Equality, Divesity and rights
Page 2 Introduction
Page 3 Tasks A
Page 7 Tasks B
Page 16 Tasks C
Page 24 Bibliographies
This assessment is about promoting the equality and diversity to service users in a care setting and there are 3 tasks to it.
Task A
P1, Use recognised terminology to explain the importance of promoting equality, recognising diversity and respecting rights in health and social care settings.
P2, Explain the benefits of diversity to society.
P3, Explain the potential effects of discriminatory practice on those who use health or social care services.
Task B
P4, Explain how legislation, codes of practice, charters and organisational policies are used to promote anti-discriminatory practices
M1, Explain the influences of a recent or emerging national policy development on organisational policy with regard to anti-discriminatory practice
D1, Evaluate how a recent or emerging policy development influences organisational and personal practice in relation to anti-discriminatory practice
Task C
P5, Explain how those working in health and social care settings can actively promote anti-discriminatory practice
P6, Describe ways of reflecting on and challenging discriminatory issues in health and social care
M2, Explain difficulties that may be encountered when implementing anti-discriminatory practice
M3, Analyse how personal beliefs and value systems may influence own anti-discriminatory practice
D2, Explain practical strategies to reconcile own beliefs and values with anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care
P1
Use recognised terminology to explain the importance of promoting equality, recognising diversity and respecting rights in health and social care settings.
The promotion of equality, diversity and the rights of individuals is important in all care settings because each and every person is unique and different in a multitude of ways. What is equality? I think that it can best be described as treating people fairly. This is not the same as treating all people in the same way as this could in fact be unfair. To give a brief and simplistic example, in a care home, all of the bedrooms are situated on the top floor of the building and there are no lifts to the upper floor. A disabled service user comes to stay at the care home who is wheelchair bound, they are unable to access the bedrooms due to their disability. Everybody in the home is being treated in the same way, but the disabled service user is not being treated fairly.
How can service providers in care settings ensure that there is equality for all service users? The answer to this question is simply to ensure that all service users are treated fairly by the organisation or service provider and that none of them are treated differently perhaps because of prejudices about their sex, race or religion etc. Differences in sex, race and religion etc should be recognised and acknowledged. This is diversity, the respect for people. Every person also has individual rights. The Human Rights Act 2000 incorporates 16 different rights in the UK into the legal system.
* The right to life
* The right to freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
* The right to freedom from slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
* The right to liberty and security of person.
* The right to a fair and public trial within a reasonable time.
* The right to freedom from retrospective criminal law and no punishment without law.
* The right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence.
* The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
* The right to freedom of expression.
* The right to freedom of assembly and association.
* The right to marry and found a family.
* The prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of convention rights.
* The right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions and protection of property.
* The right of access to an education.
* The right of free elections.
* The right not to be subjected to the death penalty.
These basic human rights have been implemented to ensure that all UK citizens are free to live their lives in any way that they choose as long as it does not affect anybody else's quality of life.
P2
Explain the benefits of diversity to society.
There are many moral, legal and business advantages to having a diverse society. Take for instance healthcare. There are many doctors and nurses from other countries working in the United Kingdom. The expertise of these overseas health professionals enriches the Great British National Health service, as they bring with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Businesses may also re-locate to the UK from abroad bringing with them much needed job opportunities etc. A multicultural UK brings with it a multitude of different views, which in turn promotes tolerance between different cultures and valuing their uniqueness promotes respect between cultures.
Other advantages include things such as different types of food, clothing and languages, all of which broaden the horizons and minds of others and in general tend to make life more interesting. Exposure to these differences in cultures helps to make people more tolerant and less ignorant and in turn friendships can be made and barriers broken down.
From the disability point of view businesses have a moral and legal duty to provide access for example wheelchair users. This can be ramps, lifts or doors that open automatically. Businesses also need to promote health and safety. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires everybody who owns a business to carry out health and safety checks so it can protect its workforce from harm or injury. In hospitals and nursing homes etc there is another Act called The Waste Management and Environmental Protection Act 1992. This Act means that all employers that have clinical waste etc have to do it in a safe and proper manor. This can be incineration of the clinical waste.
The other legal benefits to diversity are the legislations that support the codes of practices.
