The Services Provided Around My Area
The Services Provided Around My Area
My house is on Lansbury Drive and there are many local services near it, which I can use. My local surgery is only a one-minute walk from my house. Grange Park School is about a two-minute walk from my house. It has a nursery, a primary school and a junior school as well as large playing fields. Further down the street there is a range of shops situated on a crossroad. There is a pharmacy, a hairdressing salon, a garage, an insurance shop, an electrical shop, an off license, an estate agency, a fish and chip shop and a local convenience store. After a five-minute walk from my house, you will find the Uxbridge Road, which has services like restaurants, churches, butchers, bakers and a whole variety of different services, which I can use.
Many of the services in my area are health, social and early years services and during this investigation, I will be focussing on them.
My Local Surgery
My local surgery's address is 166 Lansbury Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4. The surgery provides primary care, as it is the first place a person would go to about a health related issue. The advantages of the surgery are that it is in a local area so that more people can access it. It is next to a bus stop so people have easy access to it. The reception is clean, tidy and also has a T.V. and a radio. There are four doctors so that patients don't have to wait for a long time. There is also a nurse in the surgery so that people don't have to go to the hospital for injections. The receptionists are kind and friendly and there are also some toilets, which are suitable for disabled people. It is also very near to the pharmacy so it is easy to get prescribed medicines on the same day. The surgery is part of the primary care group as it is the first point of contact for people with a medical related problem.
The main jobs at the surgery are the roles of the receptionists, nurse and the GP's. The receptionists are providing indirect care as they are aiding the GP's and the nurse, they do not provide care straight to the client. Their job is to make sure that the surgery runs smoothly. This includes answering telephone calls, making sure all the patients' medical records are updated and making sure the doctor knows whom their next patient is. They also deal with registering new patients into the surgery and making sure that the surgery is clean and comfortable for patients. The nurse provides direct care as she provides care straight to the patient. The nurses role is to vaccinate people from certain diseases and infections, change the dressing of wounds that have been seen at the hospital, testing patients blood and performing routine cancer smears. The nurse also discusses health education with the patients, for example; the nurse might tell a patient about the risks and prevention of HIV. You have to make an appointment to see the nurse, which means that you can't just come into the surgery and expect the nurse will see you. You must book a time and day before you actually go to the surgery. You can make an appointment by phoning the surgery or by just asking the receptionist for the next available time. GP's provide direct care as they provide care straight to the patient. The GP's at the surgery have a variety of different roles. They provide treatment for ill patients, immunise people, perform minor operations, screen people, provide check-ups, and health education for patients. There are four GP's at my surgery, which means that you don't have to wait for along time to see a GP. You can either see a GP by appointment or just by going into the surgery, although if you have an appointment you won't have to wait very long. This is self-referral because you are referring yourself to the surgery but if a friend or relative saw that you were ill and made an appointment for you at the surgery, then this is friend-family referral.
The physical barriers of this service are that the stairs that lead to the upper 3 GP's are extremely steep and it could be easy for a person to fall. This barrier could be overcome by putting strong rails on the side for people to hold onto. The waiting room is small and so if a person was in a wheelchair or had a pram, it would be hard to manoeuvre around. This would be hard to overcome but if the chairs in the waiting room were arranged differently, perhaps it would be easier to manoeuvre. It would be an impossible for a person in a wheelchair to see one of the GP's upstairs so it would be a good idea to make sure that anyone who might have difficulties going to the upstairs doctors goes to the doctor on the ground floor of the surgery. Also no one at the surgery has a second language so it would be difficult for a foreign speaker to communicate in the surgery, it would be a good idea to employ people who speak a variety of languages.
My Local Dental Surgery
My local dental surgery is at 266 Lansbury Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4. The advantages of the dental surgery are that it is in a residential area so people have better access to it, it also has a radio so that people are entertained while waiting for service. The dental surgery is part of the primary care group as it is the first point of contact for people with a problem with their mouths.
