Unit 2 Btc Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health And Social Pathway
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
Equality, Diversity and Rights
Principles of the care value base
The care value base sets out common values and principles that each health and social care worker should follow as a guide to the everyday practice. The principles for practice ensure that the standards of care are consistently to their highest. Principles include;
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Promotion of anti-discriminatory practice.
Promotion of support and dignity.
Respect and acknowledgement of beliefs and identity.
Maintenance of confidentiality.
Protection from abuse and harm.
Promotion of effective communication.
The provision of personalised care.
PearsonSchools, (2014). …show more content…
Active support and empowering the service user
It is vital that health and social care workers provide active support to their service users. Service users will feel valued and respected when they are supported and listened to. If a service user was not supported appropriately they may feel that you are discriminating them. It is also vitally important to empower the service user so they feel confident to take steps in order to improve their situation or circumstance. Dealing with tensions and contradictions
When working within health and social care there will be many tensions and contradictions. To cope with the different tensions and contradictions it is important to work with your colleagues ensuring that you offer one another support and guidance. Working together will help deal with situations in a highly professional way which will not cause implications to the decision making process. This will stop any tensions or contradictions occurring.
Practical implications of confidentiality
It is the law that all health and social care practitioners ensure that they work within the law. The Data
Protection Act 1998’ states that all information must be kept private unless a service user is at risk or poses a risk to someone else. Those handling information must;
● Respect privacy.
● Follow the organisation 's policies and procedures
● Comply with the law.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
You must ensure that;
● Only information that is needed is collected.
● Data is used for the purpose it is intended.
● All records are kept safe.
● Each organisation has a policy for handling information.
Gov.uk, (2014).
Promotion of choice
It is vital to give the service user choice even if they are unable to speak for themselves. Many service users require an advocate to speak on their behalf to ensure that professionals are thinking of the service users best interests. It is also important to give service users choice when doing the most menial of tasks. Service users should be given the choice when (at);
● Getting dressed. E.g. Denim Jeans or a skirt etc.
● Meal time. E.g. Food, there should be different types of food on offer for everyone.
● Planning activities. E.g. Day trip or arts and craft etc.
Inclusion of the service user in their care
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989’ states that individuals have the right to be listened to when decisions are being made for them. This means that professionals must ensure that they take the service users views into consideration. If the professionals were to make decisions without involving the service user this would be infringement of their rights, it could leave the service user feeling disrespected and devalued.
Staff training and development
It is majorly important for those who are working within health and social care to have regular training. Training will ensure that all professionals carry out the jobs as best as they can, it will also make sure that staff are following the relevant procedures at work.
Training will make sure that staff are up to date with equality, rights and diversity legislation.
Through giving staff regular training the organisation is protecting staff and service users. Staff understand the correct way to carry out a task, this will lower the risk of them getting harmed when carrying out the task. Service users will rarely be harmed as staff will have practiced many times before they actually carry out the task. Training may include things like; manual handling, first aid, crisis intervention, food safety and hygiene and child protection. This will all depend on your roles and responsibilities.
Staff have the right to a career and to develop within that career, those who perform well should be given the opportunity to go further up the career ladder.
Promoting rights
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
It is majorly important to promote the rights of individuals when working within the health and social care sector. The Human Rights Act 1989’ states that every human has certain rights that must not be infringed or withheld. It is the responsibility of the care worker to ensure that they practice in accordance to the legislation. If a care worker was to effectively promote the rights of an individual this would create a substantial level of success with the outcome to the service user. There are many benefits of this factor. For example; Through having their rights promoted service users may feel empowered, respected and valued. It may also give them confidence in their care worker, which will enable the pair to create a professional relationship founded upon trust. However, if a service user’s rights were not promoted, they may feel marginalised and pushed aside. This would cause tension between the pair and their relationship may fail.
Rights that service users have;
● To be respected - service users have the right to be respected by the professional, this
will enable them to work together closely to overcome difficulties etc.
