The emotional effects of discrimination are the low self-esteem, lack of confidence and being able to talk to other individuals, the feeling of not be wanted by other individuals, insecurity not feeling confident in who you are as a person, becoming withdrawn from everyone, depression/stress/anxiety, the also change in sudden behaviour from an individual they could become violent, lack of co-operation and learned helplessness.
The possible social effects of discrimination on the individual could possibly be that may become isolated due to the lack of friends because of their lack of confidence that individual may have, becoming withdrawn from everyone and everything, unrecognized as an individual which can be caused from neglect, feel like a stranger and inability to build relationships due to not getting the required services for their specific needs they have.
The possible intellectual effects of discrimination on an individual, restricted access to education which then can have an effect on them later on in life, poor performance in examinations which may cause them to not progress as far as they would like to go, lack of achievements, poor job prospects which could be due to the lack of motivation in now wanting to achieve the also lack of skills, self-fulfilling prophecy which is a statement that alters actions and therefore comes true, loss of motivation, lack of interest in anything and absence from work.
M1) Choose 3 examples and assess the effects of those discriminatory practices in detail
My first example of the effects of discriminatory practice is Riam Dean when she was only in her job for a couple of days when a member of staff from an Abercrombie & Fitch store made Riam work in the stock room due to her having a prosthetic forearm. This could have damaging effects on Riam, the staff involved and the organisation. The effects for Riam of being discriminated against is she could start to get low self-esteem and confidence due to her not looking a certain way because of her prosthetic arm it could also make her feel worthless and not worthy to be in that job because someone’s made her feel like that, it could also affect her future employment in the type of jobs she goes for.
This could also have a major impact on the company’s reputation as they have been seen to discriminate a disabled person which could impact their sales as disabled could stop shopping there as they’ve heard about what poor treatment another disabled person has received. The company could also get a lot of criticisms from varied people on how they only recruit young and beautiful assistants without any disabilities as they have a look policy which then could end in the company getting sued and there name and brand could get tarnished.
The effects that it could have on the staff is that they could get disciplined or lose their job which could lead into resentment for the company as they were only doing their job and sticking to the policies that Abercrombie & Fitch had set out .
My second example is Jean Austin who went to her local GP with a problem with her foot to which her doctor just put the problem down to her age without examining the problem first. The effects that this could cause Jean is that she could start to lose trust in doctors as they just presume due to her age she is going to have all these problems without properly accessing the problem that she presents .Which could also could affect her confidence in not wanting to go to the doctor and seeking help for a problem as they’ll just put it down to age which could make jean feel worthless and not cared for properly. It could also make her have self doubt in herself when thinking she is un-well or hurt that because she is getting older that you experience all these problems when it could be a really serious problem.
The effects it could have on the GP is that they could be disciplined/lose job or even been taken to court by the client who they discriminated against which then could end up them loosing there licence to practice. This could cause stress as they could lose everything that they have worked for .Also the GP and could also start to feel like he has failed as a doctor in helping people.
This could affect the organisation by damaging their reputation and it could take a long time to repair it which could lose them patients especially the older patients they could move GP’s. It could also cost the organisation lots of money to retrain all their employees in anti-discriminatory practice to stop this issue happening again.
The last example is the discrimination against a male nurse who was not giving the chance to practice on females when given the chance
This could affect Andrews confidence in his abilities to practice as a nurse as he isn’t being giving the opportunity to do his job like everyone else because he is a male nurse, it could also affect his self-esteem as he could feel not worthy to be a nurse as he is being singled out for being a male this could make him feel low and inferior to the female nurses. It could also make him change careers from something he loved to do to not so much of a career.
This could affect the organisation as it could start to ruin their reputation for not allowing a male nurse to practice on female patients without being accompanied by a female chaperone. It could also help them to realise that they need more male nurses in hospital as not every women would mind being treated by one as men only make up 10% of the workforce, it would also help this to stop happening and making a bad name for the NHS.
