UNIT 5 MEETING INDIVIDUAL CARE AND SUPPORT NEEDS

UNIT 5 MEETING INDIVIDUAL CARE AND SUPPORT NEEDS L3 Health and Social Care TASK 1 SECTION A INTRODUCTION There are many different ways to support individuals in the health and social care settings and how to meet their needs professionally. Some of the key points to meet this mission is to apply care values, promote equality and diversity in the workplace, follow rules and regulations and to ensure that their own choices and preferences are being adhered when planning for their care and treatment. In this assignment, I will be discussing about what are the possible ways to meet individuals’ needs and how are we (as healthcare professionals) going to ensure that equality and diversity are being applied during the process. To better understand the topics, there are various case scenarios included for each key points. Case Scenario 1 Nusrat Patel is 19 years of age and has learning disabilities and epilepsy. She has recently left her residential school and now lives full time with her mother. Nusrat’s mother has recently given up work to care for her, but is finding this very stressful. Nusrat’s father died when she was five years old. Nusrat now attends the community centre. Staff and volunteers at the community centre are aware of Nusrat’s right to be involved in decisions about her own care. However, as she has learning disabilities, it was decided to also involve Nusrat’s mother, as her main carer. Nusrat sometimes has difficulty in expressing her own needs, wants and wishes and the team has included an advocate who has experience in working with individuals who have learning disabilities. Nusrat has her own personal care plan at the centre, which has been formulated taking a person-centred approach. The plan focuses on Nusrat’s abilities rather than her disabilities and is flexible to incorporate any necessary changes. The plan includes the designation of a named person Nusrat can come to if she has concerns. Nusrat becomes frequently distressed and so the named person has completed a counselling training course, which incorporated positive communication skills, in order to support her. The planning process for Nusrat included graphical facilitation so that a circle of support, which includes Nusrat, her mother and the named person, could be designed. Other individuals may be added as appropriate. Nusrat enjoys dance and drama and has joined activities at the centre. The team who runs the activities has produced Makaton sheets for any scripts or routines to be followed, so that Nusrat can fully participate in activities and productions. Nusrat’s epilepsy is not, currently, well controlled and it has been agreed that a volunteer will accompany Nusrat to the bathroom to enable emergency action if this is needed. The volunteer is aware that she must be discreet in order not to compromise Nusrat’s right to dignity. With the agreement of Nusrat and her mother, the centre manager has arranged a meeting with Nusrat’s G.P. to discuss improved management of Nusrat’s epilepsy. The G.P. has now referred Nusrat to a specialist nurse practitioner, who is an expert in epilepsy. Nusrat has a trusting nature and is likely to attach herself to anyone who appears friendly. This has raised safeguarding concerns and so a list of ‘friends’ using photographs and Makaton symbols has been provided for Nusrat, to support her independence, whilst contributing to her safety. Learning Aim A: Examine principles, values and skills which underpin meeting the care and support needs of individuals. (AP1) Explain the importance of promoting equality and diversity for individuals with different needs. In this world full of inequality and discrimination, individuals still believe that everyone should have access to facilities especially to the support and care they’d be getting from health and social care regardless of their circumstances. It is the responsibility of the healthcare staff to efficiently promote equality and diversity across all areas of their workforce, providing a service that is fair, person-centred and diverse. Equality and Diversity are key components in the delivery of care services. Good practices means encouraging and promoting these components wherever possible. It is also part of the responsibilities of the staff to ensure that through their work, service users receives the fair and equal treatment with dignity and respect. Equality and Diversity should be the centre of service planning. Before anyone, even a professional could be able to promote equality and diversity within a health and social care setting, it is vital to understand what they mean. Within the health and social care terminology, Equality is defined as ensuring that all service users can access the same opportunities regardless of lifestyle, ability, or ethnic background . On the other hand, Diversity is defined as demonstrating respect for an individual’s belief, values, culture and lifestyle and considering differences and own preferences. Staff and members within the care sector are required to have a fine knowledge in promoting these key components. Promoting equality and diversity includes scrutinising care and support plans, identifying a service user’s needs, recognising differences and reducing inequality. To be able to achieve this, service providers should make the Common Core Strategic Principles as the centre of achieving goals within the workforce. These principles has been approved by the Department of Health and Care Quality Commission to be efficient within the sector. Strategic principles involves promoting equality and diversity through mission statements, core values and strategic action plans. Referring to the case scenario of Nusrat Patel, she is said to have a learning disability. A condition which doesn’t deserve to be discriminated but unfortunately, due to the society’s ignorance, circumstances happens. Nusrat can possibly get discriminated by other individuals even at the centre which is why