Benecia Rodrigues
Unit 5 Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs
Ethical Care
P7 Explain the roles and responsibilities of different members of the multidisciplinary
team in meeting the needs of specific individual
In this assessment I will explain the role and responsibilities of different members in a
multidisciplinary and how they would be able to meet Valerie’s and Billy’s specific needs. A multi-
disciplinary team is a combination of different specialists who work together to meet an individual's
specific needs. They are experts in their field and they have different roles and responsibilities in
order to help individuals when facing complex situations such as taking medication. They apply a
holistic approach, meaning they provide support to individual’s mental, emotional, social, spiritual
wellbeing and physical needs1.
Care Study 1: Valerie B. aged 24 years
Valerie B. was admitted to the community hospital, following surgery for her appendix which burst
before she could reach hospital.Valerie has mental health problems which began when her parents
died when she was six years old. Valerie’s surgery was complicated due to her being obese. She has
low self-esteem and cannot see why she needs to lose weight or change her lifestyle.Valerie lives in
flat provided by a housing association, but has been bullied by local teenagers because of her
obesity.Valerie’s surgical wound is healing, but she does not want to go home because she is afraid
that the bullying will start again. She is unemployed and receives Universal benefit.Valerie has a
hearing impairment but has never been assessed for any support to improve her hearing. Valerie is a
vegetarian.
Case study 4: Billy G. aged 18 years
Billy is homeless and was admitted to the community hospital by a passing paramedic, when he had
an asthma attack in the street. The city hospital did not have beds and so a place was found in the
community hospital.Billy left home following an argument with his mother’s partner, which resulted
in a violent fight between Billy and the man. He has been living on the streets since this incident. The
weather is cold and damp which contributed to the asthma attack.Billy has a visual impairment and
finds street living difficult. He cannot clearly read road signs or find his way around the city easily.
Billy has complained about stomach pains since being admitted to hospital, which could be due to
him living mainly on food from rubbish bins, thrown out by local restaurants. Billy cannot go back
home from hospital, because his mother has changed the locks and has refused to visit him.
Getting help from a multidisciplinary team would benefit Valerie and Billy as they would receive
collaborative support from a wide range of experts therefore enhancing their treatment 2 leading to
an improvement in their health and wellbeing. This would also allow them to live a more
independent life which would therefore improve their quality of life as they are able to make their
one decisions, create goals and have control over which treatment they prefer. However, having a
multidisciplinary team would build pressure on Billy and Valerie as they would need to follow many
1https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/psychosocial/principles/Pages/holistic.aspx#:~:text=A%20holistic%20approach%20means%20to,emotional%2C
%20social%20and%20spiritual%20wellbeing.
2 https://brandongaille.com/11-multidisciplinary-team-advantages-and-disadvantages/
, Benecia Rodrigues
Unit 5 Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs
Ethical Care
different treatments which may confuse them leading them to dismiss their treatments resulting in
poor health conditions.
For example Valerie’s multidisciplinary team would involve a Practitioner, Internists, District nurse,
Diabetic nurse, Mental health nurse, Psychiatrists or Psychologists, Social worker, Housing officer,
Councillor, Nutritionist or Dietitian, Fitness instructor and a Hearing impairment or Audiologist. On
the other hand, Billy’s multidisciplinary would involve a Paramedic, General practitioner, Asthmatic
nurse, Pulmonologist, Gastroenterologist, a Nurse, Nutritionist, Optometrist or Ophthalmologist,
Psychologist, Mental health nurse, Social worker, Youth worker, Housing officer and Police.
Valerie B is 24 years old whose appendix burst before she could reach hospital.This condition was
caused by a bacteria multiplying rapidly causing the appendix to become inflamed, swollen and filled
with pus. If it is not treated promptly, the appendix can rupture 3. This condition would be diagnosed
by a Practitioner. A Practitioner is an individual with a profession in medicine; who works in a health
and social setting such as hospitals or clinics. The Practitioner would discuss and review treatment as
well as prescribe medication and provide preventative care. This would allow her to receive the
most suitable treatment for her condition leading Valerie to improve her health and wellbeing
resulting in an improvement in her quality of life. A General surgeon would also be involved in
Valerie’s appendix treatment as the surgeon would perform a surgery in order to remove the burst
appendix. One of the surgery that the General surgeon may perform is a keyhole surgery, this is the
usual preferred method of removing the appendix because the recovery tends to be quicker than
with open surgery4. This would benefit Valerie as this would reduce the risk of belly infection, called
peritonitis. This is a very serious condition which would be life threatening if not treated right away 5.
This surgery would positively impact Valerie as this would save her life resulting in her to have a
healthy independent life.
Valerie B would also be suggested to other professionals such as an Internist; an Internist is a
medical specialist in internal diseases6. The internists would have diagnosed and provided treatment
to Valeria B. They are especially well trained in the ongoing care of chronic illnesses and caring for
patients who have more than one disease7; in Valeria’s case this would be also be helpful as she is
obese which may lead her to have type two diabetes therefore an Internist would diagnose and treat
both conditions by providing treatment in order to prevent these diseases’. Most internists provide
care in a hospitalised setting meaning Valerie would have to travel to the hospital for her regular
check-ups to examine her progress.
As Valerie is obese she has a higher risk of having type 2 diabeties therefore she would be assisted
with a Diabetic nurse. The Diabetic nurse would provide Valerie good care and promote self-care
management such as teaching her to take the right medication at the right time. The nurse would
3https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/appendicitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369543#:~:text=A%20blockage%20in%20the%20lining,promptly%2C
%20the%20appendix%20can%20rupture.
4 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/appendicitis/treatment/
5https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/appendicitis#:~:text=Complications%20of%20Appendicitis,if%20not
%20treated%20right%20away.
6 https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
7https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/what-is-a-doctor-of-internal-medicine-or-internist-0#:~:text=Internal%20medicine%20physicians%2C%20or
%20internists,from%20health%20to%20complex%20illness
