Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs (References document included )
A.P2: Explain the skills and personal attributes necessary for professionals who care for individuals
with different needs.
6Cs
The 6Cs include: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.(20) The
6Cs were introduced to, mainly, improve the quality of care in hospitals. They are used by nurses and
midwives to improve the quality of care within their care setting. They were launched due to the
failings at Winterbourne view and Mid Staffordshire Trust who provided poor care to its clients in
many ways.(18)(19) To include numerous accounts of neglect where clients were physically and
emotionally abused and basic needs such as feeding, and toileting were not met . Also, the Mid
Staffordshire Trust had higher death rates than other Acute Hospitals.(18)
Care
Care is the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of
someone. By caring for someone it helps them on the road of recovery to lead as good quality life as
possible.(20)
An example for Valerie is because she is feeling anxious about returning home, a Health Care
Assistant taking time out to listen and talk to Valerie about how she is feeling. This shows that the
Health Care Assistant cares. Also, she can refer Valerie to her Local Authority to see if she can live in
supported living because it might be the best option for her.(21)
For Tremayne, as he has anger issues, the nurse working with him can gently touch his arm and hand
so that he knows that he is not alone, and the nurse knows what he is going through. Also, they can
show that they care by helping him get out of bed comfortably as he a broken leg. They can ask what
he wants to eat, considering he must eat wheat free foods.
Compassion
Compassion is how care is given through relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity. It can
also be described as intelligent kindness and is central to how people perceive their care.(20)
For example, If Valerie has been told that she must be discharged tomorrow as they need the bed,
but she is refusing to leave the hospital. Then, the nurses and hospital staff working with her can
show compassion. They can achieve this by understanding how Valerie feels, try to really understand
what it feels like to be in her situation by maintaining eye contact and saying that they will help her
overcome her fears.
For Tremayne, the nurse and hospital staff can show their compassion by maintaining dignity. For
example, close the curtain in the ward and when helping Tremayne to get dressed, that they
maintain personal dignity.
Competence
Competence means all those in caring roles must have the ability to understand an individual’s
health and social needs. It is also about having the expertise, clinical and technical knowledge to
deliver effective care and treatments based on research and evidence.(20)
,For example, with Valerie, nurses must be competent to meet the need of daily tasks. For example,
administer medication, take out stitches after Valerie’s surgery. They must also have counselling
skills, for example, listen, understand and say the right things In the right situation.
An example for Tremayne could be when he is having an outburst if anger, that nurses and
professionals are competent and know anger management techniques for autistic children(28),
specifically, to calm him down. Some of these techniques are helping Tremayne by giving him time
alone to recharge and by giving him relaxing activities which he likes to do.
Communication
Communication is central to successful caring relationships and to effective team working. Listening
is as important as what we say. It is essential for ‘No decision without me’. Communication is the key
to a good workplace with benefits for those in our care and staff alike.(20)
An example for Valerie is because she has a undiagnosed hearing impairment and therefore has no
hearing aid. It is important that when a Consultant on the daily ward round is asking Valerie how she
is feeling; that he looks at her directly and speaks slowly and clearly so she would be able to also lip
read what he is saying. In addition, he must check that she has understood the information that he
has disclosed to her and ask her if she has any questions, if so, answer them in a clear/simple way.
An example for Tremayne is if he is refusing to do something, like have a bath, then the health care
assistant takes him through the steps and benefits of having a bath. Also, a Nurse being part of the
ward round can tell him that he is discharged and the procedures. They must inform Tremayne of
everything that is happening to him, even though he is autistic, they must find other ways of
communicating to him such as Makaton which is picture communication.(22)
Courage
Courage enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for, to speak up when we have
concerns. It means we have the personal strength and vision to innovate and to embrace new ways
of working.(20)
For example, when Tremayne is having an outburst of anger, that nurses and hospital professionals
have the courage to face this difficult situation instead of walking away. They should use their
personal strength and vision to help Tremayne by using anger management techniques. Also, they
should show that they care for him by not shouting at him to “shut up!!” but to say, “that we
understand what you are going through and that it is alright to be angry”.
For Valerie, if she falls on the way to the toilet, nurses and hospital professionals have the courage
to face this situation. They should help Valerie up and ensure she is safe. Also, if they see
malpractice, for example Valerie being bullied over her weight, that they tell the line manager about
the co-worker, so that they are reprimanded, and this does not happen again.
Commitment
A commitment to our patients and populations is a cornerstone of what we do. We need to build on
our commitment to improve the care and experience of our patients. We need to take action to
make this vision and strategy a reality for all and meet the health and social care challenges ahead.
(20)
,A nurse can show commitment by, for example, if a Nurse’s shift has ended but she is still dealing
with Valerie, that she just does not leave in the middle of the conversation. The nurse should spend
some extra time with Valerie, so she is not anxious about being passed onto another professional
who is not familiar with her needs and preferences. Another way a health and social care
professional can show commitment is by arriving early to work, not late, to ensure that the
community hospital is not short staffed, because if they are, then it can lead to all patients needs not
being met.