● To be treated equally and not discriminated against - this is important as it’s something that everyone deserves no matter who they may be.
● To be treated as an individual - everyone is different and this must be recognised.
● To be treated in a dignified way - While at placement ( nursery) I was told that it is extremely important to treat service users the way that you would wish to be treated. This is what all the staff did, it ensured that the children we were looking after were cared for in a way which did not breach their human rights.
● To be allowed privacy - this ensures that service users do not feel intruded or intimidated, it is important that professionals respect privacy when discussing sensitive matters. E.g. The professional should not force information.
● To be protected from danger and harm - professionals should ensure that their service users are safe from danger or harm, this is vital and a plan of how protection can be achieved should be drawn up.
● To be allowed to access information regarding themselves - At placement (nursery) they kept a file for each child, it contained personal information regarding the child. E.g. growth, development, social service information and many other documents. These files were confidential, this means that they can only be accessed by certain professionals and the service user. As the children were under 18 their parents/ carers also had access to the information. It is a right that the service user can access these documents, they must not be declined when they request to.
Gov.uk, (1998).
● To be allowed to communicate using their preferred method of communication - this is important as not everyone likes to communicate the same. For example; many individuals may wish to speak face to face as opposed to a telephone conversation.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
● To be cared for in a way which meets their needs - At the nursery where I was on placement we were told that the care that we provide should meet the needs of the child. For example; there was a child who was allergic to certain foods, he needed to have different meals from the other children at times in order to stop him becoming unwell. Another child had a sleep problem however it was important to ensure they had sleep, otherwise it may caused the child further implications. The nursery recognised that these were ‘needs’ of the children.
● To have choice - every service user has the right to make their own choices. It is important that we do not make other peoples decisions for them. If professionals were to overpower service users by making choices for them they may feel disempowered. Service users may be given choice of; food, activity, clothes, carer and or bedtime (where appropriate).
Alzheimer Scotland, (2014).
At the nursery where I was on placement the rights of the children were always paramount.
Professionals also ensured that children were treated fairly and equally. This was done by professionals letting the children communicate through their desired way, have choice and professionals created a plan of care that met every individuals needs.
Infringement of rights
When working with individuals it is important to work within their rights to ensure that no implications occur. If service users were not given their rights they may feel that the professionals are overpowering them, this may cause them to feel intimidated by their worker. It is important for social care workers to inform their clients of their rights, it is illegal to withhold or restrict an individual 's rights. Discriminatory Practices
Covert abuse of power;
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
This is discrimination which is hidden and can be harder to demonstrate. - E.g. Although two people have the same qualifications and experience, one of them may not be shortlisted for a job interview because of their gender, skin colour, sexuality or class. This is hard to prove and understand.
Overt abuse of power
This is discrimination which is clear to see. It can also be found in the different treatment one person gets compared with another, when there should be no difference at all. - E.g. A carer gives one person food without the other, as the other one is hard to feed and requires more support.
Prejudice
This is a judgement made about someone without really knowing the facts. You may have negative thoughts when you see certain individuals. - E.g. If a person was to wear a ‘hoodie’ we may prejudge them to be violent, angry or nasty. However, when we meet them we may find that they are nice people. Stereotyping
Stereotyping is discriminatory. Children usually develop this habit because of what they learn from their parents. Examples of stereotyping include;
● ‘All male nurses are gay’.
● ‘All jobless people are smelly’.
● ‘All people with blonde hair are dumb’.
Stereotyping leads to assumptions about people which can have devastating effects in health and social care.
Labelling
In health and social care care it is vitally important to be aware of this tendency to label people. Everyone has labelling thoughts, it’s what you do with them that matters. Examples of labelling include;
●
●
●
●
Fat
Uneducated
Geeky
Weak.
Labelling and acting upon your thoughts can dangerously affect the service user. It may leave the service user feeling intimidated and disrespected.