The affect on the staff is that they could start to feel bad on how they treated him as it isn’t there fault they had to stick to the guidelines
P4) Research two national initiatives and explain in detail how these work to promote anti-discriminatory practice.
National initiatives are key pieces of legislation frameworks for good practice and continual working together of professional practices.
The first national initiative that promotes anti-discriminatory practice is the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. This applies to men and women and try’s to promote both should be treated not the same but equally in employment and education, it also to protect against discrimination or harassment of gender in employment, education, advertising. It promotes anti-discriminatory practice by making sure that both genders are treated equally. Without this act women and men may be deprived of certain jobs and choices. It helps promote it by men and women getting equal pay if there in the same job, allowing male’s and female’s to do opposite jobs such as a male nurse’s and a female mechanics this helps to promote the equality between both male and female .
The second national imitative is Human Rights Act 1998 Human rights belong to everyone. They are the basic rights we all have simply because we are human, regardless of who we are, where we live or what we do. Human rights represent all the things that are important to us as human beings, such as being able to choose how to live our life and being treated with dignity and respect. It tries to promote anti-discriminatory practice as every single person in the UK comes into contact with the NHS at some point in their lives, usually when they are at their most vulnerable. Therefore it is essential that human rights are taken into account when delivering services to ensure quality care. It is also about the freedom, the choice, education, healthcare and shelter that every individual should have and to not be discriminated against. It is also giving everyone from a different background such as race and ethnicity a chance of choice and freedom in what they want to do. An example of that would be a Muslim living in a care home he/she would have the right to practice their religion such as being taken to a mosque to pray and worship, they would also have a choice of a male or female carer as its against their religion letting a male see them naked unless their married so they’d be given the choice. Also the choice of food they as they eat halal meat this would mean the care home would need to order the food to the clients specific food choice
M2) choose a national initiative and assess how it influences anti-discriminatory practice
The Human Rights Act applies to everyone within the country as it makes sure everyone is treated the same but it could be in different ways. This act allows students to have freedom of thought and religion. People are allowed to have and voice their own opinions but they have to take into consideration not everyone believes the same and they may disagree with their opinion. It helps people to become their own individual and to express themselves in a healthy way. This act also allows everyone to have the right to further and higher education within their own county.
An example of this would be is a Hindu child wants to wear a head dress and still go to the same school as everyone else; she is able to come and learn in the school even though she wears a head-dress because the Human Rights Act 1998 allows everyone to have freedom of thought and religion.
This act promotes good practice and influences how staff come together and work to meet the standard of this legislation to ensure every individual is treated with respect and equal among others. When staffs are meeting this act they would be ensuring that no one would become discriminated against because of their race, gender or religion which would make a happier society if everyone was treated was the same as everyone else.
Active promotion of equality and individual rights in health and social care setting is the principles of the care value base, putting the patient/service user at the heart of service provision, e.g. providing active support, promoting individuals’ rights, choices and wellbeing, anti-discriminatory practice, empowering patients/service users; dealing with tensions and contradictions; staff development and training; practical
Implications of confidentiality, e.g. recording, reporting, storing and sharing of information.
Every Individual has the right to be respected, treated equally and not discriminated against, treated as an individual, treated in a dignified way, allowed privacy, protected from danger and harm, allowed access to information about themselves, be able to communicate using their preferred methods of communication.
And language, cared for in a way that meets their needs, takes account of their choices and protects them.
D1) Evaluate this initiatives success
The Human Rights Act (1998) has had a big impact on society and how society practices in the different health and social care settings there are. This is due to everyone has been given the choice, freedom and equality and basic human needs.
This has been shown by in my placement all the clients are given the same choice and freedom as one another; they are also treated fairly as one another ensures the staff they are reaching the clients Human Rights.
The Human Rights Act 1998 has led to improvements in standards of residential care provision even though very few legal cases have been brought forward. Anne-Marie piper a human rights lawyer on to say “that the act had an important influence in improving standards in care because of the way it engenders a culture of respect, equality and fairness in making decisions about care provision.” "It’s not just a matter of law but a change in social policy," she said.Those individuals who have been working in social care setting have been making difficult decisions for years, but for the first time there is, a legal obligation to make them more carefully.
