Rights
Every person has dignity and value. One of the ways that we recognise this fundamental worth is by acknowledging and respecting a person's human rights.
Human rights are concerned with equality and fairness. They recognise our freedom to make choices about our life and develop our potential as human beings. They are about living a life free from fear, harassment or discrimination. There are a number of basic rights that people from around the world have agreed on, such as the right to life, freedom from torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment, rights to a fair trial, free speech and freedom of religion, rights to health, education and an adequate standard of living.
These human rights are the same for all people everywhere – male and female, young and old, rich and poor, regardless of our background, where we live, what we think or what we believe.
These types of right apply in Queensland too, because in Queensland Service users have the right:
- to make decisions about their life
- to express preferences
- to develop full potential
- To protection, and many more.
Queensland care workers responsibility that they make sure the service users rights are obeyed.
Right to make choices
Every individual makes different choices to another individual everyday, for example:
- what the might want to wear
- what the might want to eat/drink
- what hairstyle they wan to do
Service Users are just the same. Every service user has the right to make choices and decisions. However care workers are allowed to help the service user to make the right decision by telling them what is right for them. This would not be like the care workers are making the choice for them.
By care worker helping the care user make right choices, this can:
- Help build a good relationship between them.
- Help service user to feel in control of their live
- Help service user feel valued
- Help service user be independent
- Help service user maintain their chose lifestyle.
Service users have a right to make their own choices or at least be or at least to be involved in any decisions that concern them. All service users should be presented with options and should be explained so that the service user has a wide range of information to consider from which they can make their decision. Whenever there are options there, there are also risks. Care worker have a responsibility to present both sides of a situation so that the service user can weigh up the advantages and disadvantages.
Sometimes it may seem hard for a service user to make a decision, and on other occasions it may seem both quicker and easier for the care worker to make the decisions for the service user, particularly if the service use has difficulty in communicating. Decisions for the service user. Everything is necessary must be done to ensure that the service user has their right to choose and to be consulted about the decisions that will affect them.
Service users may wish to make decisions. For example
- The treatment they are hoping to have
- The activities they may wish to join
- The food they wish to eat
- The clothes they wish to wear
Making choices for service user in Queensland have the same right as any other normal person. In Queensland service users have right to make their own choices. Care worker should make sure that they give the right amount of options. For example In Queensland there is a smoking and non-smoking room sitting rooms; this is really good because the service user is having a choice to smoke, but at the same time care workers help the care user to try to stop smoking as it very unhealthy for them. A separate room for smokers is a good idea because in this case the smoking service users are not affecting the non smoking service users.
Some services users may be restricted or limited in some way about the type have lifestyle they are able to have. This could be become they have chosen to live in residential care or became they have limited mobility or because hey have a disability. Others may need the help of an advocate to help explain to them options that are available, particularly if they have mental disability or if they have learning disability.
Roger from Queensland enjoys learning new things, s like education, so has a right to get educate, care workers should try their very best to find him a place where he can learn. Roger also enjoys traveling to different places, in this he has a right to have a supervisor to go places with him; however this can not happen every so often, so the care workers help him understand that.
Right to confidentiality:
Confidentiality is also known privacy, Confidentiality means keeping the information given to oneself safe, meaning not sharing it with anyone who does not ‘need to know’. It means making sure personal and private information given by the service users should not be disclosed without the service use’s permission. Providing quality care involves keeping personal information safe. Personal information can include:
- Information being discussed
- Written information
- Electronic records
Confidentiality is very important for every individual. It is also very important in the Queensland because service users have Right to confidentiality: as their data and personal information is kept safe. Service users should trust the care workers in keeping the private data safe and secure, if information is revealed, it can put the care worker in losing their job.
How does the care worker keep information confidential?
- All care workers have a legal duty to keep information about service user confidential.
- The care worker stores your personal health information securely.
- Only relevant information is shared inside the Queensland or with outside organisations.
- The care worker will not give information about service user to organisations.
Roger’s family wanted to see what progress Roger’s was making in the residential home. They talked to the nominated controller whilst Roger’s was present. They soon had a look at Roger’s data and were very pleased with the process.
However Roger’ neighbors came to visit roger, and they also wanted to see his progress, and wanted to see his files, but roger was not very comfortable in letting his neighbors see his progress, his right of confidentiality was obeyed as the service user did not let the neighbors see the data.
Right to be protected:
The Data Protection Act 1998 is an act of parliament which gives the data subject rights to protect their data so unauthorized people does not have the right to enter. The personal information data is important.
The Data Protection Act 1998 is an act of parliament which gives the data subjectrights to protect their data so that people do not have the right to enter. The personal information data is important because:
- It allows the care workers to keep a record of all the health problems an individual might suffer from- individuals have different needs. It is impossible for them to remember this information. It is much easier for the care workers to log information which may affect or help the client in the future.
- The address of the service user and family members contact information- this should be recorded because when they are to be contacted for whatever reason, their contact details are available and the care workers do not need to waste time searching for it.
- Records by social services- if the client was to move homes, it would be a great deal of help for them to have information already available so that they know the needs for the individual.
In Queensland, care workers should make sure the service users are protected from any type of danger, such as racial abuse, verbal harassment, physical harassment or any type of thing they need protection from.
The eight principal of data protection are:
- Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular:
- Personal data shall be enough, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed.
- Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
- Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
- Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.
- Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
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Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or area ensures an enough level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.
John lives in Queensland; he is very old and weak. When he tries to hold a thing, it jus falls out of his hand, which makes it very dangerous for him as he can hurt himself very badly, so in this case john has a right of protection from his care workers, and it is the care workers responsibility to ensure that he doesn’t hurt himself.
