Inappropriate Communication
Effective and appropriate communication is important in our life. It is especially important in Health and Social Care setting as it is one of the factors that allows professionals to deliver high quality of holistic care. However Nursing and Midwifery Council Hearings shows that a lot of professionals fail to communicate appropriately in different ways. In this essay I will review three methods that can be used to deal with inappropriate communication in Health and Social Care setting.
‘Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication.’ (Skillsyouneed.com, 2014). Inappropriate communication begins when barriers …show more content…
occurs. Barriers to communication may include language e.g. jargon, physical noise, inappropriate body posture/language, inattention and even cultural differences.
One of the methods that can be used to minimise the risk of inappropriate communication occurring is staff development and training.
This is a good way of minimising risk of inappropriate communication occurring as it helps to ensure that professionals will be able to communicate effectively with patients, members of multidisciplinary team as well as with work colleagues (Ekot, 2010). Training also helps to raise awareness of different factors that can have negative impact on communication such as discrimination. Through undertaking additional training professionals receive opportunity to update their knowledge and learn new skills as things change all the time. However this method don’t guarantee a hundred percent success as there is one thing that we can’t teach anyone- to be a good person.
Supervision is also a good way of dealing with inappropriate communication. Supervision is a form of self-regulation that is helpful for reflecting on and learning from practice. This provide supervised professionals with personal support and professional development. It is especially important for trainees as it allows them to move beyond their basic skills and improve them as well as make changes that are suggested. Feedback received from supervision allows employees to learn from their mistakes as well as develop further skills that they already …show more content…
have.
Another method of dealing with inappropriate communication is partnership working. This allows professionals not only to improve even further their communication skills by communicating with service users, other professionals involved in care as well as with work colleagues. But what is most important in partnership working is that it allows professionals to deliver high quality, person centred holistic care (DHSSPSNI, 2013). However also this method is not fully effective. There are many cases described in NHS Hearings when professionals fail to share information’s with other members of team but also to keep written records regarding care of service user. To minimise number of this type of failings, training should be provided, however in some cases it’s not enough as some of professionals for some reason chose to not to keep records and be unprofessional.
In cases of misconduct professionals are facing disciplinary procedures. Disciplinary procedures are actions taken by the employer when concerns about employee performance are raised. This include disciplinary hearings with employee during which employee have a chance to explain their actions and reasons for undertaking them (Gov.uk, 2014). This method have many advantages. It helps to ensure that high standards of care are and will be maintained, helps organisations to operate effectively and also promotes fairness and consistency in the treatment of service users (Wirral NHS, 2008).
Next method of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal communication is reporting poor practice known as whistleblowing. The greatness of this method comes from fact that there are professionals in Health and Social Care setting who are not afraid to report poor practice and therefore improve quality of services provided. On the other hand this method also have its cons. Firstly not all professionals are brave enough to report poor practice due to fear of losing employment. Secondly and what is the most worrying is fact that whistle-blowers are very often ignored. Survey from 2011 of over 3000 members of Royal College of Nursing showed that over 80 per cent of nurses have raised concerns about practice. A third of whistle-blowers has been discouraged from reporting poor practice (Rcnpublishing, 2014). It is really worrying that great concept of reporting concerns about poor practice is scotched by managers who should promote it.
There are numbers of different methods that can be applied to deal with inappropriate interpersonal communication in Health and Social Care setting. Though we can’t say that all those methods are thousand per cent effective, we should make sure and put effort to promote use as well as improvement of those methods what will allow all Health and Social Care professionals to deliver the highest quality of care.
_____
When working in Health and social care sector, professionals will often come across individuals with specific communication needs. In this essay I am going to analyse use of different strategies that are used to support users of health and social care services, who have specific communication needs.
There are different strategies that are used to communicate with individuals that have specific communication needs- alternative language, language aids, advocacy, interpretation and translation, technological aids.
The most well-known form of specific communication method is sign language. There are different types of sign language that include:
• British Sign Language (BSL) is a type of sign language is used by deaf people in UK which is made of combination of hand gestures, finger spelling, lip patterns and facial expressions. BSL gives opportunity for deaf people to communicate, however it also have disadvantages such as fact BLS have its own grammar what makes it more difficult to learn for hearing people what can create even bigger barrier to communication.
• Sign Supported English (SSE) is similar to BSL but it uses structure and grammar of spoken English what is an advantage as it is easier to learn for hearing people. (NHS Choices, 2013) (may encourage hearing individuals to learn sign language if they don’t have to learn grammar of BSL)
• Makaton which is ‘simplified’ sign language. It is used by individuals with learning disabilities. Makaton uses combination of hand gestures that are similar to B SL and speech alongside with picture symbols.