However in some cases The Human Rights Act is not reaching the potential as it should be as you get some cases when the legislation is letting down the people who need it the most the elderly. The elderly are getting neglected by the hospitals “The National Health Service is today condemned over its inhumane treatment of elderly patients in an official report that finds hospitals are failing to meet “even the most basic standards of care. This shows how they still need to improve the success in implementing The Human Rights Act (1998) and how it’s not being used in the correct way. The Human Rights Act should be used in every Health and Social Care setting to stop individuals getting abused and neglected.
However another example of where this failed was in the case of Fiona Pilkington where she and her daughter were hounded to death by thugs and even though Fiona had gone to the police at least thirty times to report the incidents they did nothing to help her and in the end she felt she had nowhere to go and killed herself and daughter. accessed on(17/11/11)
P5) Describe 3 examples from placement to show professionals practice in a non-discriminatory way
Non discriminatory practice is practice which avoids discrimination and values diversity.
My first example from placement to show how professionals practice in a non-discriminatory way is the carers given the choice to residents, in most aspects to help retain their independence and the feel of control over their life. The carers give the residents choice in what they want to wear that day , what they would like to eat by giving them a sheet to tick, also given the choice if the wish to partake in activities. An example of this would be when the carers go in to their rooms in the morning and get them up they get out some clothes what they might like want to wear and then the individual would choose which one they would like.
My second example of professionals practising in a non-discriminatory way is allowing residents to practice their religion. The carers allow this to happen by having a local vicar who regularly comes in and prays and chats to the residents who would like to, as not everyone there is a Christian they all have different beliefs or don’t believe at all. So this allows the clients who are a chance to practice it. They also have the vicar come in on Sunday so if they can’t go to church he will do a reading and pray with them for people who want to go.
My last example is confidentiality the carers keep everything confidential between the client and carers and don’t talk about their problems in front of the other residents living there. This is to ensure that they individual feels happy in where they are and ensuring everybody doesn’t know there business. An example of this would be whilst as placement is whilst going around with one of the careers to each of the residents individual rooms, one of the residents wanted to speak to the career confidentially about something private so i was asked to leave the room whilst this was happening in order for the client to feel comfortable and so that she knew nobody else was to know her business.
M3) what are the difficulties in implementing anti-discriminatory practice in Health and social care settings?
Anti-discriminatory practice is the main strategy in combating discrimination. It is action taken to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, disability E.T.C and takes into account how we behave towards other individuals. All employees in a care setting should promote this practice in the workplace as it is key to combating prejudice, in doing so they are trying to eradicate discrimination and promote equality for service users and for staff.
There are many difficulties when trying to implement anti-discriminatory practice such as religion e.g. Jehovah’s Witness they want to live lives that are spiritually, morally, mentally, and physically clean. An example of this is a teenager who was pinned up against the wall by a car in a freak accident, he suffered serious injuries but when asked to consent for a blood transfusion he declined the treatment which was advised by doctors and this was not overruled by other family members. This would be difficult for doctors to try and overcome as this is the choice of the client and the only way to try and override it is to go to court and get permission to give blood to children whose parents are Jehovah’s Witness.
Another difficulty you could experience is autonomy, which is the position of a person who will take their own decisions in all regards. This means that the person will control themselves on their own, there is no other person governing the decision of their lives. An example of this is Dan James a 25 year old rugby player who became paralysed from the chest down during a training incident. Dan James made his own decision to travel Switzerland and kill himself in assisted suicide as he felt he was not prepared to live what he felt was “a second-class existence”. His parents flew him over so that they could proceed with his wishes, while other family members respected his decision. This is a prime example of an individual taking control of his own decisions and the people around him accepting this important decision.
My third example of this is when an individual in the health care setting is known to have HIV, this could cause problems for the individual being treated as the staff may fear that in caring for them they may catch the virus. An example of this is People in China living with HIV and AIDS are routinely being denied medical treatment in mainstream hospitals due to fear and ignorance about the disease. A doctor was quoted as saying to a patient “'I sympathize with your suffering but because of your status, I dare not operate on you”. This is an example of non justice when the patients are not treated equally and fairly due to have an infectious virus.
