Concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health

Understand concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health and social care D1: Analyse the benefits of understanding diversity in relation to health and social care Diversity is something described between the differences of two individuals. Diversity means that all individuals showed be respected and valued, therefore you must be aware of the individual’s differences and must not barricade the way they have been cared for. It is you knowing and looking after an individual with full understanding of the difference in their personal characteristics. It is also when you encourage those differences and use them in different cohesive communities and in an effective work force. It is important that you recognise that each individual is unique and should be valued at all times and respected even due to their differences.

Practitioners such as care workers, nursery nurses and doctors etc, must implement on diversity because they will therefore be able to give the best quality of care for the service user or patient, the individual will feel valued and respected by the practitioner this means that they will be able to communicate effectively and be able to go through any types of problems without the individual feeling uncomfortable or unhappy. There are a range of benefits in understanding diversity in relation to health and social care, this could be that when understanding the role of diversity you are able to build a positive relationship between yourself and the service user, therefore this will allow the practitioner to understand and relate to the service user much more effectively. In a health and social care setting an example of this may be in a nursing home setting all the service users present there may be from different racial backgrounds therefore it is important that whatever they eat and celebrate should be promoted as it shows that the individual’s beliefs are being respected and valued.

It is important that you know and understand the differences that may take place in different ethnic backgrounds or cultures, this will allow the practitioners such as care workers to understand the different backgrounds of that service user, this will let the care worker understand and value your beliefs, therefore you will be encouraged to celebrate different festivals and events such as Christmas, Eid and Diwali etc. This will allow the service user to feel empowered and in control of their own lives, the care worker or practitioner will also be able to acknowledge and build up an increased understanding of the service user’s culture and what they may do within it.

An example of this may be that Dina is the only service user present at the care home who is a practicing Hindu therefore the care workers present at the residential home made sure that Diwali was also celebrated at the home, they had lit candles and decorated the place, this had made Dina feel valued and respected as the care worker had appreciated her religious beliefs and background, this will make the service user feel more empowered. Once the individual is able to understand the concept of diversity, this will then allow them to authorize their patients or clients, this is because they’re treating them as who they are and normal individuals in society.

It is important that the care worker or practitioner values their clients this is because, the client will be able to feel more comfortable and will be able to express any of their needs or problems to the care worker. This will improve the life of the service use as they will begin to feel more independent and empowered. This will allow the service users to do things for themselves this will allow them to feel confidence in themselves and it will also balance out their health and well -being. An example of this may be in a children’s nursery, a child is putting together a jigsaw however he is finding trouble finding the correct pieces that fit in, the nursery nurse did not put the child down by telling them they’re not capable of doing it or doing it for herself instead she had told him to look at the different edges and experiment the different shapes, this had helped the child much more and had also boosted his confidence on where to put the pieces without any physical help from the nursery nurse.

There may be Practitioners or care workers that may not understand the beliefs and religions, and the likes and dislikes of other individuals in order to empower them. This is because clients and service users should be able to practice any type of religion or culture they believe in without them feeling as if another person will treat them differently and they won’t be valued. If the care worker or practitioner has no knowledge of that individuals belief they could go on an anti-discriminatory cause or any other cause which can teach them diversity and how everyone should be treated as themselves with full understanding of their personal characteristics.

This will stop any difficulties or problems from happening in the health and social care setting, it will bring out a much more positive effect as the practitioners and under individuals present will have full understanding of another service user therefore they are able to value and respect them in the way they should at all times. An example of this may be there is a Lebanese woman in the care home, she is only allowed to eat halal meat therefore the care worker had informed the cook in the care home in order for the service user to be respected and in order for their needs to be met efficiently, this will make the service user feel as an individual and valued.

There are many benefits and ways to understand diversity in a health and social care setting, these benefits will be that you will show respect for different individuals no matter what ethnicity, age or gender they may be etc. this will allow the individual to develop a high skilled work force, as they will be able to contrivance on different anti-discriminatory practices on everyday life, this will help the service user get on with their lives feeling as though they’re valued and not disrespected in any way. It is important that the care worker does not devalue the service user to due to a disability an example of this may be An example of this in a health and social care setting may be a service user in a care home has a walking stick for the pain that is caused in his leg the care worker then helps support the care worker when all the other service users go out for their daily walks around the park in the afternoon this will help the service user not feel any different and will therefore make them feel respected and valued.

