Organisational policies and procedures:
Positive promotion of individual right
There are a wide range of policies, guidelines and procedures put in place in different organisations to support equality, diversity and rights. Positive promotion of EDR can be seen on notice boards which displays the key policies and procedures. In a lot of health and social care settings staff can contribute to the development of policies and procedures which promote EDR. Another example of positive promotion of EDR is handbooks which outline the rights and responsibilities of the staff. November 2006 the national initiative Dignity in Care campaign was launched. This was put in place to ensure all older people are treated with dignity and respect as is their right.
Advocacy
In some occasions if an individual is too ill to speak for themselves they have the right to have an advocates help. An advocate is a person who will speak on the behalf of the service user. The person that speaks on behalf of the service user must put the views of the service user first rather than their own perception of the views. In health care settings you will find guidelines for accepted behaviour for an advocate.
Work practices
Work practices should demonstrate equality and right at all times. All settings have policies and procedures that cover equality and rights. But if the staff and service users are unaware of them or do not follow them then there is no point in having them. Promotion of policies is a part of staff training. Staff should know the contents and comply with them; also they should make service users aware of them.
Staff development and training
When you become qualified in your profession you are expected to continue with personal and professional training to update your skills and knowledge. Technology is moving fast so you can be outdated with your practice. Service users have the right for their care and treatment carried out in the best possible standards. Also their training in equality and rights should be updated so it is kept fresh in their minds.
Quality issues
Trying to maintain the standards of equality and rights can be hard. The setting should consider: how to monitor the policies and how effective they are. How they update the content to keep in line with legislation. What staff training is needed? What the impact of the policies are having on the service. Finding out the answers to the answers to the questions and others like them is important to the role of quality control.
Complaints procedures
All setting has a complaint procedure which is inspected when audits are carried out. Each settings complaint procedure is different but contains roughly the same information but the wording will vary.
Anti-harassment
All settings should have a policy which deals with harassment. This must be available to the staff and updated regularly. UK laws have aimed to prevent harassment or bullying on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation and disability.
Confidentiality
The Data Protection Act of 1998 is the guidelines of the use of personal information which should be followed. The service user has the right that their information is collected and stored in a secure place. As well all care workers must keep the service users confidentiality at all times.
Human rights
All health and social care settings are expected to follow guidelines which are linked to human rights. The settings policies should be adopted for the human rights act 1998 and followed will demonstrate quality practice