Bullying
Bullying is when someone is constantly physically, verbally or emotionally intimidated by someone in power or dominance. Bullying is unacceptable
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
within health and social care as it leaves the service users feeling scared or threatened.
Abuse
Abuse is a range of negative behaviours which has the potential to hurt an individual in a number of ways.
Verbal abuse; this is when one person uses words and negative behaviour in order to criticise another.
Psychological abuse; this is emotional abuse, one person will manipulate or control information that is available to another person to distort their sense of reality.
Physical abuse; this is when one person will use physical harm in order to force or intimidate another.
Sexual abuse; this is unwanted sexual contact perpetrated on a victim by an abuser.
Neglect;
this is when the persons needs are not met. (e.g. food, warmth, protection and shelter) by the appropriate carer.
Hate crime; hate crimes include physical, emotional or sexual abuse which is aimed at an individual or group of people. The abuses may be based on various characteristics of the people it is aimed at - religion, sexualty or the colour of their skin.
Marginalisation;
the social process of becoming or being made marginal. E.g. Pushed to the outskirts of society.
If an individual was to be treated unfairly they may believe that you dislike them. A service user who feels marginalised may feel intimidated or they may even live in fear of other people, especially the person who is caring for them. If a person was to feel marginalised they may disengage from the help that is being provided for them, in effect this may cause their situation to become worse, it may reach crisis point meaning the situation will become out of hand and harder to manage.
A person who has been marginalised may feel weak and inferior as they have been made to stand out and made to be different in front of an audience.
Disempowerment;
this is when an individual is deprived of power and control over their life. This may happen when an individual 's choices are made for them as opposed to them taking part in the decision making.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
A service user may feel as though they are not educated enough to make choices, if the professional has overridden what they have to say. A service user may feel intimidated and vulnerable when they are subject to disempowerment this may lead them to withdrawing from services.
Low self-esteem and self-identity;
Low self-esteem and identity can be caused through poor service. If an individual has been subject to discrimination, prejudice or labelling then they may feel overpowered and neglected by the professionals who are caring for them. The effects of low self-esteem and identity can be traumatising. Restricted opportunities;
This is when individuals are not given the opportunity to do something. Discrimination can often lead to restricted opportunities. This can lead to service users being limited the use of health and social care services. An example of restricted opportunities may be that a person is restricted of the chance to get a job as they have a disability.
Stonewall.org.uk, (2014).
Negative behaviour;
This is behaviour which is wrong, especially within the health and social care sector. Negative behaviour includes things such as aggression, violence, peer pressure and or verbal / physical abuse. If a practitioner was to behave in this way they could possibly be barred from practicing. However, most often than that this behaviour goes on for far too long before the perpetrator is found out. The effects of negative behaviour include service users feeling disempowered, devalued and patronised as well as scared and anxious. The use of negative behaviour may actually cause an individual to feel marginalised as outcast to society.
Case Studies
Labelling
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
Elaine has just come on night duty to care for a 14 bedded ward of medically ill patients. During the handover, her colleague Irene provides a report on the patients and their care. Irene says, ‘The diabetes patient has had her blood tests but the type 2 is still waiting, the asthma case is still on oxygen and the thyroid’s surgical wound is healing well. Other than that there isn’t much to report.
The nurse in this case study has used labels as opposed to calling the patients by their names. The nurse labels the individuals by their illnesses, labelling is negative and there are many negative outcomes that result from labelling. The nurse’s own practice is affected by her malpractice and she has also affected her colleagues, the colleague may also label the patients. In this example we can see that the patients have been infringed of their right to an identity. The patients have been disrespected, this may result in them feeling disempowered or patronised. A nurse who is found to be openly labelling patients may be disciplined or in serious cases barred from practicing.
