Unit 5: LAA
This piece of written work will be discussing the different policies, practices and procedures which
are apparent in both of the individuals and their needs I will be exploring. Valerie B., a 24-year-old
woman has been admitted to the community hospital due to needing surgery on her burst appendix.
On top of this, Valerie has experienced mental health problems since a child after her parents
passing. Valerie is obese and has low self-esteem, making it hard for her to lose weight and was the
reason her surgery was complex. Because of her obesity, Valerie is bullied by teenagers who live
near her flat, provided by housing association. Although she is healing, she doesn’t want to go home
as she is afraid of being bullied again. She is vegetarian and has a hearing impairment in which she
isn’t receiving any help for. Finally, Valerie is unemployed and receiving universal benefit. My other
patient, Aisha.H (aged 82), is currently recovering from pneumonia at a community hospital, she has
severe vascular dementia. Aisha lives alone, single, with no family and she is a Buddhist. Her
neighbour regularly visits Aisha and comments that she frequently wanders around at night,
speaking to herself. Although Aisha has no one to look after her, her neighbour feels that it is unsafe
or her to live on her own. On top of that, a health visitor visiting Aisha’s flat discovered it to be dirty
and chaotic, with no food in the house. Her dementia has caused Aisha to have incontinence and
delusions.
Diversity is the act of which we esteem people’s different cultures, beliefs and views. Its beneficial
that we respect one another and try to learn and educate ourselves on various cultures in the
community we live in. Enlightening yourself and understanding these values will help you to
understand the persons needs better. As a legal requirement for health and social institutions to
respect everyone’s diversity: including age, gender and diversity as well. Britain being a multicultural
society, many people who work in the health services and service users come from different places
which is beneficial to learn new skills to better our services.
Discrimination is when a prejudgement is made against someone or a group. There are many
reasons someone can be discriminated against, for example: race, sexuality, disability, class, gender,
religion etc. The four types of discrimination include: Unfair discrimination, direct discrimination,
indirect discrimination and positive discrimination. Unfair discrimination is when an individual is
discriminated against when compared to another person e.g. a company gives the job to another
candidate due to their religion. Direct discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly and
offended by another person due to them being fairly different, this discrimination is easy to prove as
it is usually witnessed by other people. Indirect discrimination is where although it may seem that an
individual Is being respectful and inclusive to someone (such as peers at school), they may be
indirectly offensive by joking around. Positive discrimination, however, can benefit some people as
they may be preferred due to specific characteristics.
Promoting equality in health and social organisations means that we must treat everyone on equal
terms, making sure they’re able to access the services they require and that they we can ensure to
meet their personal needs no matter who they are. According to the Equality Act, service users and
healthcare workers are both protected and treated fairly and receive the respect they deserve.
Although it is important to treat everybody as if they were the same, it is still crucial to give each
patient the specific care they need in order to make sure they’re getting the correct treatment.
While treating these patients, it’s not only respectful but critical that you take their beliefs into
, account. A patient may feel unwanted if the hospital doesn’t meet their needs, such as diet
requirements or prayer rooms. The effects of discrimination on patients may put individuals at
harm, which can lead them to experience: mental health problems, decrease in confidence and self-
esteem, issues at work or home and feeling marginalised. Regarding the case studies I am
presenting, due to them both being extremely vulnerable, discrimination faced in a healthcare
setting may seriously affect them. For example:
Due to Valerie’s background with her mental health, facing discrimination may lead her mental
health to worsen and could possibly cause suicide. She also may face more problems with her self-
esteem if being discriminated about her weight, causing her to find it harder to lose weight and
maintain a healthy lifestyle). Her confidence will also be affected negatively, leading her to not be
motivated to go out and apply for a job.
According to Aisha H., comments made about her loneliness may cause her to develop depression or
anxiety and due to the lack of family she has around her. She may isolate herself more and
marginalise from society, which could also decrease the condition of her already poor housing. Over
more, isolation from discrimination may cause a decrease in her mental health (from already dealing
with Vascular Dementia). Her delusions and confusion could become a lot more severe from stress.
However, although there are a few people who have experienced discrimination within care
services, there are a plethora of helpful initiatives in place to tackle and prevent prejudice. For
example:
Access – access to certain health services can be adapted to fit the needs of service users.
Adaptions such as: disabled toilets, lifts and wheelchair ramps.
Diet – Patients have full control over their diet, whether it’s due to their religion or a medical
condition.
Support – A variety of resources can be provided to those who need supporting in a range of
ways: different languages, different formats and carers. An advocate can be given to speak
on behalf of someone else who may not be able to speak for themselves.
Personal qualities are the attributes, characteristics and personality traits (patience, leadership and
flexibility) that an individual may possess to define who we are.
6c’s
The 6Cs are a set of values for all health and social staff to follow. It is called the Compassion in
Practice Supporting Policy which was founded 2012 after a national concern was raised about the
declining standard of care being provided following incidents raised at Mid Staffordshire Hospital
and Winterbourne View (a learning disability hospital).
Care - helping others in need and providing them with the correct equipment.
Compassion – Empathising with those who need help, and wanting to deliver that care.
Competence – Understanding someone’s needs and knowing the skills to aid them.
Communication – Liaising with others to enhance the care and support that your patients
are receiving.
Courage – Having the strength and braveness to do the right thing for the people we care
for.
Commitment – Being dedicated to the care you provide for you patient.
The health professionals for my case studies would need to use these 6 skills to ensure they’re giving
their patients the best care tailored for their needs. For Valerie, her care would entail things such as