P3
Explain the potential effects of discriminatory practice on those who use health or social care services
In any health and social care sector it is important not to discriminate against anybody as discrimination can very easily offend and make people feel uncomfortable. Everybody has the right to live and work in a discriminatory free place.
Below are some of the Acts that are in force to protect people.
* The Race Relations Act 2000
* The Human Rights Act 1998
* The sex discrimination Act 1975
* The disability Discrimination Act 1995
In a health or social care setting such as hospitals, nursing homes or schools etc the above Acts are there to both protect people and make them feel safe and secure.
Discrimination can damage someone's self esteem, self worth or self-concept. If a persons confidence is affected because of discriminated they can feel isolated and depressed which could lead to suicide. In terms of the socio economic affect a person who has low self-esteem and lacks confidence could be at risk from a low-level of success in the education system, which could then lead to unemployment, poor health and early death.
In British hospitals information leaflets are available in several languages. Without this service anyone who does not speak English can fail to receive or understand the correct information or treatment. Therefore a persons needs may not be met.
Women used to very unfairly treat in an anti discriminatory way, for example in the work force. Women were rarely able to climb up the careers ladder because it was widely thought that they would take too much time off with their children, for example when they were poorly. The effects this had were women began to demand more and more in the way of equal rights.
With the Sex Discrimination Act employers were not allowed to discriminate against anybody because of their sexual orientation or gender. Before this Act came in people were treated unfairly because of their gender or sexual orientation for example gay men were advised not to work with children because it was assumed that all gay men were paedophiles.
Task B
P4
Explain how legislation, codes of practice, charters and organisational policies are used to promote anti-discriminatory practice.
The choices I have made to explain these practices etc are
> The Care Standards Act 2000
> The Mental Health Act 1983
> Nursing and Midwifery Council
> No Smoking
> Sex Discrimination
All of the above can be used in many settings but especially care setting's such as schools, hospitals. Care homes etc.
The Care Standards Act 2000
The Care Standards Act 2000 is aimed ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Task B
P4
Explain how legislation, codes of practice, charters and organisational policies are used to promote anti-discriminatory practice.
The choices I have made to explain these practices etc are
> The Care Standards Act 2000
> The Mental Health Act 1983
> Nursing and Midwifery Council
> No Smoking
> Sex Discrimination
All of the above can be used in many settings but especially care setting's such as schools, hospitals. Care homes etc.
The Care Standards Act 2000
The Care Standards Act 2000 is aimed at extending regulations of social care.
Under the 1984 Act the arrangements were unsatisfactory. There were poor consistency in how regulations were applied and some supported housing was not regulated that should have been. The new Act wants to make sure that all vulnerable people are protected and a good level of consistency is provided.
The new Act also covers local authorities, which means that they will have to give the same standards as the independent sectors such as domiciliary care. The Government is able to introduce minimum care standards.
The system has been very good at eliminating those giving poor care, protecting vulnerable people and giving good standards in fire precautions. Regular inspections and tests can identify weaknesses.
Somebody with a learning disability who has there own tenancy agreement is treated accordingly and not as though they are living in registered care.
Personal care is not defined by the Act so the Government could exclude particular activities.
The old Act had financial consequences for People in registered homes because they could not apply for housing benefits. The cost was met by the local authority, which then gave the individual a small allowance. This made people financially worse off living in registered care.
The Mental Health Act 1983
The Mental Health Act 1983 has 10 parts to it, which are
* Application of the Act
* Compulsory admission to hospital or Guardianship
* Patients concerned in criminal proceedings
* Consent of treatment
* Mental health review
* Removal and return of patients
* Management of property and affairs
* Miscellaneous functions of local authority and secretary of state
* Miscellaneous and supplementary
The Mental Health Act 1983 has the power to compulsory detain anyone who it thinks is a danger to either his or her self or the public. This has to be done with the recommendations of two qualified medical practitioners and an approved social worker. A patient can apply for a review within the period of detention.
The crown court or magistrate court can recommend someone to hospital for either treatment or for an assessment to be done on an individual's mental disorder.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council
The charter sets out rules and guidelines which, all nurses and midwifes must follow.
