Unit 3: Effective communication in health and social care.
2A.P1 - Describe different forms of verbal and non-verbal communication.
2A.P2 - Describe different forms of alternative communication for different needs, using examples
from health and social care.
2A.M1 - Explain the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of communication used, with
reference to a one-to-one and a group interaction.
2A.D1 - Assess effectiveness of forms of communication for service users with different needs.
Introduction:
This assignment focuses on how professionals communicate effectively, in hospitals/nursing homes
and schools; how good communication can support individuals in health and social care settings .
Employees in hospitals, nursing homes and other care settings need to communicate regularly with
patients and residents about medical procedures, daily care tasks and the patient’s overall health.
With good communication skills, you become more confident, make new friends, and communicate
with a wider circle of people. Communication plays an important role in health and social care
settings, if information is not delivered properly it can be misunderstood and could result in
complications, an example of this would be if two health care professionals were exchanging
information about a patient needs and one of them misunderstood the information being delivered
due to ineffective communication, it would have a negative outcome for the patient. All care
workers require effective communication skills to work with the diverse range of people they meet
in health and social care settings. Good communication builds trust and helps people understand
how others are going to support them. Poor communication can destroy positive relationships and
leave individuals feeling unsupported and unsafe in a health and social care setting. The two main
types of communication are verbal communication and non-verbal communication. When talking to
people they focus on your non-verbal communication more than your verbal communication. From
the percentages shown below we can see we need far more than just words to communicate.
Verbal: 35% and Non-verbal: 65%
Verbal communication:
Verbal communication is the use of sounds and words to convey messages and communicate with
others. An example of verbal communication is saying “Hello” when greeting another person. Care
workers need verbal communication skills to find out about an individual’s problems or needs,
answer questions, contribute to team meetings, provide support to others, deal with problems and
complaints and break bad news. There are a variety of different languages that are used for
communication throughout the world. Verbal communication includes your accents and the
meanings of words and slang from where you live. Older people will not understand slang such as
“beef”, they may think you are talking about dinner. It is also your volume, pace and pitch you use
while speaking and your listening abilities. In care settings, it is incredibly important to watch your
language, tone, and pace especially around older, sensitive people. You should speak clearly and
slowly to help people understand what you are saying instead of mumbling and talking quickly.
Speaking a little more slowly can help a person with a hearing impairment, learning difficulty or
someone who is confused understand you easier. Using easy to understand language to prevent
confusion and allow time for the person to respond, this can mean allowing silences while the
person thinks and works out how to reply. In care settings it is immensely important to be an active
listener which means paying close attention to what someone is talking to you about and
, acknowledging the fact that you are engaged in the conversation. Verbal communication is also the
words we use to speak like formal and informal language, often you will find that hospitals use a mix
of both formal and informal language to make the receiver comfortable.
Formal communication is used in professional settings. This type of communication requires us to
speak politely and be wary of our word choices and how we convey our messages. It is understood
by a wide variety of people and allows us to make a good first impression. An example of when
formal language is used in a health and social care setting is when a nurse is meeting her patient or
when health care workers explain hospital policies to patients and their families.
Informal communication is used in relaxed settings; with a person/ people you know well and are
comfortable with. This type of communication is usually spoken between friends and family,
sometimes others may not understand or dislike the words being used e.g. the use of slang. Many
problems can arise if informal communication is used incorrectly and misunderstood, you could
offend others, for example in a health and social care setting, if you worked as a teacher you would
not talk to your colleagues in slang or swearing due to the fact that they may not like the idea of it or
worse the surrounding children could have negative influence from the word choices you use.
Informal communication is less structured, and often allows for more communication between
patients and caregivers. Conversing with patients and or nursing home residents about their
interests, families and daily activities generally occurs using informal communication.
Both formal and informal language must be used correctly in health and social care settings or there
could be consequences. You can use both formal and informal language whether you are speaking to
one person (one to one communication) or a group of people (group communication.)
One to one communication is interactions between only two people. It gives individuals an
opportunity to discuss personal information. Examples of one-to-one communication in a health and
social care setting would be a teacher contacting you to give you information on your child (whether
that would be faced to face or using telephone), doctors giving bad news to their patients or a
conversation between a social worker and a nursing home resident about discharge planning when
discharge is an option and mental health service referrals. One-to-one communication skills are
needed for everyday interactions in health and social care settings. They are also needed to establish
and maintain supportive relationships with work colleagues and people who use care services.
Group communication is interaction between 3 or more people. Interactions in group situations are
important for social, intellectual, and emotional development. Examples of group communication in
a health and social care setting would be doctors meeting about their patient’s needs, a teacher
having an important conversation with her class, nursing home resident’s communication with each
other and case conferences (a meeting of professionals such as teachers or social workers to discuss
a particular case user, in this case a child attending the school.)
