Benifits_of_Diversity

Unit 2 Equality, Diversity and Rights in Health and Social Care. Promoting Equality, Rights and Diversity of service users in care settings. Britain is a multicultural society. This means that people from different countries and backgrounds are living and working together in our villages, towns and cities. Employees which work together in the health and social teams are made from people with different backgrounds and cultures. The same applies for the service users who use the health and care profession as well. The range of different beliefs and behaviours experienced by all are different, which other wise know as ‘diverse’. We are all individuals in our own right and expect to be valued and respected for our own diversity, skill and knowledge that we, as individuals, bring to the people we live, work and socialise with. The benefits of diversity should be clear to everyone but this is not the case. Many people fear something or someone that is different from them. This can lead on to people feeling vulnerable when they are in need of treatment. Yet from having access to a wide range of cultures, skills, knowledge and expertise should mean that as a nation we have exciting opportunities to access new forms of treatment, care, learning and new experiences to meet our needs. The benefits of diversity go beyond the health and social care sectors to other aspects which we embark everyday of our lives. Such things include: • The arts • Food • Language • Social cohesion • Tolerance • Culture enrichment • The economic benefits of diversity • Employment • Expertise • Education The arts One of the benefits of living in a socially diverse society is the easy access we all have to a range of different traditions and art forms from all around the world. Museums and galleries now feature displays and exhibitions that reflect the heritage and beliefs of many different artists which reflects the different societies they are from. The arts can prove helpful to the work of a health and social care professional. As the arts can provide some sight into the different cultures and beliefs of other societies which can a broaden our view on the way we see different cultures and societies. They can help you to understand the needs and wants of people from different backgrounds other than your own. Food Another one of the benefits of living in a diverse, multicultural society is the wide variety of foods that are available for us to try. This should be taken into consideration by health and social care workers when planning diets for individuals. It is important to recognise that many people enjoy eating different foods, like foods that are flavoured with spices and herbs, and shouldn’t expect people just to eat traditional British food. Although we shouldn’t ignore the fact that many people enjoy eating simple food that is prepared without the use of spices and ‘exotic’ vegetables, this is very popular with elderly people. Our food choices are developed from an early age and for some people experimentation is a way of life. Asking people about their food and what they like and don’t like and providing a choice in the menu demonstrates active respect for diversity. Language The English language is already formed from a complete mixture of different languages ranging from French through to Latin, Germanic, Celtic and Nordic. New groups of settlers into the country also bring elements of their own language with them. These new words are slowly being assimilated into everyday speech and even being entered into the English dictionary. Also other people which can talk other languages brings additional benefits. Having the opportunity to live and work with people from other countries and cultural backgrounds offers everyone the chance to learn something new and different. Further education, like colleges, night schools and universities, offer people the opportunity to study modern foreign languages so that people can travel and work aboard as part of the European Union agreement. The teachers of these languages are often from that cultural background. They can share culture norms and behaviours, (of people from that language) with their students. Within the health and social care system, the arrival of new languages has led to the development of new ways of working. It is now possible and practical to follow a career in interpretation and translation in the health service. These services can be for anyone who doesn’t speak English as a first language, to providing a service for a person who is deaf. Social cohesion ‘Cohesion’ means sticking together. A social cohesion is a community of people who feel that they belong. For people to feel that they belong there is a need for everyone’s circumstances and background to be valued and respected. Health and social care teams need to demonstrate social cohesion in a way individual member work together and support each other. As most teams in the health service are made up from multicultural individuals, it is important for these teams to support each other and to uphold the rights of every single member. Tolerance Tolerance doesn’t just mean having the patience putting up with something or someone. It has a much wider meaning and it is important to recognise this. In society and in the workplace we don’t have to be friends with everyone but we do have to behave in a caring and professional manner at all times, towards both service users and our colleagues. While we not share or hold similar beliefs and traditions, we should at least try to understand the concepts attached to another person’s beliefs and respect their right to hold that belief or follow that tradition, as long their beliefs or tradition doesn’t harm anyone else. Culture enrichment From having the opportunity to benefit from all the