A health and social care professional can show commitment towards Tremayne is by going out of
their way to do extra research on his autism and anger management techniques(28) to help him
which shows that Tremayne is at the forefront of her mind. In addition, if a review meeting is on day
when the health care assistant was not working, he/she can show commitment by coming in on their
day off to act as an advocate for Tremayne as he/she knows him best by working with him to meet
his needs, so he/she will be able to voice his specific needs and preferences.
People Skills
People skills are the skills that help us to get on with other people, and so develop relationships with
them. Some of these skills are: empathy – the ability to share and understand the emotions of
others, such as sadness, anxiety or happiness, patience – the capacity to accept or tolerate problems
without becoming annoyed or anxious, engendering trust – the ability to get people to trust you,
flexibility – being able to fit in with others and change your own plans if necessary, a sense of
humour – being able to see the funny side of situations, negotiating – the process by which two
parties with different interests or perspectives attempt to reach agreement, for example a doctor
and a patient, honesty – being truthful and sincere and problem solving – the ability to ask the right
questions and find an answer to a problem.(1)
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to share and understand emotions of others, such as anxiety, sadness or
happiness. It is an important skill when working in the health and social care setting with vulnerable
clients. In the community hospital a professional could be caring for Adults and Children with a wide
range of conditions, some of which would have effect on individual’s mental health and stress levels
such as someone who has had a surgery, previous mental health issues and learning difficulty. A
Nurse would have to be able to empathize with them as it may be hard for them, especially being in
a new, strange hospital environment.
Valerie is bullied about her weight so a nurse, who is working with her, should listen to her if she has
raised any concerns by talking to her face to face, sit her down if she is standing up so she feels more
comfortable and sit down at the same level which will make her feel equal to the nurse. The nurse
could also hold her hand if she feels deeply upset which will comfort her.
If Tremayne is upset as he has not had any visitors, the nurse or healthcare professional should
reassure him and hug him to show empathy. They should tell him that they understand how he feels
and tell him that there will be superheroes coming to visit him soon. The nurse or healthcare
professionals should plan a day where some of them come in on a day off dressed up as his favourite
superhero, e.g. The Hulk, which will ‘make his day’ and help him to calm down, which is the main
goal.
, Patience
Patience is another skill which is just as vital as it is the capacity to accept or tolerate problems
without becoming annoyed or anxious.(20) Patience is an extremely important when working in
health and social care setting with vulnerable clients. In the community hospital a professional could
be caring for Adults with a wide range of conditions, some of which would have adverse effects on
an individual’s ability to communicate such as someone who has had a stroke. A Nurse would have
to be patient as the patient may take longer to tell the Nurse their preferences for lunch for
example.
Valerie is crying out every night as she is in pain. The nurse must ensure that she is patient so that
she can calm down Valerie. The nurse could tell her that it is normal to have this sort of pain after
surgery for a few days. The nurse should repeat herself, remain patient, every night to ensure
Valerie is aware of what is happening to her.
With regards to Tremayne, for example, if the Casting Technician needs to remove Tremayne’s cast
so the Radiographer can do an x-ray to see if the bones are mended and Tremayne becomes
agitated as he does not understand what is going on. It is important that the Technician remains
calm and patient and reassures Tremayne that they are not going to hurt him . Even though the
Casting Technician has got back-to-back appointments for the day, it is important that they remain
patient and work with Tremayne to remove his cast.
Engendering trust
Engendering trust is the ability to get people to trust you. It is about doing what you say you are
going to do, essentially, sticking to your word, to help your patients. Engendering trust is very
important as it is foundation of all people skills. All health and social care professionals must be able
to create a sense of trust between the patients so that they can meet their holistic needs. This is
because patients will be more likely to open up about problems affecting them physically,
intellectually, emotionally and socially which means you can then be aware of and solve those issues
whilst maintaining confidentiality.
An example for Valerie is a nurse taking the time to discuss, with Valerie, about how he/she can
solve her issue of transitioning home. The nurse can make the effort to contact the Housing
Association in her local authority to send a volunteer to contact Valerie, who can help her to
transition home properly. If the Nurse says that she is going to contact the HA it is important that
she does it, otherwise Valerie may not trust her.
For Tremayne, the health care assistant can engender trust by showing empathy towards him. For
example, if he is having an episode, the health care assistant can calm him down by speaking to him
calmly, smiling at him, touching his arm and sitting down with him which will make him feel
comfortable and cared for. The health care assistant can also engender trust by being
compassionate, so doing what they say they’re going to do, for example, getting him a wheat free
pizza as a reward if he does not take off his cast. This will increase his trust and self-esteem, that he
can do this and recovery happily.
Flexibility
Flexibility is another skill which is very important as it is having the ability to fit in with others and
change your own plans if necessary. This is important as it shows the health and social care
professional’s commitment, care and dedication to their profession. In a community hospital a
professional could be caring for children and adults with a wide range of conditions, so some