Marginalisation
The drug rehabilitation centre in Prestpool is closing due to lack of funding, even though drug use is popular in the area. Local pressure groups are lobbying the health and care services to ask for other provision to be considered, no one seems to be listening. A local councillor says ‘Where would we put another centre? No one wants these people in their backyard!’
Drug users are marginalised here due to the negative stigma that is attached to them. The counsellor formulates a negative discriminatory opinion of these people. The councillor suggests that all drug users are trouble, by doing this the councillor marginalises the drug users. The councillor ignores requests for another centre which is an example of how drug users are pushed out of society. In my own opinion I believe that drug services should be provided as priority, the sooner help is put in place the less chance of the issue becoming much wider scaled than already. Individuals should not discriminate through objecting to these services being offered in their local areas.
Bullying
An elderly patient at a care home asks the carer on duty if she is allowed some more food, the portion the patient received was very little. The patient has a good appetite and when she has not eaten enough her mood becomes low. The carer replies ‘don’t you think you have eaten enough? shut up, you are fat enough already’.
The carer here has abused her power and bullied one of their vulnerable patients. The carer knows that the patient is unlikely to report the situation. It goes against the code of conduct to bully or intimidate any patient or service user. The effects of the carer bullying the patient could potentially become extremely negative, the elderly lady may become scared and anxious when she knows that specific carer is on duty. Also the elderly lady may develop an eating disorder as a result of the carer bullying her.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
Reference List
Alzheimer Scotland, (2014).
Dementia Rights - Examples of human rights in health and social care
.
[online] Dementiarights.org. Available at: http://www.dementiarights.org/examples-of-human-rights-in-health-and-social-care/ [Accessed 29
Jan. 2015].
Gov.uk, (1998).
Human Rights Act 1998
. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/section/1 [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015].
Gov.uk, (2014).
Data protection - GOV.UK
. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection/the-data-protection-act [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015].
PearsonSchools, (2014).
Care Value Base
. 1st ed. [ebook] PearsonSchoolsandFEColleges, p.Chapter 3.
Available at: https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/HealthAndSocialCare/DiplomaNV QandSVQ/AdvancedHealthandSocialCare/Samples/Samplematerial/Chapter%203%20for%20newslett er2.pdf [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015].
Stonewall.org.uk, (2014).
Stonewall
. [online] Available at: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/what_we_do/research_and_policy/health_and_healthcare/3465.asp [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015].
Bibliography
Stretch, B. & Whitehouse, M (2010).
Health & Social Care Level 3 Book 1 BTEC National
. Harlow:
Pearson Education Limited. p - .
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
Equality, Diversity and Rights
Principles of the care value base
The care value base sets out common values and principles that each health and social care worker should follow as a guide to the everyday practice. The principles for practice ensure that the standards of care are consistently to their highest. Principles include;
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Promotion of anti-discriminatory practice.
Promotion of support and dignity.
Respect and acknowledgement of beliefs and identity.
Maintenance of confidentiality.
Protection from abuse and harm.
Promotion of effective communication.
The provision of personalised care.
PearsonSchools, (2014). …show more content…
Active support and empowering the service user
It is vital that health and social care workers provide active support to their service users. Service users will feel valued and respected when they are supported and listened to. If a service user was not supported appropriately they may feel that you are discriminating them. It is also vitally important to empower the service user so they feel confident to take steps in order to improve their situation or circumstance. Dealing with tensions and contradictions
When working within health and social care there will be many tensions and contradictions. To cope with the different tensions and contradictions it is important to work with your colleagues ensuring that you offer one another support and guidance. Working together will help deal with situations in a highly professional way which will not cause implications to the decision making process. This will stop any tensions or contradictions occurring.
Practical implications of confidentiality
It is the law that all health and social care practitioners ensure that they work within the law. The Data
Protection Act 1998’ states that all information must be kept private unless a service user is at risk or poses a risk to someone else. Those handling information must;
● Respect privacy.