Accessed on (17/11/11)
My last example of difficulties when trying to implement anti-discriminatory practice is when patients are not allowing people from different races to care for them. This can cause distress to the staff and individual. this can be difficult for the staff to try and overcome as its the patients choice in whom they are treated by. An example of this is Rosie Purves who worked as a nurse at Southampton general hospital; she was prevented from looking after a white child with cystic fibrosis following a complaint by the child’s mother who said that did not want a black person looking after her child. This is an example of autonomy when the client’s wishes are being respected; however this is not always possible.
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D2) justify ways in which these difficulties can be overcome
Balancing individual rights with the rights of others can present health and social care workers with some difficult dilemmas, tensions and potential and actual conflicts. For instance a service user in a care home has the right to watch TV or listen to the radio while the patient in the next bed has the right to an undisturbed sleep the rights of these two patients clash. By providing alternatives for example in this situation earphones could help resolve this and both individual needs are met.
Challenging discrimination shows that, people are not discriminating against those whose behaviour, views and attitudes are discriminatory.
Challenging discrimination can be overcome by challenging the attitude, view or behaviour, of the individuals as well as training and encouragement training should be of a good standard and staff encouraged and praised in order to promote good team morale which would also promote better practice and reduce discrimination. More to that it is important for care workers to be respectful and assertive when challenging someone as well as being open-minded and not make assumptions. Staff should attend regular staff training sessions and have team meetings between them and the management and also help to challenge discriminatory practices by being aware of the individual needs as well as those of service users. This can be completed by promoting autonomy of care, being flexible, keeping service users informed and by putting the service user at the centre of focus.
Another way of trying to overcome a barrier is the person centred approach which relates to the Dianne Petty story who desperately wanted a doctor to help her to die. Dianne was denied this right in court as The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the refusal of the British courts to allow Diane Petty's husband to help her to die did not contravene her human rights. This was Dianne’s choice to get her husband to help her to die as she felt she couldn’t go on for much longer as she was battling motor neurone disease which gradually destroyed her muscle. Mr Petty was quoted in saying “I am very sad because her choice on when she should die has been taken away from her." This is an example of how a problem like this is overcome, by in the end of the law, which states that in England assisted suicide is against the law and that individual could end up going to prison if found.
( Accessed on 17/11/2011)
Also another barrier which may need to be overcome is that different individuals come from different backgrounds and were brought up differently to others e.g. religion, gender and race of the person all of these could cause challenging behaviours from individuals. As if an individual has a problem being treated by a member of staff for varied reasons such as being male the staff would need to ensure that the problem was overcome quickly and smoothly to try and not upset the client . An example of this is a certain religion may not allow females to be treated by a male doctor/nurse this would need to be respected and put right by getting a female doctor/nurse into treat the individual to respect their needs. You would use the person centred approach here as you are planning the care that individual needs around making sure you take in their needs and beliefs into account.
Also another barrier which could need to be overcome is the story of Dan James which i mentioned in my M3 essay in which he flew out to Switzerland in order to die as he couldn’t do it after seven attempts at suicide himself. Dan James chose to fly out there as it is illegal to do it in any other country and if anyone was found to be helping him in England they could be prosecuted for killing someone . Dan was able to overcome this barrier of not being allowed to have assisted suicide in England to fly to Switzerland where the legislation on euthanasia in Switzerland permits assisted suicide.
To conclude every individual has the right to personal choice even if the law sometimes does not allow this and also the right to not be discriminated against. I believe that all individuals who face challenging barriers within being unwell have the right on how they proceed in getting better or ending their life and I believe that the law should reflect this when dealing with difficult situations as i think they should be allowed to commit euthanasia in the UK if they choose to as this allows them their rights to be fulfilled otherwise they would have to travel to Switzerland to do this (Dan James and Dianne Petty).