Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison

In this piece of written assignment, the author intends to explain the concepts of equality, diversity and rights in relation to health and social care. This will include the benefits of diversity and how they benefit society. Equality is to treat everyone equally, despite of their differences. As all individuals should be treated equally, there are laws that are in place to ensure that it happens. To confide with the law, organisations have equal polices to ensure everyone is treated fairly. For example, in a care home the residents should all have the same options of activities to take part in, despite their differences. Diversity means accepting and respecting individuals for their differences. This means that everyone is recognised as being different and their difference is valued and respected. For example, in a care home the residents differences in religion are to be respected and they should be allowed to practice their beliefs. Rights are legal entitlements that all individuals have. For example, all individuals have the rights to live in society without being abused or discriminated against because of their differences in gender, sexuality, race, skin colour, beliefs or culture. For example, all residents in a care home have the right to clean water and food, despite their differences from one another. Principles of the care value base There are seven principles of the care value base and they ensure the individual is at the heart of health and social care provision. These principles form a value base and are all of equal importance and form the basis of a relationship between a client and colleague. The seven principles are 1) the promotion of antidiscriminatory practice, 2) the promotion and support of dignity, independence and safety, 3) respect for, and acknowledgement of, personal beliefs and an individuals identity, 4) the maintenance of confidentiality, 5) protection from abuse and harm, 6) the promotion of effective communication and relationships and 7) the provision of personalised care.

Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison

The benefits of diversity Britain is a multicultural society with a large variety of people from different backgrounds, who live and work all over the country. The largest immigrant groups live in and around London, with other groups living in industrial centred in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the rest of the south-east. In total, 6.5% of the British population consists of ethnic minorities. The British population is made up of: white 53,074,000, Black Caribbean 490,000, Black African 376,000, Black other 308,000, Indian 930,000, Pakistani 663,000, Bangladeshi 268,000, Chinese 137,000, other Asian 209,000 (includes Vietnamese, Malaysian and Thai), other 424,000 (people who did not think that they fit into the other categories). This means that people working within a health or social care organisation and people that use these services will come from diverse backgrounds and bring with them a wide range of behaviours and beliefs. Britain is such a diverse country, and this means that everyone should be treated as an individual and be valued for who they are. Diversity benefits everyone, with people valuing each other and experiencing a strong bond with others from different backgrounds. However, this some times is not the case and some people fear something they know nothing about and discriminate against the different backgrounds. People from different backgrounds use health and social care services, so therefore the staff and professionals need to be aware of any unfair and unwanted discrimination from the service users. These people usually act out of ignorance and may cause upset and offence; however they still need to be treated fairly and equally. Fortunately, this only happens with a small amount of people. However, some people may just be in a vulnerable state of mind meaning just like other people they will need care and support. Britain has passed laws to help bring people together from diverse backgrounds, so as a nation we can celebrate our multicultural society. Social and cultural benefits of diversity There are various benefits of diversity both socially and culturally, and these include the arts, cultural enrichment, tolerance, education, food, language and social cohesion.

Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison

The arts: the arts provide a valuable way of bringing diversity to a wide range of audience. Films that are made in other countries, for example, can demonstrate culture from around the world in a form that is easy to understand. It will also educate people about other cultures, meaning in turn they are less likely to discriminate against other people. Museums and exhibitions give people a better understanding and education of cultures from the past and the present to people all over the world. Plays and other performances can bring experience of contemporary world culture. all of these things can help people develop a better understanding of cultures that they might not be familiar with. It helps people appreciate the differences between them and others from different cultures, and in turn bringing them closer to one another. In a health and social care setting such as a care home where the service users stay for a long time, if the care workers develop a deeper understanding of arts then they can develop a better relationship with the service user. Diet: another benefit of diversity is its food. In a recent survey, the Chinese dish chow mein was voted the favourite dish, with Indian being the other main choice. Both chow mein and Indian were the two choices are accounted for 70 per cent of the food choices according to the market leader in consumer survey analysis Mintel. Stir-fry was considered a very healthy option with Mexican also being a popular choice. Only 6 per cent of the 1000 people questioned admitted to never eating ethnic food. This is important in health and social care settings as a care worker has to take into account the service users individual tastes when planning their diet. More people are starting to enjoy a diet that contains more herbs and spices and this could be down to our multicultural society and also because people are travelling more to other countries and tasting different types of food and drink. Some people have specific food requirements because of either health reasons or personal beliefs. For example, a diabetic would not be able to have a diet that is high in sugar and some people only choose to eat halal meet for religious reasons and beliefs. In a care home, if the care worker asks the service users about their food preferences then this shows to the service user that they are taking into account and respecting their diversity.

Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison

Education: education has developed a lot in recent years as diverse cultures are now being explored and valued within the curriculum. Schools and colleges are now including a range of studies in a wide range of cultures and languages. The education system has also benefited from people from different backgrounds reaching managerial positions and making changes in relation to diversity. With the increase in diversity, equality and rights being included within training in the health and social care profession, it has become an important part within the professional training programme. The Royal College of General Practitioners, for example, places great importance on the promotion of equality and diversity in GP training. All organisations are required by law to train their staff in equality, diversity and rights, usually under the equal opportunities framework, and it usually takes place in the induction programme. In service training is also a requirement for all British workforce as education is an important tool in helping get rid of ignorance about diversity. For example, if care workers in a health and social care are trained on equality, diversity and rights then they can use what knowledge and experience they have to provide better care to the service users. Language: learning another language can be very beneficial for health and social care professions as not only does it give them a change to work abroad, it also enables them to learn something new. With the development of online services, there is a wealth of information in most spoken languages. Information is now available in sign language, meaning individuals with who are visually impaired can use specialised software which speaks to the viewer. Also most major websites have an accessibility option for people who can not read the text. People who can speak languages other than English are highly wanted in health and social care services because many of the users of that particular services may not speak English. Interpretation is seen as a new career in the health and social care services so speaking another language is clearly beneficial for health and social car professionals. For example, in a care home where there is a lady who has French as her first language may struggle to speak to speak fluent English. However if there was a professional that worked there who spoke French then they would be able to provide better services and care.

Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison

Tolerance: tolerances is a very good quality for a person working in health and social care to have. When working in these services, a care professional may come across people they do not get on with or who have different views to them. This means a professional must be mature and professional with colleagues and helping people, even if they dont want to. Differences have to be accepted, even more in health and social care than any other occupations. For example, in a care home the care worker and the service user have different views on what time they believe meal times should be. The care worker must be tolerant towards the service user by letting them chose when they want to eat, and making sure this is possible. Social cohesion: a social cohesion, which could also be called community cohesion, is where a community or social group sticks together (cohesion). These may be formed for a number of reasons such as ethnicity. Belonging to a community is very important to human behaviour as it makes them feel safe and understood within community, providing a group that sticks together. In times of crisis such as the big freeze in December 2009, people said on the news that strangers were helping each other cope with the icy conditions. This means strong bonds are formed between individuals. Social cohesion can also be strengthened under circumstances such as these. Health and social care team members need to form this type of bind, as working in diverse teams requires each member to respect all the other members in the team and to value each member as an individual. If the team member fails with these things them the team will operate ineffectively and will therefore eventually fall apart, causing major difficulties for the people that are using the services. Cultural enrichment: all of the social and cultural benefits will bring out cultural enrichment through diversity, which will improve the life for everyone including the people that work in health and social care and those that use the services that they provide. The economic benefits of diversity

Equality, Diversity and Rights for Health and Social Care

P1 Sarah Harrison
The economic benefits can be seen everywhere in society, for the clothes people to wear to the food which they eat. the many diverse shops that range from big names on the high street to small independent manufactures and those who sell their products on the internet, all add up to a richly varied community. Imports and exports now make this a global community, as it is possible to buy and sell products with various countries. All of these aspects underline the importance of diversity to the economic well-being of Britain and the world. For health and social services, this means that there are new techniques, equipment and software developments that are being shared around the world. This all means that people are benefiting from diversity. For example, in a hospital the care workers can be trained new techniques that can help improve the care that the service users receive. Employment and expertise: most organisations, including health and social care services, have come to realise that their service users come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and therefore it is important that their workforce reflects this. The Race Relations Act 2000 promoted race equality, equality of opportunity and good race relations in public bodies including health and care services. This has helped to build an appropriate diverse workforce. This means that organisations have also realised that by positively encouraging potential employees to apply for the jobs they increase the change of getting the right person, which they might not have dont before. For example, a hospital would have more chance of finding the right individual for a specific role, and this can make a difference in the care and support a service user might receive.