● Follow the organisation 's policies and procedures
● Comply with the law.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
You must ensure that;
● Only information that is needed is collected.
● Data is used for the purpose it is intended.
● All records are kept safe.
● Each organisation has a policy for handling information.
Gov.uk, (2014).
Promotion of choice
It is vital to give the service user choice even if they are unable to speak for themselves. Many service users require an advocate to speak on their behalf to ensure that professionals are thinking of the service users best interests. It is also important to give service users choice when doing the most menial of tasks. Service users should be given the choice when (at);
● Getting dressed. E.g. Denim Jeans or a skirt etc.
● Meal time. E.g. Food, there should be different types of food on offer for everyone.
● Planning activities. E.g. Day trip or arts and craft etc.
Inclusion of the service user in their care
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989’ states that individuals have the right to be listened to when decisions are being made for them. This means that professionals must ensure that they take the service users views into consideration. If the professionals were to make decisions without involving the service user this would be infringement of their rights, it could leave the service user feeling disrespected and devalued.
Staff training and development
It is majorly important for those who are working within health and social care to have regular training. Training will ensure that all professionals carry out the jobs as best as they can, it will also make sure that staff are following the relevant procedures at work.
Training will make sure that staff are up to date with equality, rights and diversity legislation.
Through giving staff regular training the organisation is protecting staff and service users. Staff understand the correct way to carry out a task, this will lower the risk of them getting harmed when carrying out the task. Service users will rarely be harmed as staff will have practiced many times before they actually carry out the task. Training may include things like; manual handling, first aid, crisis intervention, food safety and hygiene and child protection. This will all depend on your roles and responsibilities.
Staff have the right to a career and to develop within that career, those who perform well should be given the opportunity to go further up the career ladder.
Promoting rights
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
It is majorly important to promote the rights of individuals when working within the health and social care sector. The Human Rights Act 1989’ states that every human has certain rights that must not be infringed or withheld. It is the responsibility of the care worker to ensure that they practice in accordance to the legislation. If a care worker was to effectively promote the rights of an individual this would create a substantial level of success with the outcome to the service user. There are many benefits of this factor. For example; Through having their rights promoted service users may feel empowered, respected and valued. It may also give them confidence in their care worker, which will enable the pair to create a professional relationship founded upon trust. However, if a service user’s rights were not promoted, they may feel marginalised and pushed aside. This would cause tension between the pair and their relationship may fail.
Rights that service users have;
● To be respected - service users have the right to be respected by the professional, this
will enable them to work together closely to overcome difficulties etc.
● To be treated equally and not discriminated against - this is important as it’s something that everyone deserves no matter who they may be.
● To be treated as an individual - everyone is different and this must be recognised.
● To be treated in a dignified way - While at placement ( nursery) I was told that it is extremely important to treat service users the way that you would wish to be treated. This is what all the staff did, it ensured that the children we were looking after were cared for in a way which did not breach their human rights.
● To be allowed privacy - this ensures that service users do not feel intruded or intimidated, it is important that professionals respect privacy when discussing sensitive matters. E.g. The professional should not force information.
● To be protected from danger and harm - professionals should ensure that their service users are safe from danger or harm, this is vital and a plan of how protection can be achieved should be drawn up.
● To be allowed to access information regarding themselves - At placement (nursery) they kept a file for each child, it contained personal information regarding the child. E.g. growth, development, social service information and many other documents. These files were confidential, this means that they can only be accessed by certain professionals and the service user. As the children were under 18 their parents/ carers also had access to the information. It is a right that the service user can access these documents, they must not be declined when they request to.
Gov.uk, (1998).
● To be allowed to communicate using their preferred method of communication - this is important as not everyone likes to communicate the same. For example; many individuals may wish to speak face to face as opposed to a telephone conversation.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
● To be cared for in a way which meets their needs - At the nursery where I was on placement we were told that the care that we provide should meet the needs of the child. For example; there was a child who was allergic to certain foods, he needed to have different meals from the other children at times in order to stop him becoming unwell. Another child had a sleep problem however it was important to ensure they had sleep, otherwise it may caused the child further implications. The nursery recognised that these were ‘needs’ of the children.
