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Distinction Unit 10 Task 1: Sociological Perspectives
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Task 1, achieved a distinction grade. Level 3 BTEC Health and Social Care
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Kisenyi Mukalere24/4/23
Can inequality make us ill?
Unit 10: Sociological Perspectives - Task 1
This report will focus on the evaluation of the roles that sociological
perspectives have when it comes to the understanding of society as well as
models and concepts of health, more specifically in relation to service
provision within a healthcare setting such as Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital.
The case study, Angelina M, is a 51 year old builder who has recently suffered a
fractured hip and has since been admitted to Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital after visiting A&E. She remains an outpatient in Lord Wigram Ward,
for trauma and orthopaedics. Angelina has been added to a waiting list for hip
replacement surgery. Angelina has been diagnosed with a hearing impairment
which was caused by ageing, she uses a hearing aid in order to combat her
hearing difficulties. Angelina is an Orthodox Christian and comes from an
Orthodox background, she attends church weekly with her sister, Madeline.
Angelina lives alone without any children and has hopes to retire before she
reaches 60. She also suffers from depression caused by the death of her
parents which has negatively affected her relationships with others. However,
she has not been formally diagnosed. Angelina often feels as though she is
different from others and shies away from interacting with new people.
Angelina’s depression has prevented her from being as assertive as she used
to be.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is run by the NHS Foundation Trust and
provides both specialist and general services, they have a wide array of
services in which they offer such as A&E and orthopaedics. This hospital is
within London, a busy city. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in combination
with West Middlesex University Hospital features over 6,000 staff members and
provides care to over 1.5 million people, with 300,000 being treated yearly
(www.chelwest.nhs.uk, n.d.).
Sociology can be described as a scientific study of human behaviour that is
mainly concerned with different human societies and the different groups
within those societies. Sociologists focus on how groups interrelate and
influence behaviour. This information can then be used to decipher how such
groups affect health and wellbeing (Billingham et al., 2015). This can contribute
to the understanding of health and social care as sociological perspectives
and concepts can affect service provision, the effectiveness of services and
access to services.
In order to understand how different sociological concepts can be applied to
the study of health and social care, different concepts and terminology used
within sociology must be covered. The differing concepts are mainly derived
,from two categories, diversity of culture and identity such as socialisation, age,
disability and religion/belief system as well as the main social institutions such
as family networks and education. Diversity of culture and identity is one the
social institutions that plays a role in the creation of a society. In sociology,
diversity of culture and identity is looked at as a part of the structure of
society, sociologists also consider how it relates to the other main social
institutions such as the family and education. How these different social
institutions influence individual behaviour is also considered. For example,
sociologists may specifically look into how an individual’s family affects and
influences their behaviour (Billingham et al., 2015).
As a part of diversity of culture and identity, socialisation includes roles, norms
and values that people and society have. The basis of the study of sociology is
that an individual's behaviour is learned through a process called socialisation
in which individuals learn about the culture of the society they are living in. It is
believed that most of human behaviour is not actually instinctive in this case.
For example, a person may learn the language that is spoken and adopt
values, beliefs and costumes that are deemed acceptable by the society they
are in. It is argued that the most critical period for socialisation is early on in a
person’s life. Primary socialisation is said to occur within a family whereas
secondary socialisation is a process that is continuously happening as a
person goes through their life and their social life develops. This could be
through a multitude of different ways such as through nursery, religious
groups, mass media and employment. It is important to note that socialisation
can also essentially affect people’s attitudes towards the care and support of
children, the elderly and vulnerable people (Billingham et al., 2015).
For example, whether the elderly are taken care of at home versus using
residential care to take care of their needs. In more Islamic cultures, the elderly
are typically taken care of at home, whereas in British culture residential care
services are more opted for. In sociology, this could be argued to be a result of
a difference in values, beliefs and expectations that are learned through both
primary and secondary socialisation. Societal norms are argued to be
established through learning which is done by absorbing and copying the
behaviour of other people within the same social group. The typical values and
beliefs of the society in which people live in are normally accepted and
adopted by them, those who do not conform to societal expectations are
labelled ‘deviant’. There are social roles and expectations when it comes to
being a member of a group, this is referred to as a social role in sociology. For
example, a parent, child or student each have different expectations. A
common descriptor for a parent's social role is to ensure their children are
provided with a home to ensure they are safe and protected, teach them how
to behave and prepare them to attend school. (Billingham et al., 2015).
In a lot of different societies, social status is believed to increase with age. The
elderly are believed to play an important role in the wider community and their
families. This differs across the world, for example, in Africa and India, the
elderly are treated highly and with utmost respect whereas in contemporary
British society the elderly have no clear societal position. The elderly may feel
, as though they are no longer as important, specifically if they are unemployed.
There is compelling evidence of the elderly being discriminated against. The
Age Discrimination Act was passed in a response to the discrimination that
was occurring against the elderly, specifically in employment. Legislation such
as the Equality Act 2010 make it illegal to force an employee to retire because
of their age unless there is a more specific reason. There are also studies that
point to a high incidence of poverty among the elderly such as Age Uk’s study
that showed 1 in 6 retired individual’s on a pension in the UK live in poverty.
That is around 1.8 million pensioners. A low income pension in retirement can
be attributed to lower pay during working life, disability and periods of
unemployment. The Joseph Rowntree Trust (2002) Work History and Income in
Later Life study showed that those who work continuously in professional and
managerial job roles are much less likely to have a low-income pension in
comparison to unskilled and manual workers. Other studies such as Age UK’s
2006 Older People, Decent Homes and Fuel Poverty and The Centre for Social
Justice’s Forgotten Age: Understanding Poverty and Social Exclusion in Later
Life support this idea (Billingham et al., 2015).
Disability is different from an impairment and is used in different ways, it is
important to note that the word ‘disability’ is not easily defined. An impairment
can be defined as a day-to-day restriction as a result of a physical or mental
condition that is long-term, for example, depression or sight loss. In this case
support provided by health and social care professionals is provided in order
to put a limit on day-to-day restrictions in an individual’s life. Examples of
professionals that could provide this support could be physiotherapists,
doctors and nurses. On the other hand, disability can be viewed as an issue
that comes to light as a result of society ignoring the needs of individuals with
impairments. For example, a wheelchair user may not be able to access a
building due to a lack of ramps. These definitions of disability and impairment
were provided by Tom Shakespeare (1998) a sociologist. So in essence disability
can be viewed as a lack of opportunity to participate in normal life activities
due to social, physical and attitude barriers. This view of disability agrees with
the social model of health as it describes society as the disabling environment
rather than labelling it an issue of the individual. This can also be described
as the social model of disability (Billingham et al., 2015).
Belief systems are able to influence and even control an individual’s behaviour,
sociologists do not concern themselves with whether or not beliefs are
legitimate or not, but rather their influence on behaviour. Jehovah’s Witnesses
refuse blood transfusions which prevents them from receiving treatment which
can save their lives. This can specifically lead to more complex and even legal
issues in health and social care such as if a parent who follows this belief
refuses a life-saving blood transfusion for their child. The UK hosts a wide
variety of people with different beliefs, however more traditional Christian
practices such as attending church have declined. On the other hand, Jews
and Muslims are more devout in their faith. Care workers should have an
understanding of different religious customs of their clients in order to show
respect. Multiculturalism is a term that states different cultural and ethnic
groups should be able to enjoy their customs and practise their faith, and that
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