The outlines items such as respect for patients consent before treatment, trustworthy and the need to keep professional knowledge up to date. It also mentions the importance of confidentiality, which, everyone has the right to.
A nurse or midwife must act in a way that the public will have both trust and confidence in.
A nurse or midwife is personally accountable for their own actions and the treatment of patients. They must promote patients rights to dignity regardless of gender, age, race, sexuality, lifestyle or religion. All patients have the right to decide if they have treatment even if refusal may result in harm or even death. There are exceptions to this such as a person's mental state or a minor. However in the case of an emergency treatment can be given without consent if a person is unable to providing it can be demonstrated that it was done in the patients' best interest
No Smoking Policy
We all have the right to breathe air that is free from tobacco smoke. You are no longer able to smoke in any enclosed public place or building. You are not allowed to smoke in your own car if it is used on a regular basis to transport people.
If you are caught smoking in a public building for example the college then you could face disciplinary action and even removal from your course.
Your place of work does not legally have to provide somewhere for you to smoke and can insist you are off the premises completely before lighting up.
Care/nursing homes and mental health hospitals are exempt from the no smoking in an enclosed space. However this does not mean you are allowed to smoke anywhere you want. You must only smoke in the room that has been dedicated solely for the purpose of smoking.
Sex Discrimination policy
Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual advances in any form. This is irrespective of the victim or predators sexual orientation.
It is against the law to discriminate against somebody because of his or her sex, gender or sexual orientation. Everyone is entitled to be treated in the same way regardless of the above.
You are not allowed to place an advert for a job stating a preference to sex, gender or age and you are also not allowed to pay a man more than a woman who is doing the same job with the same experience.
It should be known that the legislation protects people that are regarded by others to be of a particular sexual orientation. However the law does not protect people because of their involvement of particular sexual practices such as fetishes for sado-masochism or paedophilia
Transgender people are also protected whether or not they have had gone through the whole process of gender reassignment. However the legislation does not cover transvestites and cross dressers.
M1
Explain the influences of a recent or emerging national policy development or organisational policy with regard to anti-discriminatory practice.
The Gender Recognition Act 2004
This law gives transsexual people the right to be legally recognised as the sex they have chosen to become. They have the right to a new birth certificate and are legally allowed to marry. However the Church of England is exempt. Sport organisations can exclude transsexuals in the interest of a fair competition. This is because sports events are usually based on strength and so a male who has become a female would very likely be stronger than a female who was born as a female.
Somebody who is already in a legal marriage before starting transition can obtain an interim gender recognition certificate that can be used to dissolve a marriage and are then able to get a full certificate once transition is complete.
Any man claiming to be a woman trapped in a man's body or vice versa faced ridicule. There are over 5,000 transsexuals living in this country that have chosen to undergo gender reassignment. Studies have shown that there is a 96% success rate that the quality of lives has been improved.
However this is a risky procedure but not an easy straightforward one. The patient has to go through various procedures such as living as their chosen sex, counselling etc. The process can be sped up by seeking private treatment abroad.
The changes in the UK health law mean that if the waiting list for surgery exceeds six-month surgery can be sought in other European countries but the cost has to be comparable to the UK or local authorities can refuse to pay.
Transsexuals have full protection from discrimination and have had so since 1996. Since 1999 they are entitled to receive treatment on the NHS. British transsexuals are able to legally change their sex on their birth certificate since 2002 and in 2004 The Gender Recognition Act came into affect.
Biology determines our sex by chromosomes and hormones but what we are given is not always that straight forward. Most of us accept and conform to the body we are born with but for some the acceptance can be a daily fight.
Gender identity disorder (GID) is a recognised medical condition and a study showed that the amniocentesis test for spina bifida can cause a rush of hormones to the unborn baby that can then trigger a hormonal imbalance resulting in GID.
Children can be very cruel as they often pick up very quickly something that is different. I personally recall being in a supermarket standing at the check out and in front of me was a very obvious transsexual. I personally never thought anything about it other than that person was brave. At the time I was with my daughter (who was about 7 or 8) who shouted out "that's a man wearing woman's clothes" to which I was mortified and told her to be quiet. What I should have done was apologise for my daughter's behaviour but I was too embarrassed and also I didn't want to draw any more attention to the situation. When we got home I did explain to my daughter (as best I could) about transsexuals who understandably didn't really appreciate it but never the less she needed to be told. "The singer Boy George was asked how he first knew he was different to which he replied when the other kids told me" (The Guardian)
D1
Evaluate how a recent or emerging policy development influences organisational and personal practices in relation to anti-discriminatory practice.