different diversity in Britain, (diverse foods, new languages, the arts etc) and the availability for people to access them, will make are society culturally enriched. The economic benefits of diversity The economic benefits of diversity can be clearly seen through the contributions that are made to society at all different levels by those people living and working in the community. For example, links are made to other countries in terms of imports and exports. Also the knowledge economy can be transferred from one country to another simply by employing or working with an individual from ‘overseas’. In terms of health and social care, the economic benefits of diversity can be seen through the knowledge and practice that new practitioners bring to the country. In some cases, new treatments and knowledge of diseases and illness can save individual’s life and ‘bed time’ within hospitals. Other examples include the new IT bed system within hospitals (that originated from overseas). In some A&E within hospital, they have installed a new IT bed system, where once a patient has been booked in the doctors and nurses have a certain time to have patient seen to and have made a decision whether to transfer the patient to the ward or discharge him or her. Employment When an individual uses their skills and knowledge to start a new business, more opportunities for employment (new jobs) are created. There are many examples of ‘alternative therapies’, which are used regularly today in society, which have come from other cultures overseas. For example, acupuncture and massage are now used within the health and social care service to help the service user manage stress or to bring pain relief. Clearly over time, new therapies are offering employment and education opportunities within the health and social care sector for the local population. Expertise New levels of expertise and knowledge highlight how diversity enriches our health services. For example doctors and nurses originated from other countries. There is a wide range of medical advancements that have originated abroad. One example is facia transplants and heart transplants which originated in South Africa. Both these transplants are now being used to improve medication and treatment in this country. A lot of our research into medical conditions comes from other countries. For example most of our knowledge relating to coronary artery disease and heart attacks was produced by Finland. Its findings have informed the medical profession and public health service about the kind of preventative action we should be taking in this country. Many of the coronary artery disease prevention policies adopted by our government are based o studies carried out aboard. Education Equality and diversity are high on the agenda for all educational institutions, whether they are the funders or providers of education. Our education system has benefited from cultural diversity in many different ways. For example, the subjects studied in schools, collages and universities now include the cultures and religions of a wide range of groups of the population i.e., religious education or religious studies (R.E or R.S) is a subject studied in each stage of education, which promotes all six world religions (Hinduism, Islamic, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism) by educating people about each religion’s beliefs, traditions, and way of life. As well as a wide range of modern foreign languages, with French, Spanish and German being the most popular languages taught. The education system has also benefited from diversity through the contributions made by teachers and managers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Inclusion of equality, rights and diversity in the training and development of health and social care workers has seen huge improvements in the way individuals are treated and cared for by those workers. Most organisations include training on equal opportunities as apart of their induction process. In-service training ensures that ongoing education about rights and responsibilities is included in all workforce development. It is important within health and social care settings that we promote equality. The word equality means all people have the same value. Yet this doesn’t mean we should teat people the same way. We need to recognise that people are individual’s and each individual has different needs. We need to acknowledge that we are diverse as a nation and should value diversity. The word ‘equality’ is often linked to ‘opportunity’ creating a new term ‘equal opportunity’. Promotion of equality means promoting equal opportunities for the service user. We need too put the service user central to the situation, the service user may find theirself in. For the importance of promoting equality to take place there are concepts which need to discussed and show an understanding of. These concepts are; • The concept of tolerance • Care values • Moral rights of the individuals • The cycle of disadvantage As I have said before with out health and social care employee having a full understanding of these concepts the promotion of equality, within the health and social care service, can’t be achieved. The concept of tolerance Within hospitals (nursing care), residential care homes and day care homes the concept of tolerance is one of the most important concepts which must be followed. As many teams of colleagues within health and social care service are made up of many people with different backgrounds and beliefs, we as individuals may not share the same beliefs or traditions as them. But we do need to behave in a caring and professional manner at all times and to try are very best to understand the concepts attached to another person’s beliefs and respect their right to hold that belief or follow