Unit 2 equality, diversity and rights
Equality ensures that everyone is treated fairly and not discriminated against. It helps
assures that everyone is treated the same e.g everyone is given the same
opportunities no matter there race, cultur or sex. Furthermore equality ensures
everyone is given the chance for an education and that no one is deprived of their
rights because of where they live, their beliefs or if they have disability.
An example of this in health and social care is when a doctor or nurse meets a
patient, he or she should treat the patient the same no matter their race, gender or
religion. The Doctor or nurse should always remain professional towards each
patient and treat them fairly, ensuring that the best healthcare and advice is given
at all times regardless of the individual's culture, religion,age, gender etc.
Diversity is a group of different people i.e could be different race, ethnic, gender or
sexual orientation. Diversity means understanding that people are unique and not
everyone's the same.
In health and social care you will meet a variety of diverse people, and as healthcare
professions we need to embrace them and not make them feel like outsiders.
Working in healthcare you will meet a range of people which you will have to respect
and understand. You can not treat them differently because they are unique or
different to you, they must be treated equally.
An example of diversity is in the LGBTQ community, which is a community that
empowers and appreciates everyone no matter their sexual orientation.
Rights are legal entitlements. Everyone is entitled to their rights for example the right
of freedom. Everyone has rights because they are human and it is not depending on
the individual society or culture.
Rights are extremely important within health and social care. Rights exist because it
ensures that everyone is entitled and is provided with healthcare that they need.
Furthermore it improves the experience and quality for everyone.As a healthcare
professional, you need to make sure that you respect everyone's human rights.
Diversity is important for several reasons, it brings communities and people together.
It makes people realise that not everyone's the same. People can also see how
individuals have been brought up and how they are unique, furthermore, it can make
people more aware of what is going on in the world and see things from a different
perspective.”Diversity and inclusion is the combination of different cultures, ideas,
and perspectives that brings forth greater collaboration, creativity, and innovation,
which leads to better patient care and satisfaction.”1
1:http://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/why-is-diversity-in-nursing-so-important
, Diversity is beneficial to everyone because you can see a different perspective to
things especially because everyone comes from a different background and all have
different characteristics. In turn this means we all have different skills.
There are several more reasons why and how diversity benefits us. One reason is
because of the arts, for example the museums they show a variety of photos and
painting from all over the world and every single one of them has different
characteristics, this benefits people as they get to see things from another culture
and from someone else's perspective, they therefore then grow to respect and
understand that no everyone is the same.Another example of the arts are the films,
these can demonstrate and show us different cultures and we can learn more about
them and see what makes each culture unique.
Diversity is beneficial because we get to try new diets from another country and see
how another country or culture makes their food. Due to our multicultural society
many people like to try foods with herbs and spices. Diversity in diets is very
important in health and social care as we have to ask about a patient's dietary needs
to ensure we understand their culture.
Diversity is beneficial for education as it demonstrates that everyone should be
accepted no matter their race, gender or ethnic.It shows people that everyone should
make other individuals feel respected and not judged.
In health and social care if you could speak more than one language it would be an
advantage to you and the patient as for example if you had a patient from a different
country and you spoke their language you would easily be able to communicate with
them whereas if you only knew your home country language you would not be able
to understand them or give them the best treatment possible.
Diversity can also cause social cohesion; this is where a community sticks together
and is formed for numerous reasons, i.e race. This provides a safe and
understanding environment for the community and it also an important bond a health
professional will form with patients and other colleagues.
The last benefit of diversity is tolerance. In health and social care you will meet a
variety of people with different views and opinions and as a health care professional
you need to be mature and respect everyone's culture,beliefs or religion.
Equality and individual rights can be promoted through;
Empowering individuals, this can be done by including people making them feel as
though they are important and that people do recognise them as the same therefore
empower equality and ensuring everyone is treated the same. you could also ask for
their opinions and make them feel as though they matter. As a healthcare
professional you could empower patients by encouraging them to do things
independently. This will empower the patient as they can become less dependent on
family or friends. You may need to challenge others who unintentionally discriminate.
This could mean challenging your colleagues and if you don't do this you could get
caught up in discriminatory behaviour yourself. In health and social care if you hear