In this essay, I will be reflecting on my own professional and personal values and
how they will help or hinder my ability to provide effective person-centred care in the
context of the nine protected characteristics. However, the definitions of personal
and professional values need to be distinguished to do this. Personal values are
goals that motivate a person’s actions and therefore, serve as principles on which
they want to base their behaviour and attitudes (Sagiv et al 2017). Whereas
professional values are values that guide a person’s everyday practice that help
maintain a professional relationship between the patient and the physiotherapist. But
it should be noted that professional values are determined by an individual’s
personal values therefore, the two types of values are interconnected (Aguilar et al
2014). The Physiotherapy regulatory bodies have ethical guidelines which specify
the professional values and behaviours that every physiotherapist needs to possess
and apply when practising in the healthcare system (CSP 2019 b). These standards
are set to ensure that all patients are receiving person-centred care. Person-centred
care (PCC) is care that is individualised to the patient, therefore, ensuring that the
patient’s needs, and values are respected and help determine treatment plan
decisions (NHS Health Education England 2017). However, this is only one definition
as according to the Health Foundation there are many different definitions because it
is only an emerging aspect of healthcare therefore, it still needs to be developed and
understood further by patients as well as by healthcare staff (The Health Foundation
2014).
Therefore, to prevent restricting the definition of person-centred care, the Health
Foundation has designed a framework that includes four different principles which
include: treating people with respect, dignity, and compassion, offering coordinated
and personalised care, support or treatment as well as supporting patients to
recognise and develop their own strengths and abilities to enable them to live an
independent and fulfilling life (The Health Foundation, 2014). However, it should be
noted that the different definitions fail to include the patients’ opinion of what patient-
centred care entails so is it actually person-centred care if the patients’ thoughts
were not included in the definition? However, providing those who suffer from a
disability, especially those with a mental or learning disability, with person-centred
care can be difficult. This is due to the fact they often do not have the capacity to
give consent thus, cannot make their own decisions about their healthcare (NHS
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, 2019). Therefore, the definition of PCC needs to acknowledge that carers, parents,
and guardians are also able to make decisions about the patient’s healthcare as well
whenever the patient is not legally capable to make their own.
The standards set by the regulatory bodies ensure that all patients receive the
highest quality of care from a staff that have the professional and personal values
that are required to treat their patients with respect and dignity. The Equality Act
(2010) protects people from discrimination that is based on: age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion
or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. These are called the nine protected
characteristics. (Equality and Human Rights Commission 2020). In this essay, I am
going to discuss the meaning of “person-centred care in relation to one of nine
protected characteristics. I am going to focus on disability as I have experience
working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which is classed as a
developmental disability that I believe is relevant to this essay. Under the Equality
Act (2010) a disability is defined as a physical, mental, or developmental condition
that negatively affects a person’s ability to complete everyday activities which affect
them long-term (Equality Act 2010). Additionally, I will examine how the delivery of
person-centred health care is affected by the standards set out by the physiotherapy
regulatory bodies.
Regulatory bodies set professional values which are integrated into our
physiotherapy education and training. (CSP 2019 b). The different regulatory
bodies for physiotherapists have slight differences in their codes of conduct however,
they all have the same goal which is for all healthcare staff to be able to provide
exceptional care that is centred around the patients’ values and beliefs.
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) is a regulatory body for
physiotherapists in the UK. It has a Code of Members’ Professional Values and
Behaviour that details the values and behaviours that the CSP requires all student
physiotherapists to possess. These are, therefore, heavily integrated into Cardiff
University teaching. There are four main principles that the Code focuses on which
include: taking responsibility for your actions, behaving ethically, delivering an
effective service, and striving to achieve excellence (CSP 2019a).
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