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Unit 2 Equality and Diversity Assignment 1
P1: explain the concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health
and social care
In this assignment I will be explaining the concepts of equality, diversity and rights
within health and social care environments.
Equality
Stretch and Whitehouse stated that “All individuals should be treated equally
and there are laws in place to ensure that this happens”. The term equality
means treating everyone fairly despite their gender,ethnicity,race,disability etc.
However it also means treating people accordingly depending on their specific
needs. For instance within a residential care home if a service user who is suffering
with dementia is being mistreated by a particular care worker for example he/she is
not being changed and bathed consistently but the other service users in the care
home are being looked after properly this is an example of inequality which is not
permitted within the health and social care profession and the care worker can be
banned from working in the health and social care profession again. However this is
an unlikely scenario as the Equality Act 2010 removes mistreatment and promotes
respect for everyone.
Diversity
The term diversity means respecting and valuing individuals for their differences. For
instance their race,ethnicity,social status, religious beliefs etc. In a residential care
home if there were a service user who was Muslim and needed to have a particular
diet the health care professionals must respect and value his religious beliefs and
ensure that their is either halal meat for him/her to eat or vegetarian options.
Rights
The term rights means legal entitlements that each and every individual are allowed
to have. For instance the right to education, the right to employment etc.In a
residential care home if there was a service user who was Muslim and in his religion
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he was required to pray five times a day but the care assistants were not permitting
him to pray this would be taking away the rights that he is entitled to.
Benefits of Diversity
The Arts
Having diversity within the arts is essential as it is more likely to reach a larger
audience. Diversity in the arts will allow people from other countries and cultures to
learn and understand about other cultures other than their own. If people have the
understanding they are then able to respect each and everyone’s differences.
Movies and series that have been filmed in other countries can educate and interest
people on the culture. For example Nollywood which is a well known movie shows
the culture of Nigeria which can interest and educate those from other cultures. In
addition museums and exhibitions show the world from the past and the present
through cultural heritage objects and artifacts. For instance, in Hindu and Buddist
cultures mandalas represent the universe
Language
Due to the fact that Britain's population is becoming ethnically more diverse those
who are able to speak languages other than English can be a huge benefit within the
health and social care profession.This is because many of those using the services
may not be able to speak English. By staff knowing other languages other than
English it gives them the opportunity to be able to work abroad. Organisations would
aim to recruit employees that are from diverse races and different religions as this
will make the service users feel comfortable as many of them are from different
backgrounds too so the workplace should reflect this. Service users will also feel
more comfortable if there are staff who are able to speak their preferred language.
However due to Brexit and the Coronavirus outbreak many organisations may
struggle to find employees from abroad that speak different languages which would
have a significant impact on the communication between staff and service users as
there would be a language barrier.
Unit 2 Equality and Diversity Assignment 1
P1: explain the concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health
and social care
In this assignment I will be explaining the concepts of equality, diversity and rights
within health and social care environments.
Equality
Stretch and Whitehouse stated that “All individuals should be treated equally
and there are laws in place to ensure that this happens”. The term equality
means treating everyone fairly despite their gender,ethnicity,race,disability etc.
However it also means treating people accordingly depending on their specific
needs. For instance within a residential care home if a service user who is suffering
with dementia is being mistreated by a particular care worker for example he/she is
not being changed and bathed consistently but the other service users in the care
home are being looked after properly this is an example of inequality which is not
permitted within the health and social care profession and the care worker can be
banned from working in the health and social care profession again. However this is
an unlikely scenario as the Equality Act 2010 removes mistreatment and promotes
respect for everyone.
Diversity
The term diversity means respecting and valuing individuals for their differences. For
instance their race,ethnicity,social status, religious beliefs etc. In a residential care
home if there were a service user who was Muslim and needed to have a particular
diet the health care professionals must respect and value his religious beliefs and
ensure that their is either halal meat for him/her to eat or vegetarian options.
Rights
The term rights means legal entitlements that each and every individual are allowed
to have. For instance the right to education, the right to employment etc.In a
residential care home if there was a service user who was Muslim and in his religion
, 2
he was required to pray five times a day but the care assistants were not permitting
him to pray this would be taking away the rights that he is entitled to.
Benefits of Diversity
The Arts
Having diversity within the arts is essential as it is more likely to reach a larger
audience. Diversity in the arts will allow people from other countries and cultures to
learn and understand about other cultures other than their own. If people have the
understanding they are then able to respect each and everyone’s differences.
Movies and series that have been filmed in other countries can educate and interest
people on the culture. For example Nollywood which is a well known movie shows
the culture of Nigeria which can interest and educate those from other cultures. In
addition museums and exhibitions show the world from the past and the present
through cultural heritage objects and artifacts. For instance, in Hindu and Buddist
cultures mandalas represent the universe
Language
Due to the fact that Britain's population is becoming ethnically more diverse those
who are able to speak languages other than English can be a huge benefit within the
health and social care profession.This is because many of those using the services
may not be able to speak English. By staff knowing other languages other than
English it gives them the opportunity to be able to work abroad. Organisations would
aim to recruit employees that are from diverse races and different religions as this
will make the service users feel comfortable as many of them are from different
backgrounds too so the workplace should reflect this. Service users will also feel
more comfortable if there are staff who are able to speak their preferred language.
However due to Brexit and the Coronavirus outbreak many organisations may
struggle to find employees from abroad that speak different languages which would
have a significant impact on the communication between staff and service users as
there would be a language barrier.