The great advantage of Makaton is that it can be easily understood by people who don’t know the sign language, but also this type of sign language helps to eventually develop speech for its users. (Makaton, 2014)
Individuals with disabilities but also who speak other language than English (this could include not only languages like Russian or German but also sign language) will need a help of interpreters or translators.
Interpretation and translation services allows service users to understand what is being discussed especially when it comes to receiving medical advices as bilingual individuals who might have communicative English will struggle to understand medical terms that are used in health care (even if it’s not medical jargon) (NHS Choices, 2013). This is a very good method of overcoming communication barrier caused by inability to speak English or speak at all. As a disadvantage we can consider possible misunderstanding caused by
translation/interpretation.
Another way of supporting communication needs of individuals is advocacy. This has been designed to help individuals with mental health problems, mental distress or disabilities. This allows individuals to have opportunity to have equal opportunities and make informed choices, express their concerns and views on situations, access information’s and services or explore choices that they have (Mind, 2013).
Another way of overcoming communication barriers is using different technological aids. This may include
• Hearing Aids offer individuals with hearing problems to improve their ability to hear and therefore to communicate in more effective way. However hearing aids are coming useful only if individual have hearing difficulties, but it wouldn’t benefit deaf individuals.
• Words and Symbols are simple but great aids to communication. Those become handy especially for people with different learning disabilities. It allows them to communicate by pointing on pictures. This method also gives them great opportunity to make informed choices even if they will only have to choose what they want to eat for their lunch.
• Communication charts and books works in similar way as words and symbols. Those allows individuals who can’t speak to communicate with their carers by pointing on pictures with finger or eye.
• Aids that speak- aid that play back artificial or pre-recorded words, letters or phrases and therefore those can be considered as a voice of individuals who can’t speak. However this communication aid can be very expensive and mostly it can play only one sentence at the time.
• IPad’s, Mobile phones etc. (AceCentre, 2014)
Process of accessing additional support allows health and social care professionals such as social workers, support groups to access range of needs of individuals and define what type of support is needed. This assessment will allow health care workers to choose and apply method of alternative communication which will be the most suitable for each individual.
Effective communication is very important not only in health and social care setting but also in everyday life. Strategies described above allows individuals with specific communication needs to have opportunity to communicate in effective way and express their needs.
‘Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication.’ (Skillsyouneed.com, 2014). Inappropriate communication begins when barriers …show more content…
occurs. Barriers to communication may include language e.g. jargon, physical noise, inappropriate body posture/language, inattention and even cultural differences.
One of the methods that can be used to minimise the risk of inappropriate communication occurring is staff development and training.
This is a good way of minimising risk of inappropriate communication occurring as it helps to ensure that professionals will be able to communicate effectively with patients, members of multidisciplinary team as well as with work colleagues (Ekot, 2010). Training also helps to raise awareness of different factors that can have negative impact on communication such as discrimination. Through undertaking additional training professionals receive opportunity to update their knowledge and learn new skills as things change all the time. However this method don’t guarantee a hundred percent success as there is one thing that we can’t teach anyone- to be a good person.
Supervision is also a good way of dealing with inappropriate communication. Supervision is a form of self-regulation that is helpful for reflecting on and learning from practice. This provide supervised professionals with personal support and professional development. It is especially important for trainees as it allows them to move beyond their basic skills and improve them as well as make changes that are suggested. Feedback received from supervision allows employees to learn from their mistakes as well as develop further skills that they already …show more content…
have.
Another method of dealing with inappropriate communication is partnership working. This allows professionals not only to improve even further their communication skills by communicating with service users, other professionals involved in care as well as with work colleagues. But what is most important in partnership working is that it allows professionals to deliver high quality, person centred holistic care (DHSSPSNI, 2013). However also this method is not fully effective. There are many cases described in NHS Hearings when professionals fail to share information’s with other members of team but also to keep written records regarding care of service user. To minimise number of this type of failings, training should be provided, however in some cases it’s not enough as some of professionals for some reason chose to not to keep records and be unprofessional.
In cases of misconduct professionals are facing disciplinary procedures. Disciplinary procedures are actions taken by the employer when concerns about employee performance are raised. This include disciplinary hearings with employee during which employee have a chance to explain their actions and reasons for undertaking them (Gov.uk, 2014). This method have many advantages. It helps to ensure that high standards of care are and will be maintained, helps organisations to operate effectively and also promotes fairness and consistency in the treatment of service users (Wirral NHS, 2008).
