Parallel Requirements Of The HCPCC (SCOR)

Background – In 1948, Aneurin Bevan, the minister of health, launched the NHS based upon three core principles: meeting the needs of everyone, being free at the point of delivery and being based on clinical needs (NHS Choices, 2013). Since then the NHS has been developing a comprehensive service and over time has recently created a constitution comprising seven key principles. The NHS constitution sets out guidelines in working relationships between patient and the public and the NHS staff in terms of how everyone works together to ensure better health for the nation. The whole framework promotes value, excellence, quality of care and patients and public having their say.
Aim - Considering parallel requirements of the HCPC and SCoR, this
assignment will examine the NHS constitution and analyse the impact it creates in terms of the practice of diagnostic radiographers and service delivery to the users.
In the imaging department, radiographers must undertake procedures and treat patients of both sexes equally irrespective of gender, culture, race, beliefs, disability or disease of the patient (NHS constitution, 2013) according to the Equality Act.
It is required for radiographers to willingly examine and treat any patient as fully as is clinically necessary. In order for this to happen, it may be necessary for radiographers to adapt practice to meet the needs of different groups and individuals (HCPC, 2013) and decide what requirements are involved to provide better care for the patient. In radiography context, there may be special requirements for patients from religious backgrounds or cultures and staff will need to be sensitive to these. In general, most patients do not mind, but if objections are raised, radiographers must try to be accommodating
(ref).

In an article by the SoR (2012), Paul Burstow quoted as saying: “the challenge for the NHS is to look beyond a person’s date of birth and meet the needs of older people as individuals”. This clearly shows the importance of providing particular attention to patients who are vulnerable and need the most care possible (NHS constitution, 2013). Armstrong (reference) pointed out that the vulnerable patient can lose control and enter into a state of powerlessness, which may influence their participation in the radiographic examination. For example, a follow-up examination is very frequently associated with fear of reoccurrence. Although many patients feel self-conscious, insecure and vulnerable during the procedure, they may not wish to admit those feelings. In radiography practice, it is important that staff are sensitive towards this and they take step to preserve dignity and privacy of every patient (reference). In accordance, radiographers can care for the patient by listening and respecting their views, treating them politely and considerately and respecting their right to refuse to take part in diagnostic examinations.

Wherever practicable, radiographers must always consider patients’ views, wishes and feeling in to account.
This forms a professional relationship between the radiographer and patient over which production of good quality images for diagnosis takes place and encourages patient involvement in their care. The effectiveness of the department is through the views of the patient, this could be done using a formal feedback mechanism to suggest what radiographers or the department could be better at. Most patients will feel pleased to be consulted about their experiences and happy to contribute to improving services for others. However, this is rarely practiced within imaging departments today; radiographers tend to discuss more on how to position and how it could have been done better for next time rather than viewing whether the patient was content about their performance, therefore it is clearly perceived that activities are not managed in a way that is free from bias in this context. Research shows that the feedback strategy slacks in a way as it is not collected from each individual patient; this suggests that departments should build a routine mechanism of collecting feedback from patients to propose areas where radiographers could improve their
practice.

This principle ensures that radiographers fulfil their legal responsibility to update their professional knowledge as on on-going commitment (HCPC, 2013) and apply that knowledge in radiography practice in order to provide a better care for the service users. CPD is a central principle to safe and effective radiography care and one of the defining characteristics of professional practice (SCoR, 2014). Staff must continue touch with the evidence base so that radiographers have a good understanding of patient needs. As mentioned by Witt (2011), the amount of knowledge required to take care of patients cannot be obtained simply through experience therefore staff must keep on top of evidence base and developments in practice as published by the HCPC (2013). If this does not happen they are not staying abreast to the latest practice, therefore it will become more pressing for radiographers to dissect other people’s research and to contribute to research themselves as the emphasis on evidence-based practice develops (Marshall and Jonker, 2010). We want protocols to be determined and the evidence based on what it says about best practice.

However, there are other issues to consider other than common skills and knowledge as The King Fund (2014) report underlines staff morale as being one of their top three concerns. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged by the SoR (ref) that basic terms and conditions affect morale, goodwill and their perceived ability to progress. These barriers must be addressed to make a bigger commitment to lifelong education of radiographers. In contrast, Francis (2013) reports that the NHS did not provide enough support to their employees therefore; wider adoption of protected time for professional reading would provide support to radiographers. In line with requirements for state registration stipulated by HPC, all radiographers should maintain a professional development portfolio. In order to achieve changes in practice and benefits for patient outcomes, recording and assessing CPD activities should seek to ensure it has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery and benefits the service user, as a basis for improving patient care relevant to current or future practice (ref). The impact of CPD results in change in attitude and practice towards patients, necessary for career progression and patient safety. Radiology Directorate (2014) also offers protected CPD study time for radiographers to use for personal development activities such as reviewing journals and audits or attending a multidisciplinary environment and must completer a short reflective account highlighting identified learning needs and benefit to practice and service. Furthermore, CPD programmes are open to radiographers beneficial for their development in practice however, Witt (2011) states that too often these opportunities are poorly attended, making it less likely for such evens to be offered in the future.
In contrast, radiographers talk of mortality rate meetings and see those as quality assurance tests and therefore applicable to CPD