Tahseen Al-Zahra
50554530
This report will show how working practices are used to meet the individual needs of
two case studies. The two service users are Jim and R. Jim has been diagnosed
with heart failure, stage 3 renal failure, and has high blood pressure. Jim has been
referred to a care home. R has been left needing support with independent living
after suffering a brain bleed, caused by a stroke, and was not found for 48 hours.
P1. Explain the Importance of Promoting Equality and Diversity for Individuals
With Different Needs
Equality in health and social care means that every person has equal access to the
services they require, and they receive service of equal quality which meets their
individual needs regardless of where they live and how they live their lives. 1 Diversity
is a range of human differences. These differences all come under the Equality Act
2010 and must be appreciated and treated with respect in health and social care.
Health and social care professionals promote equality and diversity by putting aside
their personal prejudices and working in a non-judgmental manner. They ensure that
all service users are treated fairly, and nobody is discriminated against due to a
characteristic they may have. To promote diversity, health and social care
professionals are encouraged to appreciate the differences between individuals, and
to treat people’s lifestyles, values, cultures, and beliefs with respect. 2
Equality and diversity ensure that peoples differences are celebrated, and they are
treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. This ensure individuals have
equal access to services provided, and their diverse needs are always met.
It is important that health and social care professionals can meet an individual’s
needs as every individual is different. Professionals do this by providing person-
centered care to their service users which ensures nobody is treated less favorably
than others. Every individual has unique needs, so a care plan is made with the
individual to ensure their needs are met. This enables the service user to control how
they are supported and cared for, as well as minimizes the risk of the individual
feeling neglected.
In the care plan which has been created for R, we can see how health professionals
promote equality and diversity to ensure the individual being cared for is always
comfortable. R is a male who enjoys dressing in clothes that are normally associated
with women. In R’s care plan, it states that his care worker should offer to help him to
dress when required, and his care worker should accept his choice of clothing. The
care plan shows how R’s care worker will be promoting equality and diversity whilst
caring for him, as they will be treating him equally by not judging his choice of
clothes and instead, appreciating his lifestyle choice and treating it with respect.
In Jim’s care plan, we are told that Jim is a committed Christian who attends chapel
regularly. His care plan states that his care worker should support him with
celebrating Easter and Christmas and facilitate contact with the minister where
possible. His care worker is also instructed to prepare a fish lunch for Jim on Fridays
if he would like, as some Christians prefer to substitute meat with fish on a Friday,
1
(Pamela, 2016)
2
(Petty, 2018)
,Tahseen Al-Zahra
50554530
and to also respect the fact that he does not drink alcohol. This shows how Jim’s
care worker will be promoting equality and diversity by respecting Jim’s religious
beliefs and supporting his lifestyle, by helping him celebrate his religious festivals
and respecting his dietary requirements.
If equality and diversity were not promoted in health and social care, this could lead
to service users feeling as though their diverse needs cannot be catered for. If Jim’s
care worker only prepared food that included alcohol, this would mean that Jim’s
individual needs would not be met, as he does not drink alcohol. This could lead to
Jim not eating his meal, which can have a negative effect on his health. Therefore,
Jim’s care worker must be aware of his dietary requirements so they can be catered
for, so his individual needs are met.
If R’s care worker refused to accept his choice of clothes when helping him get
dressed, this would mean his individual needs are not met as R enjoys dressing in
clothes associated with women. If his care worker did not accept his choice of
clothes, it could impact his self-esteem and cause him to feel low. Therefore, equality
and diversity need to be promoted within health and social care, so individuals feel
as though their needs are supported and they are always comfortable.
Discrimination is when someone has a preconception about an individual or a group
of people. This may be due to someone’s race, age, ethnicity, gender, religious
belief, sexuality, social class, secular belief, disability, health, ability, address, family
structure, or appearance. If an individual or group is treated unfairly because of any
of these characteristics, it is classed as discrimination. Discrimination is against the
equality act and is unlawful.
There are 4 types of discrimination. Unfair discrimination is when an individual is
treated unfairly compared to someone else. An example of this is if someone is not
considered for a job role due to their religious beliefs, despite having the same
amount of experience and qualifications as other candidates. 3 Direct discrimination is
when an individual is treated less favorably than someone else, because of a
protected characteristic they possess. Direct discrimination can be proved easily as it
is heard or witnessed by others. An example of direct discrimination is calling
someone of a different race name.
Indirect discrimination is when an individual is discriminated against indirectly. For
example, a strict dress code in a workplace could discriminate against someone as
some employees may not be able to follow the dress code due to their religious
beliefs. Positive discrimination is when a decision is made in favor of someone
because of a characteristic they possess. An example of this would be if an
employer decided the workplace needs to be more diverse so they employ a person
of colour over a white person, despite the white person being more suitable for the
job role, just so the person of colour brings diversity to the workplace.
3
(Pamela, 2016)
, Tahseen Al-Zahra
50554530
It is important that healthcare professionals protect individuals who use health and
social care services from discrimination, as these individuals are often vulnerable.
The Equality Act 2010 is a piece of legislation in the UK that protects all individuals
from discrimination within society. The equality act promotes equality and diversity
for all individuals and protects people from any form of discrimination they may face
because of protected characteristics we all have. 4 There are 9 protected
characteristics under the equality act. These are age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion
or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
R suffered a brain bleed caused by a stroke and was not found for 48 hours. This
has resulted in R having limited mobility. R’s care worker needs to ensure he uses a
wheelchair when going out, to take care of his physical wellbeing. They should also
ensure he has equal opportunities and is taken to physio appointments regularly, so
his chances of better mobility increase. R may also face discrimination as he is a
male who often enjoys dressing in clothes normally associated with women. His care
workers must embrace and accept his choice of clothing and ensure he comfortable
and happy; as if he is discriminated against, it may have a negative impact on his
emotional wellbeing. R has some speech difficulties and is often reluctant to
communicate with his friends. He should be supported to attend a speech therapy
class and should be encouraged to contact his friends virtually, so he doesn’t feel
lonely and isolated.
Jim is often reluctant to drink fluids, as he suffers from incontinence due to
frusemide. This may lead to him suffering from water retention due to kidney failure.
Jim’s care worker needs to encourage him to drink water with his meals, to ensure
he stays healthy. Jim sometimes does not change his clothes when they are soiled
because he is embarrassed. His healthcare professionals need to offer to support
him change and have a bath or shower. This ensures Jim feels supported and is not
discriminated against because of his incontinence. Jim is also a committed Christian
who does not drink alcohol. Jim’s health and social care professionals should
respect his religion and choice by ensuring they do not offer him anything with
alcohol as he may feel discriminated against if they do. The Equality Act 2010
protects both R and Jim against discrimination for their protected characteristics.
M1. Analyse the Impact of Preventing Discrimination for Individuals With
Different Needs
Discrimination can have extremely negative psychological effects on individuals. It
can lead to people feeling worthless and vulnerable. It can also lead to individuals
losing their self-esteem, self-worth and suffering from fatal long-term effects. If
someone experiences discrimination due to their weight, this could lead to them
developing an eating disorder. When eating disorders are not taken seriously, they
can be life threatening.
A mental health charity called ‘Stonewall’ carried out a survey. This survey showed
that around a quarter of LGBTQ+ people have witnessed or experienced
4
(Comission, 2020)
