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Unit 7 Learning Aim B
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Level 3 Health and Social Care- Pearson Unit 7 Learning Aim B- Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care DISTINCTION
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Charlotte BarclayUnit 7 Learning Aim B
Lisa Croucher
Unit 7 Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care- Learning Aim B
B.P3 Describe the types and signs of abuse and neglect that may be experienced by different
individuals
Abuse is the mistreatment of a service users by one or more people which violates the service users
civil, legal or human rights.
Neglect
Neglect occurs when the patients' needs aren’t sufficiently met. It can take many forms, such as poor
hygiene and having dirty clothes. Neglect can also have no physical signs, but can be indicated
through behaviour. Failure to protect those who are vulnerable from emotional harm is also a form
of neglect, as it causes them more distress. An act of omission is failure to provide a necessity such
as medication. This can occur in a health and social care setting when professionals fail to meet the
standard of their code of conduct. This could also occur due to the healthcare professional failing to
maintain the dignity of the service user and by failing to comply with a service users’ personal
preferences. If the dignity and privacy of the service user isn't protected, it could affect their
emotional wellbeing as well as taking away their empowerment. The main key physical signs of
neglect and acts of omission are; unexplained weight loss, ulcers and beds sores and a messy
appearance. The children on the Zebra ward were possibly neglected, as neither of the children were
secured into their seats and had a traffic accident. As a result, both children ended up sustaining
serious injury whereas their father suffered no injuries. This indicates that he had his seatbelt on and
didn’t ensure that his children were also secured before driving.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse includes aggressive acts such as; hitting, pushing, burning and misuse of medication.
Within a health and social care setting, a misuse of medication could include forcing a patient to take
medication that isn’t prescribed to them in order to get them under control. Furthermore, within a
health and social care setting, abuse such as pinching and poking is sometimes used. This goes
against the carers duty of care and should be investigated thoroughly. Prior to caring to a patient,
carers should always read the care plan to prepare themselves for any atypical behaviour, as an
inappropriate reaction to this behaviour could lead to accusations of abuse. It can sometimes be
hard to spot physical abuse as the main identifiable signs are bruises, which happen on a day-to-day
basis without physical abuse. Finger shaped bruises should always be investigated, especially if
they’re located on the face, neck or feet. Other signs of physical abuse include burn marks and
malnutrition. In the Zebra Ward, Lucy and Kevin Smith showed signs of physical abuse as they had
bruises at the bottom of their spine and burn marks on one of their necks. The father claimed that
the bruises were from 3 months prior but the healthcare professional treating them was not
convinced. (Billingham 2015)
Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse involves the regular and deliberate use of words and non-physical actions with
the purpose of hurting or manipulating a person mentally and emotionally. Although this form of
abuse has equally as devastating effects on the recipient as physical abuse, it is harder to notice as
there are no obvious physical signs, meaning it may not be noticed for a long period of time. Possible
signs of psychological abuse include; increased anxiety, self-harm and putting themselves in high-risk
situations. Emotional abuse involves the continual emotional mistreatment of a service user. An
, Charlotte Barclay
Unit 7 Learning Aim B
Lisa Croucher
example of this in a health and social care setting would be saying hurtful things in order to exercise
control and power. Verbal abuse involves saying hurtful words to someone with the intention of
hurting them emotionally. This could include shouting at a service user and using language that the
user will find disrespectful. Another form of psychological abuse is humiliation. Humiliation includes
belittling the service user in the presence of others. Psychological abuse often presents itself in the
form of unexplained behaviour changes. This could include the service user becoming withdrawn
and anxious or they could cry more than usual. Although this doesn’t always indicate abuse, it is
important that these behaviours be investigated.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is where a sexual activity or behaviour is forced upon a vulnerable person without their
consent. For example, rape or sexual assault. Sexual abuse can have emotional impacts on the
individual, resulting in mental health issues and depression. Often, a person who is sexually abused
will become isolated and anxious to talk to anyone. This then has negative effects on relationships,
health and wellbeing. Some will self-harm as a coping mechanism as a result of sexual abuse. When
working within a health and social care setting, it is important to know and recognise the signs of
sexual abuse. Some of these signs are; bleeding around the genital or anal area, unexplained
bruising, pregnancy and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections. If any of these signs are
noticed when treating a service user, they must be reported to the line manager. Evidence of abuse,
such as blood-stained clothes will have to be preserved in case it needs to later be used by the
police.
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse involves a perpetrator using money, limiting the controls of their partners current
and future actions. It is another term for stealing money or defrauding the service user of their
property or inheritance. Often, those who defraud vulnerable people are those who are close to the
service user or may even have power of attorney. Little objects such as jewellery are sometimes
stolen off of the service user as well. Although financial abuse is a crime, often the service user is
reluctant to press charges because they sometimes assume they have made a mistake or misplaced
the item or money. Furthermore, they can often be seen as an unreliable witness due to the fact
that they are vulnerable. When working with vulnerable people, it is the service providers
responsibility to ensure that the service users don’t fall victim to scams, as they are often targeted
by scammers and their ‘get rich quick’ schemes. Carers may notice that items go missing from the
service users house, or they are regularly short on money. These are signs of financial abuse and can
sometimes leave the service user unable to pay for household bills or with negative emotions as they
have been the victim of theft.
Abuse by Discrimination
It is important for care workers to be aware of the different types of discrimination, so that they can
recognise when it's happening. Sometimes it's hard to know whether someone is being
discriminated against, so questions should be asked to establish whether or not the service user is
being discriminated against. Service users can be protected by the Equality Act 2010, as this outlines
the legislation that helps to protect the patients. An example of abuse by discrimination would be
Beeches Drop-In Centre, as they didn’t have ramps for those who have limited mobility or are
disabled. This prevents them from accessing the services they need, that abled bodied people can
easily access. Discrimination can take the form of bullying, racism and sexual harassment. A sign of
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