"As the idea of the heterosexual male/female is so strongly ingrained in our society, it is obvious that any departure from the 'norm' attracts some attention and unfortunately often some negative attitudes. Undergoing hormone treatment with a view to eventual surgery is a long process and also a very public one, as transsexuals are required in the UK to live as their identified sex for a certain period of time before they can have surgery. As it is relatively uncommon - there are an estimated 5000 transsexuals in the UK - there isn't a huge community out there to spread awareness and get stories into the public eye. Hopefully, time will balance this out, but as with any examples of discrimination, anyone can make a small difference by offering accurate information about what it actually means to be transsexual and how it isn't a 'weird' or 'unnatural, occurrence."
(com/trans/discrimination/)
A strength of The Gender Recognition Act of 2004 is that it has finally given transsexuals the same rights that the majority of people take for granted, for example the right not to be discriminated against because of gender or sexual orientation, the right to marry and found a family etc. A definite weakness however is that The Church of England seems to be above this new act of parliament as the Church of England can still refuse to marry a transsexual in their church if they don't want to. Why is this and how can this be allowed? In my opinion, if a law is passed then this law should apply to everybody and a religious organisation should not be allowed to 'pick and choose' who he or she think is a fit person to be married in their church.
The process of changing gender is an extremely long process and one, which is not undertaken lightly. A transsexual does not 'choose' to be a transsexual and the majority of transsexual's state that they were in fact born into the wrong body or the wrong gender. They feel right from the beginning that they are a male trapped in a female's body or vice versa. This is obviously extremely confusing for the child as he or she grows up and they may try and cover up their true feelings and try to live as the gender that they have been born into. They may do this to try and fit in with society's opinion of the 'norm' but ultimately this leads to unhappiness for the transsexual as they feel that they are 'living a lie'. Many transsexuals have tried to live this lie and have ended up being desperately unhappy and some have even turned to self-harm or even suicide in an attempt to cry for help or escape their unhappy existence living in the wrong body.
It is not that long ago that even homosexuality was illegal and it was thought by many to be just a mental illness that could be overcome with treatment. Nowadays however, the world in general seems to have a far greater awareness of both homosexuality and Tran sexuality mainly due to the amount of media attention that they now get. However, something that does not seem to be openly talked about is that it is a not only adults who experience problems with gender identity but also adolescents and children.
There does not seem to be a huge amount of support for children and adolescents who are experiencing problems with gender identity but one support group that I have come across whilst searching the internet is a support group called Mermaids. This group seems to be very informative and supportive of children and adolescents as well as the parents of people with gender identity problems. Mermaids was actually formed by families attending Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust which, is the only clinic in the UK dedicated to children and adolescents with gender identity disorders.
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 covers various different topics to ensure that a transsexual is not discriminated against. For example topics covered are Registration, which covers how a transsexual can become registered as their new gender identity with regards to birth certificates and changes of names etc. Marriage covers a transgender person's rights to marriage and parenthood covers the rights of a transgender person with regards to their children and the fact that changing gender does not affect the status of the person as the father of the mother of the child.
Other topics covered are Social security, benefits and pensions, discrimination, succession (which basically means that if a will has been made before a person has changed gender, then that will is unaffected by the change o gender).
There is an interesting aspect of the act with regards to sport in that it is legally possible for a transgender person to be excluded from a sport it is believed by the governing body of the said sport that an unfair sporting advantage would be gained. This could apply for instance to a person who had changed gender from a male to a female and who was involved in the sport of weight lifting. It could be argued by the governing body of the sport that an unfair advantage would be gained by the transgender sportsperson on the grounds that as the competitor was previously male, they may have an unfair advantage due to males being stronger than females.