The main jobs in the dentist surgery are that of the receptionists, nurses and dental surgeons. The receptionists' provide indirect care as they don't provide care straight to the patients. The receptionists' role at the dental surgery is exactly the same as the role of the receptionists at the doctors' surgery. The nurses provide indirect care as they are only helping the dentist. The nurses at the dental surgery aid the dentist in what they do. They note down the information that the dentist tells them about a patient, they must make sure the patient is comfortable during their visit and they also have to have all of the dentists equipment ready. I will now explain to you how the nurses apply the Care Value Base to their job. The nurses foster and promote the rights and responsibilities by telling them about the services that the dental surgery offers and telling them how to access them. If a patient needs further treatment, such as orthodontic treatment, the nurse makes sure that the patient gets it and has no problems. The nurses promote equality and diversity by treating all patients as individuals, allowing them to be different so they receive equal opportunities to use this health service. The nurses maintain confidentiality of information by not discussing any information about patients outside the dental surgery. The dentists hold the main role at the surgery. They provide treatment such as fillings and extractions; they provide check-ups, oral health education about the importance of keeping your teeth clean and minor oral surgery. You have to make an appointment to see the dentist. You can make an appointment by phoning the surgery or by just asking the receptionist for the next available time. This is self-referral because you are referring yourself to the surgery.
There are many physical barriers at the dental surgery. As you walk up to the surgery, the front door is above a small flight of stairs, which would mean that a person in a wheelchair or a person with a pram would find it hard to enter the building. This could be overcome by having a ramp at the front of the surgery for easier access. The waiting room is small and as it would be so hard for a person in a wheelchair to manoeuvre, it would cause a very awkward situation when the person tries to ...
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There are many physical barriers at the dental surgery. As you walk up to the surgery, the front door is above a small flight of stairs, which would mean that a person in a wheelchair or a person with a pram would find it hard to enter the building. This could be overcome by having a ramp at the front of the surgery for easier access. The waiting room is small and as it would be so hard for a person in a wheelchair to manoeuvre, it would cause a very awkward situation when the person tries to get out. I don't think this problem could be overcome as it would be extremely expensive to make more space in the waiting room. The stairs to the upper level are extremely steep so it would be a good idea to put some strong railing on the sides so that the risk of an accident would be minimised. The toilets are definitely not suitable for disabled people and they are on the upper level, which would probably make it very unsuitable for a disabled person to use. This could probably only be overcome by building another toilet downstairs but there isn't sufficient space for it, so perhaps it would be good for the dental surgery to have an extension.
My Local Nursery and Primary School
My local nursery is situated within Grange Park School. It has 2 classes for the morning and 2 classes for the afternoon. The teachers are very friendly, there is a wide range of activities to do and the nursery is situated in a safe environment. There is also a large play area outside so that children can play but if the weather is poor, then there are plenty of toys for the children to be entertained with inside the classroom.
The main jobs in the nursery are the nursery nurse and their assistant. The nursery nurses provide direct care as they are looking after the children. The nursery nurses main roles are to care for the young children, help them look after them selves (e.g. Hygienically), teaching children basic education (such as numbers and the alphabet), helping the children to develop their speech and to help the children learn to play and mix with others. The assistant also provides direct care as they are looking after the children. The assistant's job is to assist the nursery nurse, they must follow the nurse's orders. An assistant is needed so that all of the children can be looked after properly, e.g. if the nursery nurse has to go out of the class for a minute, there must be an assistant to look after the children as they cannot be left alone. You can register your child with this nursery by speaking to the secretary of Grange Park Primary School, before your child is aged 5.
My nearest primary school is Grange Park Primary School and it is situated next to Grange Park Nursery. The Early Years curriculum includes these 6 main areas of skills; language and literacy, mathematical development, creative development, personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. The school provides all areas of this curriculum by interlacing education with fun. The primary school has many advantages. There is a special "Rainbow" class for children with learning disabilities so that their educational development will not suffer. There is a wide range of activities that can be done in the school, such as cooking and sports, so that children won't have to stay in a classroom all day. There is a huge playground so that children can be free and it is very secure throughout the whole school.
