustainable because of the imminent
shortage of nurses emanating from the fact that the health of the population trends in a critical
condition, combined with the aging nursing workforce and poor rates of retention. (L, W &
Heede, 2018)
The themes of action to underpin the sustainability of the nursing workforce involves
three sets. Leadership- in building workplace capacity, retention- in early career preparation and
workplace support, and productivity- in enabling innovation in the workplace. Leadership is a
very vital tool in ensuring organizational success of any hospital. Nurses had in the past not been
included in the decision making process of the hospitals thus causing their exit from the
workspace .The top management would impose policies that required the nurses to implement
making the life of a nurse hectic. This proved hard since the nurses were not part of the decision
making process hence making it difficult for them to implement policies which they were not
consulted on their enforcement. This led to the hospital management to adopt leadership for
nurses even in the top management. This has enabled easier implementation of policies in the
workplace since nurses are consulted in making critical decision concerning crucial issues
affecting the hospital. Nurses work at the lower levels of management hence they are able
understand the most crucial issues affecting the hospital since they are the ones who interact
directly with the patients. ("Department of Health | Nursing Workforce Sustainability –
Improving Nurse Retention and Productivity report", 2018) However special care needs to be
taken to ensure that the introduction of nurses in the managerial level does not affect the work
output of the nurses which entails giving services to patients. Retention of nurses in the work
place is a key means of ensuring sustainability in the hospitals. Less number of nurses means less
number of nurses being retained in the workspace thus leading to poor services being offered by
the nurses . The retention of nurses helps nurses to be prepared to offer improved services to the
patients. (McCarthy & Voss, 2012) During this process the nurses are able to learn methods that
can help in improving services to the patients for instance creating a good rapport with the
patients, ensuring patient give feedback after they have received treatment and other methods.
Also on ensuring the preparation of nurses through their retention in the work place, the nurses
are taught on how to improve their skills through skill development workshops. Better skills by

THE HEALTH AND LIVELIHOODS OF GROUPS OF PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM
the nurses means better service delivery to the patients, leading to sustainability at the hospital
workplace. Focusing on productivity at the work place is also a vital component in ensuring
sustainability at the work place (Williams, Souter & Smith, 2010).Less number of workers
means little productivity in terms of services being offered to patients. Health outcomes are
priotised by the management team in the work place more than any other thing. Nurses are
provided with the best of facilities to ensure they provide the best of services to the patients. This
allows the hospitals to perform their core responsibility of providing quality services to the
patients hence ensuring patient satisfaction. This is made possible by providing nurses with the
necessary health equipment required to maximize quality services to the patient.
("THELANCET.", 1859) Funds are also allocated by the top management to ensure that there is
enough money to purchase equipment. A conducive environment for working is provided to
ensure the best of services are offered to the patients. This includes ensuring collaboration
among the hospital staff and the management, thus facilitating solving problems of
communication between the staff and the management. Problems affecting the hospital are thus
solved quickly preventing them from affecting service delivery to the patients. (M, 2018).Apart
from this there other factors that affect the sustainability, this include environmental factors,
social factors and economic factors. (L, W & Heede, 2018).
The environmental factors are usually overlooked, but often offers an opportunity for
adequate healthcare delivery. These factors may include; poor rational decision-making process,
poor practice environment, and inadequate utilization of skills in meeting the societal needs. To
overcome environmental determinants of nurses’ exit, the following are key; .The executive
managers should focus on developing middle management. They should form appropriate
workload and staffing levels for their local environment. Create a positive practice environment
that safeguards the graduate nurses. The healthcare organizations should develop a workplace
environment that enables full utilization of all roles and skill mix that meets the societal needs
and expectations. (M, 2018)
Social factors tend to suggest that nurses exit their profession not because of
qualifications concerns, but rather shortage of nurses willing to work in their present conditions.
These factors include; influence of low staffing levels and poor workforce planning and
allocation mechanisms. To overcome these social determinants of nurses’ exit, the healthcare
organizations should: Develop a strong leadership foundation that enhances essentiality in
creating programs, structures and culture. Ensure that the new nurses are provided with the
appropriate start in their career. Various opportunities for innovation are strengthened through
employment arrangements, management strategies and organizational structures (M, 2018).
Economic factors mainly include various organizational policies and reforms that limits
the scope of developing a significant nursing workforce with respect to the proper utilization of
the available resources and funds allocated. The factors include; resource inhibited undersupply
of new staff, poor incentive, and inadequate career support and development. (L, W & Heede,
2018) To enhance the sustainability, the healthcare organizations should: Be equipped with
appropriate training and development foundations within their settings. Ensure that the new
nurses are retained in their profession through continued and sufficient support, represent good
value to the employers and offered adequate organizational advantage. Move away from the
input specification to a result based focus on nursing industrial agreements (M, 2018).
In conclusion, most healthcare practices face various challenges in relation to how they
sustain their health care workforce that meets the rising demand for suitable and sufficient
healthcare. The insufficient nursing workforce differs openly with the recent nursing workforce

THE HEALTH AND LIVELIHOODS OF GROUPS OF PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM
context in the organization. The rates at which the nurse tend to leave their profession is
considered to vary by their age as the highest percentage leave their profession in their early
career and over the age of 55.The action plan in this report outlines various themes and proposed
strategies that will add value to the nurse's exit rates as already underway. The actions proposed
if implemented will engross training and developments, will establish part of the response that
delivers sustainability, flexibility, improved skilled nursing workforce, and provision of high-
quality services.