The act also covers the essential things such as prohibition on disclosure of information, which is of course very important. Everybody has a right to the privacy of his or her personal life. The Gender Recognition Act 2004 on the whole is very good for transgender people as it offers them rights which were previously unavailable. A down side of the act is the fact that some bodies of people such as the Church of England are excluded from conforming to the Act if they do not wish to do so in respect to the marriage of transsexuals. No doubt in years to come these inconsistencies will be challenged and there will amendments made to future acts giving transsexuals equal rights in all areas of life.
In health and social care a change in gender has the potential to be a big issue. There was a story in the paper recently where a man had undergone gender reassignment and changed his sex to a woman. She got a job as a domiciliary care worker and one morning when she went to see a new service user the service user asked her to leave. When asked why the service user said she had requested a woman not a man. She replied I am a woman but the service user refused to let her give any care. As far as the service user was concerned the carer sent was and always will be a man.
This I believe is ignorance but largely a generational problem. Because of the change in laws there will be more and more transsexuals working in health care settings.
Task C
P5 & P6
Describe ways of reflecting on and challenging discriminatory issues in health and social care.
Explain how those working in health and social care settings can actively promote anti-discriminatory practice
My scenario
Doris lives in a care/nursing home after spending eight years living alone since the death of her husband. Doris only went in for respite but it became obvious during her stay that she might need to stay permanently and as her respite was nearing the end Doris said she would like to stay in the care/nursing home for good.
A meeting was held in which Doris was present and it was decided that in the interest of safety it would be best if Doris stayed permanently and so the necessary arrangements were made.
Doris has now been living in the care/nursing home for six months and is very settled. However she likes to remain as independent as possible by doing as much for her self as she can. The care/nursing home has a mission statement (see appendix 1) that states it will support and encourage any resident to keep their independence.
One morning when Steph (the carer on duty) went into Doris's room to wake her for breakfast Doris said she did not feel well and so wanted to stay in bed. Steph has worked with Doris on a regular basis in the six months that she has been there and so knew Doris well enough to know that if she said she was not well then she really was not well. Steph told Doris that she would help her to sit up in bed and that she would then go get her breakfast and bring it to her room. Doris replied that she did not want anything to eat but she would like a cup of tea. Steph then left to get Doris a cup of tea. However on returning to Doris's room Steph was stopped by the nurse on duty that morning and asked what she was doing? Steph said she was taking a cup of tea to Doris, as she did not want to get out of bed that morning to which the nurse replied quite sternly no without any explanation. She said Doris could stay in her room if she wanted but she had to sit up in the chair. The nurse then followed Steph into Doris's room to make sure her instructions were followed through. Doris was quite upset with the nurse telling her that it was her fault she felt that way because she had not received her medication for a week. The nurse replied that it was not her fault personally that she had not received her medication and that she should take the matter up with the management but the reason she had to get out of bed was because she had a bad chest. The nurse then left the room leaving Steph to calm Doris down before helping her to sit in the chair. Steph apologised to Doris to which Doris said that she had nothing to apologise for.
Later that same morning Steph was told by another resident that he did not want to get out of bed because he didn't feel well but would like some breakfast bringing to his room. The carer explained that it would not be possible for him to stay in bed because he had a bad chest to which he replied well I don't want to so I'm not. Steph said she would go get the nurse and let her explain why he had to get up. On this occasion the nurse said it was okay for Frank to stop in bed so Steph asked why? The nurse replied that it was her training as a nurse that qualified her to make the decision.
The outcome
From what Steph has seen ADP was not actively promoted in fact just the opposite. Doris was obviously discriminated against from what can only be described as unprofessional behaviour. The nurse and Steph do not get on and Steph has thought about reporting the nurse for bullying. The nurse knew Steph had a soft spot for Doris and thought that it was because of this that she was so abrupt.
Steph did not get on so well with Frank because he was a very abrupt and arrogant man but Steph never let this affect the way in which she cared for him. Again the nurse knew of Steph's feelings towards Frank, as it was a general feeling amongst the majority of carers. Steph felt that she personally was being discriminated against.
Discriminatory practice could have been avoided if the nurse had acted more professionally and also by treating both Doris and Frank the same. Personal feelings between care staff should not interfere with the standard of care given to service users.
Steph could have taken the nurse to one side and questioned her actions and asked why she did not treat both service users the same way. I think Steph did not confront the nurse because she did not want to cause a scene or create an atmosphere as they both still had to work together.