that tradition, (as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else). We must not let our own beliefs influence the way we work and think, we must try to see it from their point of view and understand there are two sides to a situation; therefore we must work with an open mind. If the concept of tolerance is not followed within a team of colleagues in such places like hospitals and different types of care homes, the patient or service user could suffer. Care values The care values are ‘rights’, for an individual who uses the health and social care service, which form a part of the care value base. For example an individual’s rights to be: • Respected. • Treated equally and not discriminated against. • Treated as an individual. • Treated in a dignified way. • Allowed privacy. • Protected from danger and harm. • Allowed access to personal information. • Able to communicate using their preferred method. • Cared for in a way that meets their needs and takes account of their choices, and protects. These care values are a health and social care employee bible. They must keep referring back to the care value base to demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of an individual’s rights. Without them demonstrating the care values an individual’s rights are being infringed. This means the individual will be treated disadvantageously. This can lead on further to the individual feeling vulnerable, empowered and even abused. Moral rights of the individual Each individual within the U.K has the right to sixteen basic human rights. These rights are from the Human Rights Act, 2000. These rights are; • Right to life • Prohibition of torture • Prohibition of slavery and forced labour • Right to liberty and security • Right to a fair trail • No punishment without law • Right to respect for private and family life • Freedom of thought, conscience and religion • Freedom of expression • Freedom of assembly and association • Right to marry • Prohibition of discrimination • Protection of property • Right to education • Right to free elections • Abolition of the death penalty These rights form a great deal of our lives as these rights gives an individual the power, freedom and choice of what the individual choices and decisions make with his or hers own life. The care value base, within the health and social care service, are rights for the service user which came from the Human Rights Act, 2000. . For example an individual’s rights, within the health and social care service, are the right to be: • Respected. • Treated equally and not discriminated against. • Treated as an individual. • Treated in a dignified way. • Allowed privacy. • Protected from danger and harm. • Allowed access to personal information. • Able to communicate using their preferred method. • Cared for in a way that meets their needs and takes account of their choices, and protects. Each individual service user has the right to all of these rights. If the service user is infringed of any of his or hers rights the service user is being treated unfairly. Without promoting equality of moral rights of an individual, the individual is not being treated as an individual with their own rights but one person just the same as others. This type of practice of promoting the moral rights of the individual is more communally found in hospitals. As within all hospitals there are many patients from different backgrounds and they all have different cultures and beliefs. This is why nurses and doctors must promote moral rights of an individual so the patient feels respected by being treated as an individual with their own needs and beliefs, than feeling worthless from being treated the same as the patient in the next bed to them self. Cycle of disadvantage The cycle of disadvantage is a cycle of bad or less fortunate things that happen to individuals that seems to lead on to more bad or less fortunate happening again. The cycle of disadvantage normally begins with individuals or families being poor, having less money than middle class. This then makes the individual or family more likely to live in poorer economic areas. Unfortunately, people living in poor economic areas experience a poorer health status than those living in more affluent areas. People are more likely to find poorer health care services in these economically deprived areas. Also children from these families living in poorer economic areas are more likely to experience poor education due to their area. From the child not having a good education the child is not likely to know his or hers own rights. The child is then more likely not to excel with their education and end up in a dead end job or on the dole. To promote equality with the cycle of disadvantage we must tell people of rights and what they are entitled to. By telling these people about their rights and promoting their rights, they may be more aware of what they are entitled to and how to get a better life for their family and their self. The care value base was brought in place such that every health and social care user or patient has the rights. These rights have been taken from the Human Rights Act, 2000. From this act a human has 16 basic rights, these are; • Right to life • Prohibition of torture • Prohibition of slavery and forced labour • Right to liberty and security • Right to a fair trail • No punishment without law • Right to respect for private and family life • Freedom of thought, conscience and religion • Freedom of expression • Freedom of assembly and association • Right to marry • Prohibition of discrimination • Protection of property • Right to education • Right to free elections • Abolition of the death penalty From the Human Rights Act, 2000 the care base value was brought in place were it gave individuals rights when using health and social care