Part B
Care Value Base
The care value base offers guidance in the three main areas of health and social care. Equality and diversity, confidentiality, rights and beliefs. The foundation of care values is derived from human rights; the values are made to be followed by health care professionals and enable service users to feel empowered. This empowerment makes the service user feel more confident and strong enough to take control of their own life, enabling them to feel like they are claiming their rights.
Equality and diversity
Equality and diversity is about being able to value and respect the differences between individuals. For example respecting the difference between the problems involved with elderly people compare to younger individuals. Or valuing the difference between religions and sexualities. By removing this respect we are taking away the value and support that equality and diversity are required to provide. Equality and diversity are about avoiding the false assumptions made regarding people’s abilities, attitudes or commitments. It is important that these assumptions are not made in the health care setting. Diversity is the concept of acceptance and respect, meaning that we understand that we are all unique and we recognise our differences. It is about being able to understand and celebrate our diversity.
It is important that a good practitioner is able to identify discrimination whether it may be direct or indirect and identify whether the situation is high risk or not. A good practitioner should be able to understand that there are potentially harmful consequences that are a result of discrimination. It is required that a practitioner is able to empower patients to feel as though they are strong and confident making them able to make big life decisions.
Good equality and diversity in the practice involves, good communication with patients and service users using a positive and mostly formal manner that enables the service user to feel as though they have accessed the correct information needed. A practitioner also makes adjustment to the way that they work or deliver their service to take into account disabilities or individuals in need of their expertise. The practice on a whole has t show a level of understand in the role that they are playing whether it is taking care of an individual’s religious or cultural needs through their care. It is vital that practitioners treat their patients and other service users with dignity and respect at all times.
It is highly important that practitioners promote equality and diversity in this particular health care setting; they are able to promote this through communication amongst other practitioners and service users. Promotion of equality and diversity can be promoted through the four main types of communication, oral, written, computerised and special methods. Promotion of these care values help the practitioners to make the service users to feel valued. As they are now viewed as equal by the health care system. Many people with disabilities and more diverse needs are easily catered for with modern care values. www.effectivepractitioner.nes.scot.nhs.uk (no year).
The Equality Act 2010
This single Act replaces all past pieces of legislation regarding anti-discrimination, it simplifies the law and removes any inconsistencies within the framework. The public sector Equality Duty came into force in 2011 and it aims to ensure that all public bodies play their role in making society a much fairer place. Its main duty is to cover certain “protected characteristics” such as age, gender, pregnancy, disability, maternity, sexuality, marriage or civil partnership. www.hscic.gov.uk (no year). www.nhs.uk (no year).
The four main methods of communication are connected to promoting equality and diversity in the health and social care setting.
Oral
In the health care setting any health care professional is required to be prepared to repeat what they are saying to a service user
