UNIT 2: Equality, Diversity and Rights in Health and Social care
P2. Describe discriminatory practice in health and social care.
Discrimination. A simple word that changes life of individuals especially service users in the
health care setting who are very sensitive with their condition. An act of discrimination or
discriminatory practice is the way of treating an individual, patient or service user differently
from others and can be shown in many forms or actions, even with simple ones such as
using a gesture or by talking about a person in a different way than others.
In the health and social care setting, many individuals who require service from health care
practitioners are individuals who are vulnerable and comes from different races, age groups,
medical problems etc. Because of this, there may be service users that will have an opposite
opinion, belief, idea or religion from the health care professionals and despite that, those
who work in the health care setting should understand that they are not allowed to
discriminate them and should respect and comprehend that people are diverse and equal.
Anyone who is caught or proved to show an act of discrimination from service users can be
held liable by the law.
However, Discriminatory practice in the health and social care setting may be left unnoticed
because it may be too hard to identify or identify since it has become “normal” to hear or
experience in everyday life. So,in order to lessen discrimination, here are some
discriminatory practices a service user might experience:
1. Direct Discrimination
Direct Discrimination, as it says in its name,
is a form of discrimination shown to
someone straightforwardly or “overtly”.
It can be seen and easily be proved by acts
of rudeness, disrespect or even hate. It is
also commonly shown as a way of “Bullying”
either through verbal or physical ways and
even through text or online, where one is
directly abused by being treated differently
because of the differences they have from
the norm or what the bully perceive as normal.
An example of Direct Discrimination in the health and social care setting is when health care
professionals, especially in asian countries, care less and treat very poorly the service users
who are unable to pay for their medical bills while the rich ones, or the ones able to pay, get
a VIP treatment and this difference in treatment can be overtly seen by the way they
prioritize them and by the way they provide assistance.
P2. Describe discriminatory practice in health and social care.
Discrimination. A simple word that changes life of individuals especially service users in the
health care setting who are very sensitive with their condition. An act of discrimination or
discriminatory practice is the way of treating an individual, patient or service user differently
from others and can be shown in many forms or actions, even with simple ones such as
using a gesture or by talking about a person in a different way than others.
In the health and social care setting, many individuals who require service from health care
practitioners are individuals who are vulnerable and comes from different races, age groups,
medical problems etc. Because of this, there may be service users that will have an opposite
opinion, belief, idea or religion from the health care professionals and despite that, those
who work in the health care setting should understand that they are not allowed to
discriminate them and should respect and comprehend that people are diverse and equal.
Anyone who is caught or proved to show an act of discrimination from service users can be
held liable by the law.
However, Discriminatory practice in the health and social care setting may be left unnoticed
because it may be too hard to identify or identify since it has become “normal” to hear or
experience in everyday life. So,in order to lessen discrimination, here are some
discriminatory practices a service user might experience:
1. Direct Discrimination
Direct Discrimination, as it says in its name,
is a form of discrimination shown to
someone straightforwardly or “overtly”.
It can be seen and easily be proved by acts
of rudeness, disrespect or even hate. It is
also commonly shown as a way of “Bullying”
either through verbal or physical ways and
even through text or online, where one is
directly abused by being treated differently
because of the differences they have from
the norm or what the bully perceive as normal.
An example of Direct Discrimination in the health and social care setting is when health care
professionals, especially in asian countries, care less and treat very poorly the service users
who are unable to pay for their medical bills while the rich ones, or the ones able to pay, get
a VIP treatment and this difference in treatment can be overtly seen by the way they
prioritize them and by the way they provide assistance.