The main roles at the primary school, are the teachers, welfare assistant, care assistants. The teachers are specially qualified so that the children can reach their "early years goals", which are set by the government. Teachers provide direct care because they are looking after the children directly. The head teacher makes sure that the whole school runs smoothly and that everyone in the school is well looked after. She deals with any problems that the school might have and solves them. Care assistants help the teachers in looking after the children in the classroom. They don't need to be qualified in teaching, sometimes the parents of the children take this role. They provide indirect care because they are supporting the teachers so that they can work easily. The welfare assistant provides any medical care that the children may need, she provides direct care because she is caring straight to the children. If your child went to Grange Park nursery, then they automatically have a place in the primary school. If not, then you must speak to the secretary of the school.
There aren't many barriers at the school but they're a few stairs in the building, which could be replaced by ramps but nothing really major that could cause a disabled person to have troubles in the school.
My Local Hospital
My local hospital is Hillingdon Hospital. It has many services that people can use; hospitals aren't just for ill people. These are the main services that hospitals provide; Physiotherapy, X-Ray, Surgery, Vaccination, Ante-natal Clinic, Paediatrician, Pharmacists, Health Education: Advice on Diet/Weight/Pregnancy, Rehabilitation: Recovery, Operations, Consultations and Treatment for illnesses, accidents, e.t.c.
The main direct care jobs at the hospital are the doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives, surgeons and the paediatricians. Other than the doctors and nurses, you usually have to be professionally referred to use the other services, which means that a doctor must refer you to one of these services. Physiotherapists usually use massage techniques to help people regain use of limbs that have been damaged. Midwives help with the delivery of babies. Surgeons perform operations and paediatricians are special doctors who specifically look after children. The main indirect care jobs at the hospital are the receptionist, laboratory technicians, caterers and cleaners. They are not providing direct care because they are only aiding the direct workers in what they are doing, but they are just as important. The receptionists' job is to make sure that the hospital runs smoothly. This includes answering telephone calls, making sure all the patients' medical records are updated and making sure the doctor knows whom their next patient is. They also deal with registering new patients into the hospital and making sure that the hospital is safe and comfortable for patients. The laboratory technicians' jobs are to perform scientific tests on samples given to them by the doctors, use the results to identify diseases and illnesses, keeping accurate records of everything they do, recording accurate results of tests and reporting their findings to the doctor. They must follow strict health and safety regulations. The caterers have to; cook food to meet the needs of different religious groups, cook food to meet the needs of special diets, make sure food is not under-cooked or over-cooked so that patients don't become even more ill, provide meals which are well balanced and look appealing so that patients keep a healthy appetite while in hospital, deliver food to different areas of the hospital safely and hygienically and they must also follow strict health and safety regulations. Cleaners must make sure that the hospital is clean and tidy and that there are no hazards in the hospital that could endanger people.
If an accident has happened and a person is injured, they will be referred by the person that called 999 or took them to the hospital. If this was not the case and the hospital was not the first point of contact, then the patient will self-refer them self to their G.P. who will then professionally-refer the patient to the hospital. As there is a massive waiting list for the use of the hospital, it could take months for your referred appointment with the hospital to happen.
There cannot be any physical barriers at a hospital because it could seriously endanger the lives of people if they were.
My Local Residential Home
My local residential home is at Derwent Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 8DU. It is called Ashwood Care Centre and it is a modern purpose built home, which provides nursing and residential care for older people. It is in a good location because local bus routes, which pass the residential home go to places like Uxbridge, Hayes Town and Southall, which have a variety of shops and facilities for use. The home is in a secure and safe environment, which means the people inside, will be safe. Inside the building, there are lifts, which provide access to the resident's rooms, which are on 3 floors. All of the bedrooms inside the building have en-suite facilities and have a telephone and a television, and there is a secure garden to walk around at the back of the building, which means that resident's won't get bored.
The main jobs at the residential home are the nurses/carers. They are key workers in the residential home, as they look after all of the residents in the home. The nurses treat all residents as individuals so that they can monitor their progress and general health. So, if a resident has a problem getting in an out of the bath tub, a nurse will make sure that the resident has a hoist to support them. There has to be nurses at the home all the time because some people in the home are really vulnerable and need to be looked after, so being a nurse at the home is very busy.
