Unit 5
Objective: Define ethics. Describe different types of ethical principles. Explain the ethical theories
related to ethical principles. Explain the legislation related to ethical issues.
P3
Ethics is the discipline of dealing with good and bad with a moral duty and obligation. An example of
an ongoing ethical discussion/ issue regards to if terminally ill people are legally able to take their
own life. This is seen as an ethical issue as it is argued that it is suicide and against religious beliefs,
but on the other hand, it is argued that it should be within a human right if they decide they do not
want to live in pain. Another ethical issue that has been raised is reintroducing the death penalty for
those who have convicted serious crimes. Controversial views have been made, some stating that this
is right for avenges of the victim. However, some people believe that this is wrong as death is not
reversible and it should not be in somebody else’s power to take another person’s life away. Ethical
approaches are used in Health and Social care services that help provide support and benefit to
vulnerable people. There are several Guidance’s that will ensure this support is available. The
guidance involved are: HSE guidance on risk assessments, five-step framework, NICE and NHS.
Managing conflicts
Managing conflicts is the process for dealing with problems such as arguments and disagreements. In
Nusrat’s case study a conflict could occur with her mother and the doctor. Nusrat’s mother his heavily
involved it would mean she would have the most disagreement with Nusrat’s doctor. This could cause
major changes for Nusrat because she could find herself stuck between two people and not know what
to do. It may mean that Nusrat will not be given the care she needs because of a disagreement. If this
were to happen, they could resolve this, instead of the doctor talking to Nusrat’s mum, he can talk to
her.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest is about working with a group of vulnerable people in the HSC and its where
service providers are faced with a conflict of interest. They will need to find an ethical solution to help
this out. First, they will have to consider the risk of the individual- will this harm this person? Will it
be good long-term? They also must consider their legal responsibilities- are they able to give certain
things to a service user. This could link into Alice’s case study as her and her G.P. could have a
conflict of interest. She could ask if he could up the dosage of her anti-depressants as she is feeling
low but the G.P. would have to look at the facts before saying yes. He must know the risks, if she has
too much it may worsen her symptoms or make her ill, he would also have to consider legal
responsibilities such as being allowed to give her the amount she wants as it could damage her rather
than help her. This may mean that Alice would have conflicts with her G.P. because he is not giving
her what she wants however it will help her health as the dosage she is asking for could be too much.
This could mean Alice may become more depressed and stop taking her medication making her
situation worse.
Balancing Resources
1
, Balancing resources is about the financial issues in the UK’s Health Care. As we are lacking
resources, service providers need to make sure they balance their resources to the service users. They
should consider who needs it more. This could be in a situation where there is only one hospital bed
and there is two people that need it. The service provider would need to decide on who needs it more.
However, this could mean that there could be risks to the person who did not receive the service
straight away. Alice’s case study could fit into this as the G.P. may have to balance her medication for
her depression because they are short of it. This would mean there is an equal amount for everyone as
they try to get more from the Health Care. However, this could cause some risks for Alice as it could
affect her. It could mean that she is not used to the amount of medication the G.P. has given her and
may feel as though she needs more. Alice may need a higher dosage of anti-depressants because she
may feel they are not working. This could affect her short term because she may feel as though they
are not working and may feel that the doctor is not caring about her health. It could also affect her
long term if they do not get more medication in the Health Care and may mean she will never get
better and become severely depressed.
Minimising risk when promoting choice
Minimising risk when promoting choice is about giving everyone the power to make their own
choices. This could link into Nusrat’s case study as she may consider that she wants to live
independently. The people in her care plan would have to accept this choice but also make sure that
she gets the care she needs. If Nusrat was to live on her own they could get an apartment that was on
the ground floor. This would mean it would be easy access for her to get in and out of there house and
would also mean that if there were any problems like her having an epilepsy fit then the nurses would
be able to quickly get to her without having to go up any stairs. They could also organise a nurse to go
over to check up on her and to help her get dressed and fed in the mornings and at night. This way
Nusrat could feel safe knowing that someone is there looking after her in case something happens, but
she also could feel good that she is independent as she is living on her own. They could also adapt her
environment in her apartment like having wider hallways and doors, they could have supporters
around the toilet and bath to help her get in and out and they could also have a string which if she
knows she is having an epilepsy fit or needs help she could pull, and a nurse could come. She could
also have a friend living with her or next door to her so if there are any problems, they can easily call
for help.
Managing confidentiality
Managing confidentiality is about making sure service providers do not break confidentiality by
giving out people’s information. This could be personal information such as Date of birth, address,
name, phone number, and health records. If this information was to get out to the members of the
public, then that has broken confidentiality. This could link in with Martins case study and that the
service providers must maintain confidentiality. They could have a program on the computer which
locks down his data so if a receptionist needs to book an appointment, they can only book an
appointment and to not see his whole profile with his data on. This would mean that professionals can
update Martins data and check if it is in date but no one else can unless Martin is accessing it himself.
This would mean Martin would feel safer knowing that his data is secure and no one he knows will be
able to know what he has told the G.P.
People have come up with ethical theories. When service providers are faced with a difficult situation
then they use ethical theories to guide them through their decisions. The ethical theories are;
Consequentialism, Deontology, principles and Virtue ethics.
Consequentialism
Consequentialism is about the correct way with dealing with a situation and they should consider the
consequences of their decision. If professionals wanted to give Nusrat more independence they would
2
Objective: Define ethics. Describe different types of ethical principles. Explain the ethical theories
related to ethical principles. Explain the legislation related to ethical issues.