Next method of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal communication is reporting poor practice known as whistleblowing. The greatness of this method comes from fact that there are professionals in Health and Social Care setting who are not afraid to report poor practice and therefore improve quality of services provided. On the other hand this method also have its cons. Firstly not all professionals are brave enough to report poor practice due to fear of losing employment. Secondly and what is the most worrying is fact that whistle-blowers are very often ignored. Survey from 2011 of over 3000 members of Royal College of Nursing showed that over 80 per cent of nurses have raised concerns about practice. A third of whistle-blowers has been discouraged from reporting poor practice (Rcnpublishing, 2014). It is really worrying that great concept of reporting concerns about poor practice is scotched by managers who should promote it.
There are numbers of different methods that can be applied to deal with inappropriate interpersonal communication in Health and Social Care setting. Though we can’t say that all those methods are thousand per cent effective, we should make sure and put effort to promote use as well as improvement of those methods what will allow all Health and Social Care professionals to deliver the highest quality of care.
_____
When working in Health and social care sector, professionals will often come across individuals with specific communication needs. In this essay I am going to analyse use of different strategies that are used to support users of health and social care services, who have specific communication needs.
There are different strategies that are used to communicate with individuals that have specific communication needs- alternative language, language aids, advocacy, interpretation and translation, technological aids.
The most well-known form of specific communication method is sign language. There are different types of sign language that include:
• British Sign Language (BSL) is a type of sign language is used by deaf people in UK which is made of combination of hand gestures, finger spelling, lip patterns and facial expressions. BSL gives opportunity for deaf people to communicate, however it also have disadvantages such as fact BLS have its own grammar what makes it more difficult to learn for hearing people what can create even bigger barrier to communication.
• Sign Supported English (SSE) is similar to BSL but it uses structure and grammar of spoken English what is an advantage as it is easier to learn for hearing people. (NHS Choices, 2013) (may encourage hearing individuals to learn sign language if they don’t have to learn grammar of BSL)
• Makaton which is ‘simplified’ sign language. It is used by individuals with learning disabilities. Makaton uses combination of hand gestures that are similar to B SL and speech alongside with picture symbols.
The great advantage of Makaton is that it can be easily understood by people who don’t know the sign language, but also this type of sign language helps to eventually develop speech for its users. (Makaton, 2014)
Individuals with disabilities but also who speak other language than English (this could include not only languages like Russian or German but also sign language) will need a help of interpreters or translators.
Interpretation and translation services allows service users to understand what is being discussed especially when it comes to receiving medical advices as bilingual individuals who might have communicative English will struggle to understand medical terms that are used in health care (even if it’s not medical jargon) (NHS Choices, 2013). This is a very good method of overcoming communication barrier caused by inability to speak English or speak at all. As a disadvantage we can consider possible misunderstanding caused by
translation/interpretation.
Another way of supporting communication needs of individuals is advocacy. This has been designed to help individuals with mental health problems, mental distress or disabilities. This allows individuals to have opportunity to have equal opportunities and make informed choices, express their concerns and views on situations, access information’s and services or explore choices that they have (Mind, 2013).
Another way of overcoming communication barriers is using different technological aids. This may include
• Hearing Aids offer individuals with hearing problems to improve their ability to hear and therefore to communicate in more effective way. However hearing aids are coming useful only if individual have hearing difficulties, but it wouldn’t benefit deaf individuals.
• Words and Symbols are simple but great aids to communication. Those become handy especially for people with different learning disabilities. It allows them to communicate by pointing on pictures. This method also gives them great opportunity to make informed choices even if they will only have to choose what they want to eat for their lunch.
• Communication charts and books works in similar way as words and symbols. Those allows individuals who can’t speak to communicate with their carers by pointing on pictures with finger or eye.
• Aids that speak- aid that play back artificial or pre-recorded words, letters or phrases and therefore those can be considered as a voice of individuals who can’t speak. However this communication aid can be very expensive and mostly it can play only one sentence at the time.
• IPad’s, Mobile phones etc. (AceCentre, 2014)
Process of accessing additional support allows health and social care professionals such as social workers, support groups to access range of needs of individuals and define what type of support is needed. This assessment will allow health care workers to choose and apply method of alternative communication which will be the most suitable for each individual.
Effective communication is very important not only in health and social care setting but also in everyday life. Strategies described above allows individuals with specific communication needs to have opportunity to communicate in effective way and express their needs.