In relation to PIES, the residential home provides all of the residents needs. The nurses make sure that the residents are in good health, providing physical needs. If a resident is bored, a nurse will occupy the person with a book, or another activity to do, providing intellectual needs. If a resident is crying, a nurse will have a chat with them, providing emotional health. If a resident is feeling lonely, there is a big lounge area, where a lot of the residents relax, so they wont feel lonely anymore, this provides social needs.
To register an old person with the home, you can go into the home and talk to the secretary. Alternatively you can phone them up and they will arrange a time when you can visit and see what the home is like.
As the building is quite new, there aren't many disadvantages, but the nearest bus stop where you can catch a bus going to Uxbridge, is on the other side of the extremely busy Uxbridge Road. The nearest traffic lights where you can cross safely are about a 5minute walk from the home, which is quite unsafe. This could be overcome if there was a zebra crossing on that section of the Uxbridge Road where the residential home is.
Charities
My nearest charity is Age Concern in Uxbridge. Age Concern is a charitable group with paid staff and many volunteers. They provide practical help and assistance to old people. They do this with money they get from donations, fund raising and grants from the health and personal social services. Age Concern also has charity shops in the country, which allow them to make more money to help old people. In the shops, they sell used clothes and items kindly given to them by people of the general public to sell them.
The Care Value Base
I have decided to use the case of "Mr Kumble" to describe the principles of the Care Value Base. The 3 main principles of the Care Value Base are;
. Making sure that the services promote and foster people's rights and responsibilities.
The people that are providing health and social services have a responsibility to make sure that clients know about the services that they can use, and they must help the clients overcome any problems they might have accessing these services. Every carer must make sure that if a client needs health and social care services, they get it.
2. Supporting and promoting equality and diversity.
Carers providing health and social care should treat clients as individuals because no one is exactly the same. They should also promote diversity by making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to receive the care they need, no matter their colour, age, sex, religion, culture, whether they have a disease or whether they have a disability. Everyone should have a right to be how they want to be, and they shouldn't be stereotyped just because of their differences.
3. Maintaining the confidentiality of information.
Carers must keep all information about patients to themselves. This is important because it enables the patients to have trust and confidence in the carer. The only times when information can be passed on is when the patient or other people are at risk. Even then you can only tell a more senior worker or manager.
In relation with Mr Kumble, they were many parts of the Care Value Base, which were not heeded. Thinking of the rights and responsibilities of the client, the nurse, Margaret, did not foster the rights and responsibility of Mr Kumble as she never told him about the services that were available to him. She seemed to be saying a lot to Mr Kumble's family but nothing to Mr Kumble himself. This was definitely not keeping Mr Kumble's information confidential as he might not have wanted his family to known everything about him. Margaret did not at all foster the equality and diversity of Mr Kumble. Margaret was quick to stereotype Mr Kumble as a typical Indian. She was quite rude to Raju when she said "you all do have big families don't you?". Margaret was also stereotyping Mr Kumble by assuming that he was a vegetarian. Margaret was not very good at keeping to the Care Value Base, but Cilla was. She was the first person to communicate with Mr Kumble about the services that were being offered to him, she even got him this information in Hindi. Cilla was also very sensible in organising a study day, because this will make the carers aware of the Care Value Base.
Barriers To Services
I have already discussed the physical barriers at the services I have wrote about, so now I will discuss the other 3 barriers; psychological, financial and environmental.
Some people are scared of using the health services as they are frightened of finding out what is wrong with them and they might be afraid of what the consequences are of their illnesses. People can also see using these health services as a personal failure as they have been used to taking pride in being independence. Explaining how the hospital works and showing that it isn't a place to be frightened of could reduce this psychological barrier. People might find it embarrassing to use certain services, such as a person who has had an accident with a certain body part. As it is the job of the doctors and nurses to promote the Care Value Base, the patient need not worry as they will be treated sensitively. Also from experience, I know that some people have a fear of needles, like myself. I don't think this psychological barrier will ever be taken away because people relate needles being stuck in your skin with pain.