On reflection Steph should have felt comfortable enough to challenge the nurse's behaviour. If a care worker is unable to challenge discriminatory behaviour by another carer or professional then service users are going to continue being discriminated against.
In a care setting this can mean service users receive poor quality of care and suffer because of the consequences of bad practice.
M2 & M3
Explain difficulties that may be encountered when implementing anti-discriminatory practice
Analyse how personal beliefs and value systems may influence own anti-discriminatory practice
I think it is important if you work in health and social care that you get all he relevant raining that is needed to do your job but this can sometimes be difficult because of time and lack of resources. People should be taught the care value base and how not to be prejudiced or make assumptions. The care value base should not only be taught but it needs to be adhered to. In my opinion most of the bad practice that goes on can be accounted for by lack of knowledge and training but also because people can be too lazy for example the care worker who manually lifts a service user because the hoist is 50 metres away.
This is both bad practice and dangerous and it could cause an injury to the service user, the carer or even both.
In the place where I work the training is of a good standard but when I attend staff meetings there is very little said to the staff in the way of encouragement it always seems to focus on the negative side of things and so I think it would be a good idea to praise the staff in order to promote good team morale which would also promote better practice.
I consider myself to have quite strong values and beliefs on several matters but especially where discrimination is concerned. During my first placement I heard a racist comment that even though it was not heard by the person it was said about I was very offended by it. However I did not challenge the person who made the comment but I did tell the person who the comment was made for and I told the college who then dealt with the matter. I and the other student were given new placements so we did not have to go back to the same one.
The person who came out with the comment was the manager of the nursing home and acted very unprofessionally. The college made the decision not to send any more students to that placement from there on.
One of my other strong beliefs is a person's right to choices and respect. During my second placement I observed a care assistant as she went about her daily duties. I was sat in the resident's lounge talking to one of the residents. The lounge does get busy and can be quite hectic at times as care workers assist residents. There are also residents who come in and out to see what's going on along residents who have family visiting them. I was in the lounge talking to Mary (one of the residents) when Joan (another resident) shouted for a nurse to come. Joan shouted several times for the nurse but no one came, despite a care worker walking past several times.
The lounge was quite noisy as the television was on and another resident had the stereo on but I'm sure Joan could still have been heard. Joan had been shouting for a while before anybody came in to see what she wanted. When the care assistant did come over to see what she wanted she did it in a way that would have made Joan feel like an inconvenience. She would also have felt overpowered as the care assistant was stood up and didn't make any attempt to go down to her level or make eye contact. Her body language could also have been better as she was stood there with her hands on her hips. Joan wanted to go to the toilet but the care assistant said she was unable to take her because there was nobody else about. The care assistant then began to walk away when Joan told her she needed the toilet urgently. The care assistant said that she only went to the toilet about half an hour ago and how could she possibly want it again so soon. I was a bit surprised at this remark. How could a care assistant possibly make the assumption that a service user does not need the toilet? Every service user in that care setting has the right to freedom of choice. The Care Value Base is a policy that was put in place to guide the practice of professionals working in the health and social care sector and to protect service users from being discriminated against. The aim is to improve client's quality of life by making sure every service user gets individual appropriate care.
Later the same day I overheard the same care assistant referring to Joan by a derogatory term. The behaviour of the care assistant was both unacceptable and unprofessional and I think that this was as a result of both lack of knowledge and training. If I had been the care assistant instead of a student observing then I would have first have gone down to Joan's level instead of towering over her and made eye contact. I would then explain verbally why I was unable to take her there and then but that I will go find another care assistant to help me and come back. It is a care assistant's responsibility to do their job to the best of their ability and they should promote the care value base and the holistic care of service users.
I think Joan was discriminated against because the carer just simply could not be bothered to do her job. I have strong beliefs that you should only be in that type of work if you have the correct attitude towards it.
