UNIT 2: Equality, Diversity and Rights in Health and Social care
M1. Assess the effects on those using the service of 3 different discriminatory
practices in health and social care settings.
In the health and social care settings, it is very important to apply anti-discriminatory
practices to all given services no matter who it is for. It is vital in ensuring the safety of
everyone that needs to acquire services from different fields of health and social care.
Failure to do so, can put individuals in unexpected harm and unfortunately, previous events
have proven that discriminatory practice has indeed placed service users in great danger
and worser effects.
Numerous events have happened where discriminatory practice was done and resulted in
different effects for the service users. Events where various children are involved such as
with Daniel Pelka and Victoria Climbie and in a care home for disabled people called
Winterbourne view.
Firstly, Daniel Pelka. This boy is a 4 year old child who
lived in Coventry, England with his Mother and Stepfather
who were alcoholics and violent. Daniel is studying as a
reception in Little heath Primary School and was a little
boy that weighs just the same as an 18 month old baby
and is pale, thin and malnourished. Several signs of
abuse, torture and starvation have been shown by the
child throughout the case before an unfortunate event
caused by discriminatory practice happened. Signs of
physical abuse evidenced by the teachers frequently
seeing him coming to school with bruises and black
eye which are objective signs of battering and when
asked the mother about it, was given a thread of lies and excuses which teachers believed
and thought to be true. Not only that, Daniel was also seen stealing food from other kids,
eating food which fell from the ground and thrown in the bin showing signs of
excessive starvation and again, called out the mother and asked about it which told them
he has a medical condition that led him to be hungry all the time. Furthermore, police
officers and social workers have been called numerous times at home due to
domestic violence by the stepfather to the mother and countless appointments for
Daniel have been missed by the mother giving different excuses every time. Moreover,
assessments have been done to Daniel Pelka previously by 2 doctors, first was for an
arm injury told by the mother as an accident which the Doctor believed and secondly
was during with a paediatrician who noted weight loss but not severe and also
provided prescription medicine for worms.
Despite this amount of significant signs that was seen on Daniel, not even one health and
social care practitioner was able to provide a proper intervention to stop the neglect, abuse,
torture and starvation Daniel Pelka was experiencing from his parents which led to his
unfortunate Death. Later on, it was revealed that Daniel was forced to eat salt, held
underwater in a bath until he was unconscious and was imprisoned in a box room.