● To have choice - every service user has the right to make their own choices. It is important that we do not make other peoples decisions for them. If professionals were to overpower service users by making choices for them they may feel disempowered. Service users may be given choice of; food, activity, clothes, carer and or bedtime (where appropriate).
Alzheimer Scotland, (2014).
At the nursery where I was on placement the rights of the children were always paramount.
Professionals also ensured that children were treated fairly and equally. This was done by professionals letting the children communicate through their desired way, have choice and professionals created a plan of care that met every individuals needs.
Infringement of rights
When working with individuals it is important to work within their rights to ensure that no implications occur. If service users were not given their rights they may feel that the professionals are overpowering them, this may cause them to feel intimidated by their worker. It is important for social care workers to inform their clients of their rights, it is illegal to withhold or restrict an individual 's rights. Discriminatory Practices
Covert abuse of power;
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
This is discrimination which is hidden and can be harder to demonstrate. - E.g. Although two people have the same qualifications and experience, one of them may not be shortlisted for a job interview because of their gender, skin colour, sexuality or class. This is hard to prove and understand.
Overt abuse of power
This is discrimination which is clear to see. It can also be found in the different treatment one person gets compared with another, when there should be no difference at all. - E.g. A carer gives one person food without the other, as the other one is hard to feed and requires more support.
Prejudice
This is a judgement made about someone without really knowing the facts. You may have negative thoughts when you see certain individuals. - E.g. If a person was to wear a ‘hoodie’ we may prejudge them to be violent, angry or nasty. However, when we meet them we may find that they are nice people. Stereotyping
Stereotyping is discriminatory. Children usually develop this habit because of what they learn from their parents. Examples of stereotyping include;
● ‘All male nurses are gay’.
● ‘All jobless people are smelly’.
● ‘All people with blonde hair are dumb’.
Stereotyping leads to assumptions about people which can have devastating effects in health and social care.
Labelling
In health and social care care it is vitally important to be aware of this tendency to label people. Everyone has labelling thoughts, it’s what you do with them that matters. Examples of labelling include;
●
●
●
●
Fat
Uneducated
Geeky
Weak.
Labelling and acting upon your thoughts can dangerously affect the service user. It may leave the service user feeling intimidated and disrespected.
Bullying
Bullying is when someone is constantly physically, verbally or emotionally intimidated by someone in power or dominance. Bullying is unacceptable
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
within health and social care as it leaves the service users feeling scared or threatened.
Abuse
Abuse is a range of negative behaviours which has the potential to hurt an individual in a number of ways.
Verbal abuse; this is when one person uses words and negative behaviour in order to criticise another.
Psychological abuse; this is emotional abuse, one person will manipulate or control information that is available to another person to distort their sense of reality.
Physical abuse; this is when one person will use physical harm in order to force or intimidate another.
Sexual abuse; this is unwanted sexual contact perpetrated on a victim by an abuser.
Neglect;
this is when the persons needs are not met. (e.g. food, warmth, protection and shelter) by the appropriate carer.
Hate crime; hate crimes include physical, emotional or sexual abuse which is aimed at an individual or group of people. The abuses may be based on various characteristics of the people it is aimed at - religion, sexualty or the colour of their skin.
Marginalisation;
the social process of becoming or being made marginal. E.g. Pushed to the outskirts of society.
If an individual was to be treated unfairly they may believe that you dislike them. A service user who feels marginalised may feel intimidated or they may even live in fear of other people, especially the person who is caring for them. If a person was to feel marginalised they may disengage from the help that is being provided for them, in effect this may cause their situation to become worse, it may reach crisis point meaning the situation will become out of hand and harder to manage.