Another one of my beliefs is discretion when having sensitive conversations. On another occasion at placement I heard a conversation that happened in the corridor between two care assistants. I saw the two care assistants come out of a resident's room that was occupied by a gentleman who was terminally ill and whose wife was in there with him. The two carers were only a few yards away from the gentleman's room when they began talking about him; although they were talking quietly I'm sure there was a possibility that it could have been overheard by the gentleman's wife. They were discussing some personal details as well as coming out with comments like I hope he goes soon. They had only been talking for about a minute or so when they were joined by another carer who had come out of a neighbouring room. The conversation then continued with all three of them. They were talking about things that were private and personal and should not have been discussed especially in a corridor where the doors to other resident's rooms were open. Some were occupied and it was also a possibility of it being within earshot of the terminally ill man's wife.
A short time later the conversation began again in the staff room with one of the original carers, two other carers and a nurse. The door to the staff room was open and it is directly opposite the resident's lounge. At one point during the conversation there were visitors being shown around, although they only heard part of the conversation not one of the people involved in the conversation stopped what they were talking about. These visitors could quite easily have been family of the ill man or inspectors of some kind.
Although I'm sure the comment they made "I hope it's soon" would have been meant kindly it should still not have been said. If I had been the carer involved and I needed to discuss the care of somebody who is terminally ill I would have done it in the privacy of an office with closed doors.
My only regret is that as a student I did not have the courage to speak out about what I had seen or heard because in my job as a carer I would not have hesitated.
D2
Explain practical strategies to reconcile own beliefs and values with anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care
At present I work as a care assistant in a care/nursing home and I think that without the values and beliefs that I have I would make a poor care assistant. I do think that good values and beliefs are an essential thing to have in order to be a good care worker. However I am aware that despite my intention to always show good practice that I might unknowingly be prejudice in some way.
During my time spent in work placement and my job as a carer I have seen a lot of both bad practice and anti-discriminatory practice and in the past I have not had the courage to speak up when I have witnessed anti-discriminatory practice but I think I am gaining confidence.
However who decides what is bad practice or anti-discriminatory practice? Is it set in stone or do we all have our own views? For example a female service user wants a female carer to do personal care but gets a male carer. Is this bad practice from the care company or is the service user discriminating against male carers? I personally belief we have the right to chose who we have take care of us but others might belief that a carer is a carer whatever the sex.
So what are the practical strategies to deal with all the different religions, culture, beliefs etc? I have a view that we should all be like "Worzel Gummidge" a different head for a different situation especially where religion and beliefs are concerned for example how food is prepared such as halal.
We all need to be open-minded and not make assumptions; we should teach and practice ADP. It would also be a good idea to attend regular staff training sessions and have team meetings; good communication between the team including management is also essential.
We can all help to promote anti-discriminatory practice by being aware of the individual needs of service users both in health and social care. We can do this by promoting autonomy of care, by being flexible, keeping service users informed and by putting the service user at the centre of focus.
In care homes it is not always easy to implement your own and others beliefs especially when there are so many different personalities. A good example of this is Mildred, a service user from my first work placement who liked to make comments about other service users. Some of the comments said were things like "she thinks she owns this place" " she thinks she's better than me" none of which were not meant to offend but never the less they often did. The care staff tried to explain to Mildred that her comments were not welcome but Mildred used to get very defensive. Mildred could see nothing wrong with her comments and would often say, "I only speak the truth"
When there are so many people in one place with different values and beliefs there will inevitable be tension. It's not always easy to have practical strategies so the best solution might be to agree to disagree.
Bibliographies
Stretch, B, (2007) Health and Social care. Oxford: Heinemann
Carter, A, (1998) The Politics of Women's Rights. Essex: Longman
Cheminais, R (2006) Every child matters. London: David Fulton
Clements, P & Jones, J (2006) The Diversity Training Handbook. 2nd ED. London: Kogan Page
Cahill, f, Duncan, M and Heighway, P (2005) Health and Safety at Work Essentials. 4th ED. London: Lawpack
http://www.bishopg.ac.uk/docs/corporate
http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/body/gen_transsexuals.html
http://www.casu-lbgt.com/trans/discrimination/
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/legislation/actsandbills/dh_4002
http://www.dur.ac.uk/event.durham/nosmoking
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gender_recognition_act_2004
http://www.mermaids.freeuk.com/gidca.html
http://www.nmc-uk.org/standardsofproficiency.pdf
http://www.nwtdt.u-net.com/pdfs/corestan.pdf
http://society.guargian.co.uk/health/story/html
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