services. These rights are; • The right to be respected • Treated as an individual • Treated in a dignified way • Allowed privacy • Protected from danger and harm • Allowed access to personal information • Able to communicate using their preferred method • Cared for in a way that meets their needs and take account of their choices, and prospects Every individual that uses the health and social care services have these rights. These rights should be respected and demonstrated by the health and social care worker. If these rights are infringed at any time by the health and social care worker this can make the service user or patient feel vulnerable. As many people who use the health and social care service feel that the nursing/care people have a sense of power and even authority over them because of their position or job is different to their own. This may make the individual feel vulnerable by the way they themselves feel ‘lower’ than the nursing staff. This may make the individual feel uncomfortable around the nursing/care staff. Also if the individual is already feeling vulnerable this can make them an easy target for being discriminated and even abused against by nursing/care workers who doesn’t respect and demonstrate the individual rights. Also a lot of service users may not know their own rights and may feel vulnerable because the nursing/care staff don’t empower the individual by demonstrating their rights to them in their way of work. This type of patient or service users vulnerability is communally found on hospital ward nursing, where the nurses don’t have time to demonstrate this empowerment in their work or the nurses (for some reason) don’t wish to treat people as individuals but as the same. This is why it is important to empower an individual by promoting their rights so that don’t feel vulnerable. Diversity means recognising that everyone is different in some way. Importantly this also means ‘valuing’ the difference. Every service user is different, more communally know as individuals. It is important for health and social care workers to understand this. Without health and social care workers understanding that as a nation we are diverse, and we all need different needs, i.e. a person who is deaf need hearing aids and their preferred way of communication with other people, while a person who is blind will need signs, notes and menus in Braille and needs to be communicated with by his/hers own preferred way of communicating. The person who is deaf may prefer to communicate with people differently than to the person who is blind. While a person who is diabetic needs special diets and medication (depending on the individual). While a person who has Down syndrome may not need special diets and medication, but care and his/hers own way of preferred communication. It is important that we take into consideration that every individual is different and diverse and has different beliefs, needs different needs and wants different wants compared to ourselves. Without recognising the importance of difference and diverse won’t be achieved. The potential effects of discriminatory practice for those who use the health and social care services can range in many ways. Discrimination has the potential to affect individuals. In health and social care, the effects of discrimination can be catastrophic with the patient being made to suffer, or even end in the death of the service user. Any health and social care worker should be aware of the potential negative effects caused by discrimination. One of negative effects caused by discrimination is disempowerment. People who are discriminated against (normally by powerful groups and individuals in society such as health care professionals) are often totally disempowered. This means they are not able to take action for themselves. They have no way of fighting the discrimination and sadly lose the will to do anything about it. There is also another way an individual can be discriminated against and feel disempowered from the ‘health worker knows best’ syndrome. This may make the individual feel disempowered because the needs of the individual may not have been taken into consideration. Also the health worker may not have talked to the patient about the best treatment for him/her. The importance of difference and diversity are not being met, making the person not feeling like an individual like he/she should. One of the most important negative effects caused by discrimination (which we should be more aware of) is low self-esteem and self-identity. If a patient/service user has low self-esteem this means the person feels helpless and powerless to cope with situations and can even develop depression. People who are discriminated against are in real danger of developing low self-esteem which can lead to them being unable to cope with life’s challenges and changes. This is particularly important for those individuals who have to cope with illness or changes in their social condition. I.e. people who have cancer may feel vulnerable because of the loss of hair they will experience, this can then make them easy targets for other people to discriminate against them, because of the vulnerability, making them develop a low self-esteem. If the person is to cope well he/she will need to believe in themselves and feel like he/she has the ability to manage, whatever the situation he/she is in. Health care workers need to pay attention to an individual’s self-esteem. If the person/service user has a high self-esteem (or a more improved self-esteem from the low self-esteem which the individual has experienced) this can be a good method for helping the individual to cope positively and better with their situation. Research • BTEC National, Health & Social Care, Book 1. • BTEC National, Health & Social Care, Book 2.