P3
Ethics is the discipline of dealing with good and bad with a moral duty and obligation. An example of
an ongoing ethical discussion/ issue regards to if terminally ill people are legally able to take their
own life. This is seen as an ethical issue as it is argued that it is suicide and against religious beliefs,
but on the other hand, it is argued that it should be within a human right if they decide they do not
want to live in pain. Another ethical issue that has been raised is reintroducing the death penalty for
those who have convicted serious crimes. Controversial views have been made, some stating that this
is right for avenges of the victim. However, some people believe that this is wrong as death is not
reversible and it should not be in somebody else’s power to take another person’s life away. Ethical
approaches are used in Health and Social care services that help provide support and benefit to
vulnerable people. There are several Guidance’s that will ensure this support is available. The
guidance involved are: HSE guidance on risk assessments, five-step framework, NICE and NHS.
Managing conflicts
Managing conflicts is the process for dealing with problems such as arguments and disagreements. In
Nusrat’s case study a conflict could occur with her mother and the doctor. Nusrat’s mother his heavily
involved it would mean she would have the most disagreement with Nusrat’s doctor. This could cause
major changes for Nusrat because she could find herself stuck between two people and not know what
to do. It may mean that Nusrat will not be given the care she needs because of a disagreement. If this
were to happen, they could resolve this, instead of the doctor talking to Nusrat’s mum, he can talk to
her.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest is about working with a group of vulnerable people in the HSC and its where
service providers are faced with a conflict of interest. They will need to find an ethical solution to help
this out. First, they will have to consider the risk of the individual- will this harm this person? Will it
be good long-term? They also must consider their legal responsibilities- are they able to give certain
things to a service user. This could link into Alice’s case study as her and her G.P. could have a
conflict of interest. She could ask if he could up the dosage of her anti-depressants as she is feeling
low but the G.P. would have to look at the facts before saying yes. He must know the risks, if she has
too much it may worsen her symptoms or make her ill, he would also have to consider legal
responsibilities such as being allowed to give her the amount she wants as it could damage her rather
than help her. This may mean that Alice would have conflicts with her G.P. because he is not giving
her what she wants however it will help her health as the dosage she is asking for could be too much.
This could mean Alice may become more depressed and stop taking her medication making her
situation worse.
Balancing Resources
1
, Balancing resources is about the financial issues in the UK’s Health Care. As we are lacking
resources, service providers need to make sure they balance their resources to the service users. They
should consider who needs it more. This could be in a situation where there is only one hospital bed
and there is two people that need it. The service provider would need to decide on who needs it more.
However, this could mean that there could be risks to the person who did not receive the service
straight away. Alice’s case study could fit into this as the G.P. may have to balance her medication for
her depression because they are short of it. This would mean there is an equal amount for everyone as
they try to get more from the Health Care. However, this could cause some risks for Alice as it could
affect her. It could mean that she is not used to the amount of medication the G.P. has given her and
may feel as though she needs more. Alice may need a higher dosage of anti-depressants because she
may feel they are not working. This could affect her short term because she may feel as though they
are not working and may feel that the doctor is not caring about her health. It could also affect her
long term if they do not get more medication in the Health Care and may mean she will never get
better and become severely depressed.
Minimising risk when promoting choice
Minimising risk when promoting choice is about giving everyone the power to make their own
choices. This could link into Nusrat’s case study as she may consider that she wants to live
independently. The people in her care plan would have to accept this choice but also make sure that
she gets the care she needs. If Nusrat was to live on her own they could get an apartment that was on
the ground floor. This would mean it would be easy access for her to get in and out of there house and
would also mean that if there were any problems like her having an epilepsy fit then the nurses would
be able to quickly get to her without having to go up any stairs. They could also organise a nurse to go
over to check up on her and to help her get dressed and fed in the mornings and at night. This way
Nusrat could feel safe knowing that someone is there looking after her in case something happens, but
she also could feel good that she is independent as she is living on her own. They could also adapt her
environment in her apartment like having wider hallways and doors, they could have supporters
around the toilet and bath to help her get in and out and they could also have a string which if she
knows she is having an epilepsy fit or needs help she could pull, and a nurse could come. She could
also have a friend living with her or next door to her so if there are any problems, they can easily call
for help.
Managing confidentiality
Managing confidentiality is about making sure service providers do not break confidentiality by
giving out people’s information. This could be personal information such as Date of birth, address,
name, phone number, and health records. If this information was to get out to the members of the
public, then that has broken confidentiality. This could link in with Martins case study and that the
service providers must maintain confidentiality. They could have a program on the computer which
locks down his data so if a receptionist needs to book an appointment, they can only book an
appointment and to not see his whole profile with his data on. This would mean that professionals can
update Martins data and check if it is in date but no one else can unless Martin is accessing it himself.
This would mean Martin would feel safer knowing that his data is secure and no one he knows will be
able to know what he has told the G.P.
People have come up with ethical theories. When service providers are faced with a difficult situation
then they use ethical theories to guide them through their decisions. The ethical theories are;
Consequentialism, Deontology, principles and Virtue ethics.
Consequentialism
Consequentialism is about the correct way with dealing with a situation and they should consider the
consequences of their decision. If professionals wanted to give Nusrat more independence they would
2