When the care worker understands the perception of diversity, this will allow the care worker to empower the clients as they are treating them as an individual and for who they are due to their own personal characteristics, this is important because most individuals will be different from each other whether it is due to religious beliefs or a change in ethnicity etc. It is important that you respect and value other people’s differences this will make them feel as if you want to interact with them efficiently knowing they may have a different background to you. An example may be that in a nursing home there are service users celebrating Christmas Maya is a Muslim who does not really celebrate it however the care workers and service users may ask her if she wants to join in but not force them as they respect what she believes in and whether she wants to celebrate it or not.

In order to stop discrimination from occurring indirect and direct, indirect discrimination is when a person may be treated unequally and mat be treated less constructively than another individual, this may be due to their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or even social class. Also direct discrimination can be when you are treated in an offending and unfair manner simply because of who you are, direct discrimination is against the Equality act 2010, any type of discrimination which is against the equality act is unlawful this may mean that the civil law is able to take action against you due to you discriminating another individual. On the other hand indirect discrimination is when you apply a provision or make a decision in the same way for all people or a particular group of people, this shows that one type of group is just favored against the other this may cause indirect discrimination towards the other group as they have not been given the same equal rights. It is important that they do not take place because this cause the client or service user from feeling uncomfortable and they may not be able to interact with others due to this happening.

In order to prevent any time of discrimination from taking place it is important that the care worker gives the service user support at all times whether it is medical support or emotional support, this will make the service user feel valued and cared for. An example of this may be in a hospital, a support worker may be going around asking the patients whether they want any refreshments, one patient may be from a Japanese origin and the rest were British citizens, the support worker did not ask the Japanese woman and instead missed her out and moved on to the next bed, this shows discrimination as the woman was discriminated due to her background and ethnicity therefore the patient may have felt devalued. It is important that the care workers understand that service users are entitled to having their own independence, when living in a health and social care setting such as a care home it does not mean that you are always dependent on others such as the care workers you are also able to do stuff out of your own accord.

An example of this may be that a service user wants to make their own smoothie however due to his arthritis in his hands the care worker is not allowing them, however on the other hand the service user must be encouraged in order to do something for himself instead of getting a staff member in the care home to do it for them, this will not build up their confidence to do things on their own. This is also important because the service user will not feel as if they’re a burden upon someone and that once in a while they can do something for themselves. Individuals such as service users should be able to take part in different activities that may happen in the health and social care setting, this is because it will make the service user feel more part of the environment and it will not make them feel left out. If the care worker is sure that the service user does not want to take part the care worker should still have the audacity to go and ask them politely, this will make the service user feel more respected and make them feel as if the staff members care for them.

When the service user decides to take part in any type of activity or club they will be able to get rid of any type of stress upon them. An example of this may be that the care worker is going to make a knitting club for Sunday afternoons, all the service users love taking part in this joyful activity as they are able to make things for their family such as grandchildren, Lara is a service user sat far in the corner, the care worker had thought to go ask Lara politely whether she would like to join this club Lara had felt happy that the care worker had asked so she had declined in a polite way as she was not fond of knitting. This shows that the care worker is showing respect and is valuing the service user in order for them to gain confidence and be happy staying in that environment.

In conclusion it is essential for individuals to maintain respect, dignity and equality towards the service users that they may be looking after. If the care workers do not be able to maintain this service user will feel as if their rights have not been met and their needs have not been met. Diversity is important because this will help every service user be accepted the way they are therefore they will not be judged according to their differences. Also when showing diversity towards another individual this will make them feel cared for and respected therefore their self-confidence will boost and they will be able to approach others easily. Diversity benefits others as it shows individuals that you respect others beliefs, gender, age etc., this will make the service users and the care worker to build a relationship and strong bond between each other therefore this will help them overcome any differences and value each other.