Many services have to be paid for by the clients, such as dental treatment so it would be a big financial barrier if the client couldn't afford the services. If NHS did not exist then the financial barrier would be even bigger, as the NHS pays for many health services in the UK. Many people decide not to use these services as they think it will be very expensive. This problem can be overcome by telling people about the benefits they are entitled too when using certain services, such as free bus passes. Due to the NHS not being able to afford much new equipment and more beds in hospitals, there is a waiting list to use the hospitals services, this is quite a serious problem because this means that people are being denied the treatment they need, which could make the problems even worse. Some people have to wait for years on the waiting list, which is extremely bad. This problem can only be overcome if the NHS receives more money.
As I have already said, there are many health, social and early years services in my area of Hayes but in some places there might not be such a wide variety of services. In a rural area, the amount of services might be limited as many of these services are based in cities. It would be extremely far to travel from a rural area to an urban, which means that they might be deprived of the services on offer. It would be a good idea to have some sort of transportation to and from the rural and urban areas, which means that it would be easier to access these services. Also if a service was too far for family and friends to visit the person in question, the person might become lonesome as no one would visit them, which is another psychological barrier, which could make a person not want to use that service.
Informal Caring
Informal caring is care carried out by people who have had no training in health and social care. Most informal carers are usually looking after a member of the family, a friend or neighbour. Informal caring is mostly simple things like babysitting while the parents are out. Informal carers are not paid for the work they do.
If an informal carer looks after a person for more than 20 hours a week, then a social worker will identify them as a carer and they will be able to get help and support for themselves and the person they are caring for.
I found some facts and statistics in a book about informal carers, which I thought would be useful in describing them.
The peak age for becoming an informal care is in the 45-64 range in which 24% look after another person, followed by 30-44 in which 15% look after another person. 13% of people aged over 65 look after another person and 8% of people in the 16-29 age range look after a person.
What do they do?
22% of carers involved in personal care, such as washing, toilet, etc.
6% administering medicines
79% give other practical help
23% of carers were caring for more than 20 hours a week
1% were caring over 50 hours a week
Most people care for 1 person but 3% care for more than 1
71% of carers care for someone with a physical disability
5% care for a mentally disabled person
79% of those cared for are over 25 years old
A carers needs:
An income that covers the cost of caring
Recognition of needs and their contribution
Services tailored to individual circumstances
Reflecting racial, cultural and religious backgrounds
Opportunities for breaks
Practical help, home help, adaptation, etc.
Someone to talk to
Information on benefits and services
Opportunity to explore alternatives to family care
Services designed through consultation
Social Work
To show what a social worker does, I interviewed a social worker. His name is Andrew Wheatcroft and he is the senior social worker for children with disabilities in Hillingdon. Here are the question I asked him:
. How does being a social worker differ from caring informally?
You get paid! It also exposes you to a wider range of clients.
2. In a normal day, what does your job involve? Do you visit homes all the time or are you set in an office?
No one day is alike. I do not have a specific 'repeated daily task'. I tend to do case work. So what I do in a day usually depends on what the case requires.
3. How do you mix the Care Value Base with your work?
Diversity and Equality: My main value is to treat everyone as a unique individual which means recognising their personal, social and cultural needs and promoting these equally.
Rights and Responsibility: I make myself aware of the human rights approach as well as the specific legislation regarding people's rights. I challenge parts of society and institutions that do not foster these rights.
Trust and Confidentiality: I'm honest with what I can and cannot provide for my clients and I am consistent with them.
4. What kind of people do you deal with in your work?
Young people with disabilities and their families. I also work with health professionals such as doctors, consultants, occupational therapists, speech and physiotherapists. I also work with teachers and special needs officers.
5. How do you deal with people who refuse to use your services?
Clients work with the service voluntarily except in the case of legislation such as care orders (orders by a court for the borough to care for a child), in which parents of the children are required to work with the social services.
6. Do you think that a social worker is just as important as a doctor or teacher, caring wise.
Yes, because individuals have a number of different needs, so it is appropriate that a number of professionals work together.
7. Do you feel that it is important to go beyond your job and gain a personal relationship with your client.
I believe a good professional relationship should be founded on a genuine commitment to the client.
8. How do people gain access to your services?
A clients needs are assessed to see if they meet our team's criteria. Referral can be through anyway such as professional , self or friend + family referral.
9. What are the advantages of the service you provide?
Clients will be able to secure resources and defend their rights by using us.