A person who has been marginalised may feel weak and inferior as they have been made to stand out and made to be different in front of an audience.
Disempowerment;
this is when an individual is deprived of power and control over their life. This may happen when an individual 's choices are made for them as opposed to them taking part in the decision making.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
A service user may feel as though they are not educated enough to make choices, if the professional has overridden what they have to say. A service user may feel intimidated and vulnerable when they are subject to disempowerment this may lead them to withdrawing from services.
Low self-esteem and self-identity;
Low self-esteem and identity can be caused through poor service. If an individual has been subject to discrimination, prejudice or labelling then they may feel overpowered and neglected by the professionals who are caring for them. The effects of low self-esteem and identity can be traumatising. Restricted opportunities;
This is when individuals are not given the opportunity to do something. Discrimination can often lead to restricted opportunities. This can lead to service users being limited the use of health and social care services. An example of restricted opportunities may be that a person is restricted of the chance to get a job as they have a disability.
Stonewall.org.uk, (2014).
Negative behaviour;
This is behaviour which is wrong, especially within the health and social care sector. Negative behaviour includes things such as aggression, violence, peer pressure and or verbal / physical abuse. If a practitioner was to behave in this way they could possibly be barred from practicing. However, most often than that this behaviour goes on for far too long before the perpetrator is found out. The effects of negative behaviour include service users feeling disempowered, devalued and patronised as well as scared and anxious. The use of negative behaviour may actually cause an individual to feel marginalised as outcast to society.
Case Studies
Labelling
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
Elaine has just come on night duty to care for a 14 bedded ward of medically ill patients. During the handover, her colleague Irene provides a report on the patients and their care. Irene says, ‘The diabetes patient has had her blood tests but the type 2 is still waiting, the asthma case is still on oxygen and the thyroid’s surgical wound is healing well. Other than that there isn’t much to report.
The nurse in this case study has used labels as opposed to calling the patients by their names. The nurse labels the individuals by their illnesses, labelling is negative and there are many negative outcomes that result from labelling. The nurse’s own practice is affected by her malpractice and she has also affected her colleagues, the colleague may also label the patients. In this example we can see that the patients have been infringed of their right to an identity. The patients have been disrespected, this may result in them feeling disempowered or patronised. A nurse who is found to be openly labelling patients may be disciplined or in serious cases barred from practicing.
Marginalisation
The drug rehabilitation centre in Prestpool is closing due to lack of funding, even though drug use is popular in the area. Local pressure groups are lobbying the health and care services to ask for other provision to be considered, no one seems to be listening. A local councillor says ‘Where would we put another centre? No one wants these people in their backyard!’
Drug users are marginalised here due to the negative stigma that is attached to them. The counsellor formulates a negative discriminatory opinion of these people. The councillor suggests that all drug users are trouble, by doing this the councillor marginalises the drug users. The councillor ignores requests for another centre which is an example of how drug users are pushed out of society. In my own opinion I believe that drug services should be provided as priority, the sooner help is put in place the less chance of the issue becoming much wider scaled than already. Individuals should not discriminate through objecting to these services being offered in their local areas.
Bullying
An elderly patient at a care home asks the carer on duty if she is allowed some more food, the portion the patient received was very little. The patient has a good appetite and when she has not eaten enough her mood becomes low. The carer replies ‘don’t you think you have eaten enough? shut up, you are fat enough already’.
The carer here has abused her power and bullied one of their vulnerable patients. The carer knows that the patient is unlikely to report the situation. It goes against the code of conduct to bully or intimidate any patient or service user. The effects of the carer bullying the patient could potentially become extremely negative, the elderly lady may become scared and anxious when she knows that specific carer is on duty. Also the elderly lady may develop an eating disorder as a result of the carer bullying her.
Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Health and Social Care ( Social Pathway )
Euan Philip Michael Thomas
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