Covert use of power: hidden use of power to discriminate. This can lead health and social care professionals to treat someone differently from someone else. This means that a person may not get that same level of treatment, which may jeopardise their health and well-being. One example would be when people apply for job. Although one person may have the same experience and qualification as the other applicants they may not be shortlisted because of their skin colour, or sexuality etc. it’s harder to prove that covert discrimination is occurring but cases are regularly reported and is still happens. In a health and social care professional setting a health care worker may not give somebody the right medication at the right time, maybe due to the colour of their skin colour or their sexuality which they strongly feel opposed to.
Overt use of power: openly using power to discriminate. This will have similar outcomes to covert abuse of power. However, if a person being treated notices that they are being discriminated against, it will have a negative impact on their recovery, their mental health issue to depression and it could make a negative impact on their recovery as they may worry about what they have even done in the first place to be getting this treatment. An example of over abuse of power could be if a health care worker tells a person they are too fat to live their 50s.