In many settings the communication policy will lay down that all written communication must be shown to the manager before it is passed on. Copies of written communication should be kept in case they are required for future reference. There are many types of written communication, some are...
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Letters:
written by your health care service (opticians, dentist, hospital, etc) letting you know your appointment date
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Accident slips:
used in schools when a child gets hurt or falls over, so their parent / carer knows what happened
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Care plans:
used in hospitals for people who need physiotherapy and other help after surgeries and broken bones
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Menus:
need to have a range of foods / meals for those who may be diabetic, vegetarian and can only eat certain foods or are allergic
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Monitoring medical records:
hospitals do this so they know what treatment you’ve already had and what you need now
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Newsletters:
schools send these out with information for the parents about what’s going on and dates to remember
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Notice boards:
these are everywhere (hospitals, schools, community halls), they let you know about activities, groups, etc
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Personal history:
needed in hospitals, doctors, etc... so they know what they can treat you with
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Emails:
used in any service to send you your appointment date and time, to let you know what’s going on, to give you information on upcoming events, etc.
Computerised Communication:
In recent years the development of electronic mail (emails / texts) has proved to be a significant form of communication. Emails and texts can be formal and informal depending on their purpose.
An example of formal would be an email from a physiotherapist to the hospital asking for a patient’s notes, information & past history. An example of informal would be a text one from a social worker reminding you of the time for the meeting or interview.
An advantage of emails and texts is that they provide a very quick way of interacting with another person or organisation, as answers / replies can be received in a couple of minutes, rather than relying on the post and waiting for days. However, a disadvantage is that on some occasions they can be lost and as a consequence the sender has to repeat the process.
Systems have to be secure in order to ensure confidentiality is kept.
The internet is increasingly being used as a source of information for a variety of purposes.
In health, social care and early year’s settings computers can also be used for networking organisations, like sending work or emails from schools to parents. As well as one teacher emailing another about something in school, or about a student.
Special Methods Communication:
There are many special methods of communication; these are Braille, Sign Language, Makaton and Interpreters.
Braille:
This system is one of raised dots that can be felt with a finger. This is for those who have limited vision or are blind. It provides the opportunity for independent reading and writing as it is based on ‘touch’. An example of this is sign’s on doors, like toilets so they know which is male & which is female. Or at a doctors surgery so they know what room their doctor’s in.
Sign Language:
This system is used by the deaf, where the words and phrases consist of hand gestures, motions, positions for each letter of the alphabet and any words / sentences you may want to use, as well as facial expressions. An example of this is would be at a hospital when someone visits and an interpreter is needed to change spoken words into sign language.
Makaton:
Makaton is a system for developing language that uses speech, signs and symbols to help people with learning difficulties to communicate and to develop their language skills. People who communicate using Makaton may speak a word and perform a sign using their hands and body language. There is a large range of symbols that may help people with learning difficulty to recognise an idea or to communicate with others. Makaton users are first encouraged to communicate using signs, and then gradually, as a link is made between the word and the sign, the signs are dropped and speech takes over.
Interpreters:
This is for clients that don’t use English as their preferred or first language. Interpreters help with communication. Family members are taught how to help and are often interpreters for the family. Nowadays, all sources of information are broadcast and/or printed in not just English, but other languages too so that many multi-cultural families can access.
Other Factors Supporting or Inhibiting Communication
Communication can be influenced in both positive and negative ways by various factors. Sometimes, if factors are not supportive, service users can be inhibited. Both by emotional and physical factors. This is because communication depends on how the message is received & interpreted. So practical, physical or emotional issues can mislead these messages & people can misunderstand the messages they’re given, it doesn’t matter whether they’ve seen or heard the information. Empowerment is a means of allowing a service user to take control of their lives.
Some consequences for service users if their records are not managed in accordance with current legislation & regulations are loss of self esteem & dignity, risks to personal safety & safety or property, loss of privacy, inappropriate individual care & care plans, inadequate or inaccurate information to assess needs, health risks if medical data is inadequate or inaccurate, inconvenience & delay, anger and/or helplessness, frustration & stress, loss of confidence in the care service, increased risk of emotional or financial abuse, lost opportunities to interact with relatives, increased isolation from others in the community, and loss of trust if confidentiality is broken.
Positioning
Positioning can create emotional and physical barriers between people while communicating, this can cause communication to be inhibited. If a person cannot physically see you then this can inhibit communication. Communication can also be effected emotionally; this is when someone is positioned standing over you or looking down at you. In care work it is important for not to look down at a client, you should move down to the same eye level as the person you’re communicating with, as the service user may have hearing difficulties, so they may use lip-reading to understand. For example in a care home the carer should move down to the same eye level as the service user so they’re at ease and it’s easier for them to communicate. Also the way in which you sit in group communication is important too. When having a discussion it’s important that the whole group can see and hear everyone. In this scenario chairs will often be arranged in a circle to enable everyone taking part to communicate well, verbally and non-verbally. Having the group sat in this way may suggest that each individual is equal and that everyone will be expected to participate and communicate with everyone else. However, at lectures and other formal meetings / scenarios the seating will be in rows and the message sent out will be that you’re being spoken to; you may not speak to those around you but can ask questions. Less formal seating arrangements could create blocks, for example classroom seating has desks or tables. This type of seating can make people feel separated a not a part of the whole group, they’re attitude will be ‘well I’ll take part if i feel like it’.
Codes of Practice
When caring for patients and service users, carers must respect each service user as an individual, obtain consent before you give any treatment or care, protect confidential information, co-operate with others in the team, maintain your professional knowledge & competence, be trustworthy, and act to identify & minimise risk to patients & service users.
