Relatives will often say that they have a right to know about a particular service user, sometimes it is possible to ask the relative to speak directly to the service user. If you cannot you need to tell them that you are not allowed to pass on any information.
The most common way that workers breach confidentiality is by chatting about work with colleges, friends and family. It is often therapeutic to discuss a stressful day or event and talking helps get things into perspective. However you must make sure that you talk about issues at work in a professional way that keeps the service users details confidential and anonymous.
For example you could talk about how an encounter made you feel without giving any personal details of the people involved. You could say “today one of the people I saw accused me of not caring that I’m only their to be paid” it’s hurt my feelings and made me slightly angry, what do you think I should do? How would you have felt?
The issue then can be discussed without making reference to their gender, ethnicity, age, physical description, location or any other personal information. You also need to make sure that you do not discuses any service users with any other service user.
Every health and caring organisation will have a policy on confidentiality and the discloser of information. The basic rule is that all information an individual gives or that is given about them to an organisation is confidential and cannot be disclosed to anybody without the consent if the individual involved.
In many cases passing on information is routine and related to the care of the service user. Example – medical information may be passed to a hospital, residential home or private care agency. It must be made clear to the service user that this information will be passed on so they can get the best care for them.
Each organisation should have a policy which states the circumstances when information can be disclosed. past government guidelines (confidentiality of personal information 1988) required that the policy should identify.
- The members of senior management designated to deal with decisions about disclosing information
- What to do when urgent action is required
- The safeguards in place to make sure that the information will be used only for the purpose for which it is required
- Arrangements for obtaining manual and computer records
- Arrangements for reviewing the procedure
It can be difficult when people claim to have a right or have an interest in seeing an individuals records. Of course there are people that do need to know either because they are directly involved in providing care for the individual or because they are involved in another support role. However not everybody needs to everything so it is important the information is given on an need to know basis.
Once something is written down or put on the computer system it then becomes a permanent record. For this reason you need to be careful what you do with any files, charts, notes or other written records. They must always be really careful with files which leave in a workplace. There are many stories of files being stolen from cars and left on the busses.
Records kept on computers must also be kept safe and protected. Your workplace will have policies relating to records on computers which will include access being restricted by a password and the computer system being protected by the possibility of people hacking into it.
Equality, diversity and rights
Equality means that individuals are all treated equally for example there are employment laws in place which ensures that organisations treat everyone equally.
Equality basically means that all people have the same value. This does not mean that you treat everybody in the same way. You need to recognise diversity. Equality and opportunity are often linked in a new term of equal opportunities. In health and social care equity can be about ensuring that all people have a fair and equal access to services such as doctors, treatment and medication.
Diversity means recognising that everybody is different in some way. Importantly this also means valuing the difference. It is important to recognise, acknowledge, accept and value those differences.
Rights describe the roles and responsibilities attached to being an individual living and working in a wider society. Everyone has access to the basic human rights in the UK law there are 16 different human rights that must be followed as they have been incorporated into our legal system. The human rights taken from human rights act 2000 have the potential to affect every aspect of our lives. Observing and applying these services are central to the way we provide treatment and care for our service users in the health and social care system
Everybody has a right to be respected and treated in a dignified way equally as an individual way. They also have the right to be protected from harm, and have their own privacy and be allowed access to personal information. They also have the right to communicate in their own way and cared for in a way that meat their needs and takes into consideration of their choices and protests.
These rights form the care values of every health and social care worker. It is important the every service provider recognise the need to treat every individual equally.
The care values seek to treat people equally and fairly while activity ensuring their rights are being upheld. Treating people differently in a positive or negative way because of their race, religion, gender, age or any other aspect of their life is not executable. This would be seen as discriminatory. Everybody is an individual in their own right and expect to be valued and respected for the diversity, skills and knowledge that we bring to the people we live, work and socialise with. All health and social care workers must recognise that there are key differences between people that could effect their health and health care in a variety of ways for example gender has the potential to affect how long people live (in general woman tend to live longer then men) religious observance can effect the food choices made by individuals and ethnic origin.
There are seven key areas to the care values base, all are equally important and should form the basic professional relationship with other workers and the service users. As a service provider you must promote anti-discriminatory practice, you must also promote and support dignity, independence and safety. You must have respect and acknowledgement of personal beliefs and an individual’s identity. You must always maintain confidentiality with the boundaries that you work in. as a service provider you need to make sure that you promote and demonstrate equality at every opportunity also service providers need to respect diversity challenge stereotypes and those people using them.
Most organisations include training on equal opportunities as part of their induction process. In service training ensures that on-going education about rights and responsibilities is included in all workforce development. All workplaces should have the equal opportunities policy not just because the law states that they must have one. These policies aim to create a level playing field in the workplace to try and make sure that all people are treated equally if not fairly.
Up to 40% of people on incapacity benefits have no qualifications this can seriously disadvantage them. Within the health and social care system the arrival of new languages has led to the development of new ways of working to benefit both the service provider and the service user.
The inclusion of equality, rights and diversity in the training of health professionals has seen huge improvements in the way that service users get their service. You may not share the beliefs and traditions of your clients you should at least understand the concepts attached to the individuals beliefs and respect their right to have them beliefs or to follow their traditions as long as it doesn’t harm others.
The benefits of diversity should be clear to everyone but this is not often the case. It is well recognised that many people fear something or someone that is different from them.
The 16 human rights from the human rites act 2000 are
- Right to life
- Prohibition of torture
- Prohibition of slavery and forced labour
- Right to liberty and security
- Right to a fair trial
- No punishment without law
- Right to respect for private and family life
- Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of assembly and association
- Right to marry
- Prohibition of discrimination
- Protection of property
- Right to an education
- Right to free elections
- Abolition of the death penalty
A widely known model for interpreting human needs was developed by ABRAHAM MASLOW. Maslow’s definition of needs covered not just the basics of food, water and shelter but also social, emotional and intellectual needs as well as the need to maintain health
Everybody has their own preferred way of communicating whether it’s speaking a different language or using other communication aids – this is their right. Using the preferred communication method is the key to overall good communication in health and social care. However it can be expensive and have huge implications for the organisation having to organise it.
