Term
1. The promotion of effective communication and relationships.
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Definition
This involves working to ensure all service users and colleagues are able to communicate in an effective manner with one another. It may mean using support services such as advocates or interpreters to allow somebody to communicate clearly, confidently and in their preferred language. It could mean ensuring a person’s hearing aids are maintained and fitted properly, or installing a loop system in a care home to ensure a person can communicate efficiently.
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Term
2. The promotion of anti-discriminatory practice.
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Definition
This means that you report or challenge others who discriminate against colleagues or service users in an assertive, yet professional way. You ensure that you do not discriminate and that those who use and work in your care setting have equal opportunities and rights at all time. You will ensure that your practice as a health and social care professional does not discriminate and promotes the rights of all service users.
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Term
3. Maintaining confidentiality. |
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Definition
Maintaining confidentiality is a legal requirement, and you should always work to ensure that the trust of colleagues and service users is not broken. It includes the safe storage of personal data, not discussing service users outside of the workplace, and only telling people information that may identify the service user on a need to know basis. You need to ensure you make it clear to people that if they tell you something that suggests they may be at harm then you may not be able to keep it confidential. |
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Term
4. The promotion and support of dignity, independence, empowerment, choice and safety.
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Definition
Dignity - This means that you ensure all service users are treated in a dignified way, that they are respected and not made to feel patronised, ‘stupid’ or like they are a burden. They must always be treated with respect – which can include ensuring they have privacy when engaging in personal / intimate activities and that they are spoken to with respect too – i.e. not called pet names etc.
Independence: - You will ensure people are able to think for themselves and make decisions about themselves, and are supported in doing so (e.g. through advocacy). They must be encouraged to do what they can for themselves, and not develop learned dependency.
Empowerment - They will have access to all the information that they need to make informed choices about their care and their life
Choice - They should be encouraged to make choices in all situations possible, even when it is easier to not provide choice, (e.g. working with very young children / dementia patients). Choices can include things like: what they want to eat, to do, where they want to be treated, want to sit, when they get up / go to bed etc.
Safety - You will ensure both service users and colleagues are safe in your health and social care setting. This can include maintaining confidentiality, completing thorough CRB and other security checks for staff, keeping up with health and safety regulations and much, much more.
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Term
5. Acknowledging, individuals’ personal beliefs and identity and respecting diversity. |
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Definition
| This means that you acknowledge that all people have their own personal beliefs and ways that they construct their personal identify, and you respect their wishes to believe as they do. For example, you may have a service user or colleague who is transgender and chooses to identify with the opposite sex to the one they were born as. You should respect their wishes to be a transgender individual and support them as much as possible, even if you do not agree with it. It may be that a colleague or service user does not share the same religious or moral beliefs as you, however, you must respect their ideas and acknowledge that not everybody is the same. Other examples may include diet – different beliefs (religious or otherwise) may require a diet that is very different from the care provider’s and they may not understand why the person feels the need to eat this way. However these wished must be respected |
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Term
6. Protection from abuse.
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Definition
This links with promotion of safety. This means that you will protect colleagues and service users from abuse and harm by others or themselves. Forms of abuse include: physical, psychological, sexual, financial and neglect. Protecting people from abuse means being aware of clues that may suggest somebody is being abused, working in a way that does not harm or abuse others, and again, maintaining health and safety. |
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Term
| 7. Providing of individualised (person-centred) care |
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Definition
In all care settings people should be treated as the individuals that they are. A one size fits all approach is not appropriate when delivering care and can mean that people do not have their needs met. To provide personalised (or person centred care) means that as a health care professional you will need to ensure people can make choices for themselves and be cared for in the way they want. You will be involved in producing individual care plans for service users, and ensuring that this care meets all of their needs. |
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