With the beginning of proper classes and lectures today, there was a wealth of information to be gathered from the many different speakers we listened to. The introduction to the U.K. Health and Social care systems were immediate cause for comparison between the systems we had been accustomed to at home and what we were hearing now.
In regards to the parity, or how equal and similar, the systems in the U.K. and the U.S. are, I was immediately drawn to the concept of Education Healthcare Plans (EHCP) used in Special Education
With the beginning of proper classes and lectures today, there was a wealth of information to be gathered from the many different speakers we listened to. The introduction to the U.K. Health and Social care systems were immediate cause for comparison between the systems we had been accustomed to at home and what we were hearing now.
In regard to the parity, or how equal and similar, the systems in the U.K. and the U.S. are, I was immediately drawn to the concept of Education Healthcare Plans (EHCP) used in Special Education in the UK. Almost immediately I thought of the Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that are used for special education in the United States, something we’ve touched on numerous times in education courses. Creating a plan to assist students, and especially their families, through the special education path evidently has found value in both nations. Similar to the laws which made IEP’s commonplace in American classrooms, the British laws which created the EHCP’s were designed to ensure that education could be easily accessible to all and improve outcomes for children.
As to imparity, or how unequal and dissimilar, the systems in the UK and the US are, I found that there wasn’t a strong emphasis on the role of the actual educator in the overview of special education. In the United States the educator plays a key role in the IEP and the general formation of the education for special needs students. It seems, by comparison, that in the UK there are a lot of specialists who are involved in the process regarding EHCP’s that doesn’t necessarily place the educator in the forefront of special education.
Though health and social care are not my specialty, our overview of the National Health Service (NHS) provided a lot of insight into some impartiality between the healthcare systems of the US and UK. Despite the United States having some limited socialized healthcare options, largely the only similarity between the base of both nation’s systems, the United Kingdom has long been under a system of socialized healthcare. I was very surprised that the NHS was actually started just after the end of world war two. My assumption prior was that it was somewhat later than that in its formation. The foundation being so early was one reason why I was quick to wonder why there is still so much hesitancy in the United States to adopt a similar system. One distinct similarity between the NHS and the US healthcare systems is issues in communication between the different care levels. I can personally attest to many times that the communication between my personal physicians and the specialized doctors I was being referred to for different issues was evidently lacking. While there are issues that exist within the NHS, though very few that can’t also be ween in America, the impression I’ve gotten so far of the system is that it is a rather efficient one.
As fun as learning about the finer intricacies of healthcare systems is, it was very refreshing to end the day with a trip to a botanical garden before enjoying a nice French dinner.
