Workbook Role of the Health and Social Care Worker

Following extensive consultation with the public, the Department of Health published in 2007 the seven outcomes that people expect from their health and adult social care services. These are – Improved health and emotional well-being; Improved quality of life; Making positive contribution; Increased choice and control; Freedom from discrimination and harassment; Economic well-being; and Maintaining personal dignity and respect The role of the worker can be identified as: Assessment Skills usually the care plan. The aim of the care plan is to assess the needs and risks of the person concerned and make appropriate plans Reviewing/ Evaluating Skills Is a continual process as people's needs and wants change.You will be able to check / measure that the care plan objectives are being met by setting target dates to evaluate what the person has been able to achieve and what needs to be adapted in the care plan and objectives Listening Skills Listening is an important part of communica ting with others. To listen implies that the listener hears, pays attention to and responds to the person. Negotiating Ski ASS The purpose of negotiation is to resolve situations where conflicts have arisen. The aim of a win-win negotiation is to find a solution that is acceptable to both parties and leaves all involved feeling that they have won – in some way – once the negotiation has finished. It is important that the most vocal do not always have their way. Recording Skills Making notes, writing reports, emails, Effective Communication Most communication is non-verbal.People can read visual clues and rely on instinct even if you say the opposite, so if a service user asks you a question, e honest -? your body language will reveal the truth. Team Work Team work is essential in social and health work practice. No one can support someone effectively without others. There is no ‘I' in team Technical Skills These can range from using computers to craft work. Work practice can vary, you need to be flexible and constantly willing to learn Research Skills These skills are increasingly important. You will need them to continually develop your learning Organizational Skills A disorganized person may be creative but will not get very far if they miss the deadline (and visit time) or do not complete the work PersonalPresentation People do judge by first appearances! Always dress appropriately for work and be clean and tidy 4222-206/1 – Understand working relationships in Health and Social Care The working relationships between care staff and the people who they provide care for is critical for their health and wellbeing – Relationships come in very different shapes and sizes. There are relationships between friends, family members, colleagues in outside organizations and the professional relationship between colleagues and service users. The relationship between a worker and a service user should be a supportive professional relations hip. What does this mean?What are the differences between the personal relationships you have with close personal friends & family and those relationships you have with those people you provide care for and other professionals you work with. In some instances the relationships can be quite similar in that they involve helpfulness and working together. In a professional relationship you have a task/goal (I. E. Providing personal care etc. ) that you are working together to complete and achieve. In a personal relationship the ultimate goal is happiness and building that spiritual connection between yourself and your significant other. This is a topic you should discuss with others and relates mainly to what can be seen as the boundaries that you should not cross.The codes of practice for Social Care workers provides a list of statements that describes the standards of professional conduct and practice required for social care workers as they go about their daily work: Social Care work ers must: Protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and careers Strive to establish and maintain the trust and confidence Of service users and careers Promote the independence of service users whilst seeking to ensure hat their behavior does not harm themselves or other people Uphold public trust and confidence in social care services; and Be accountable for the quality of their work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving their knowledge and skills. Developing Relationships The first step in developing effective working relationships is identifying those people who you are dependent on to get your work done and those who are dependent on you. Where you are dependent on each other this is called interdependence. Working on these relationships will give you a big return as there is the likelihood that support provided will be reciprocated.Developing good working relationships relies on a number of things Good effective communication – an abili ty and willingness to talk and to listen with an open mind, what another person says if generally what they believe to be true, if you disagree ask questions to clarify Trust – This is crucial in developing long term relationships, how far do you trust the other person and what will need to happen or not happen for this to be developed? Mutual Expectations – What are the expectations each person has about the relationship, what mutual goals and targets does each person have? 4222-206/2 – Work in ways that are agreed with the employer In order to ensure that your employer is able to deliver the service they have agreed with the service user it is important that you understand what is expected of you. At evidence reference 2 you are asked to review your role and responsibilities and the policies and procedures which you need to operate by.Your employer is expected to: Provide flexible, personalized and responsive service Put people at the centre of everything you do Have high levels of specialist expertise and customer satisfaction Invest time in recruiting the right people for the right jobs Provide extensive staff training and support. If you feel that any Of the above is not in place which is inhibiting you doing your job you should talk to your employer to discuss how improvements can be made. Once set of guidelines that we can follow to guide the way we work is our values: Values guide your work, relationships and life. Values are a person's principles, beliefs or standards by which they live. They would consider these to be priorities for them in their lives, e. G. Pending time with people, being honest, being punctual, being conscientious, assisting people who are in difficulties etc. Everyone has different and attitudes which ill be important to them depending on their background and upbringing. We are not born with values/attitudes but acquire them throughout our childhood, I. E. Through school, friends, family peer group etc. Throu gh our life experiences we are more than likely to change our values. For example, we may have been brought up in a strict religious household taking on those values but as we grow and mature and think about those particular values we may not want them for our lives in the future and take on other values.On the other hand we may prefer to live by those particular values – We all have o make these sorts of choices / decisions for our lives. Enabling service users to make a choice for their lives means putting the Health and Social Care Values into action. As workers everything we do is influenced by our own values. There are a number of Health and Social Care Values detailed below which you must adhere to, if any of your own values conflict with these it is important that you do not allow these to influence how you work. If you have conflicting values take an opportunity to talk to you manager and / or colleagues to find out how these can be reconciled. Health and Social Care Values Value What this means IndividualityNeeds of service users should be tailored specifically for their circumstances / needs / wants / dreams / aspirations, for example, if a person requires a particular meal associated with their beliefs these should be provided. However do not make assumptions always check. Identity Recognize that service users have their own opinions / thoughts / views about things. They will have had many life experiences and these should be acknowledged and valued Rights and Responsibilities Each service user has rights for example to attend their own place of worship, just because it may be ‘inconvenient' is not a reason why We shouldn't meet their rights. They also have rights to change their mind about something.Workers need to encourage them to exercise these rights and encourage responsibility to act within the law and moral responsibilities. Choice There needs to be recognition of the service users ‘right to make their own choices', to exp ress and select what they want and the benefits of this. That everyone is entitled to be given full and thorough information in order to make an ‘informed choice' as to what they want / need. Privacy Every worker needs to understand how to avoid intrusion such as the need for permission to enter the room of a service user and to protect their arsenal space. If visitors arrive at the residential / nursing home they do not have the right to see the resident's room without permission from the service user – it is their home.Inclusion Being part of the mainstream of society is something most of us take for granted. We go to work, look after our families, visit the general practitioner / dentist, use transport, and go to the swimming pool or cinema. Inclusion means enabling and encouraging the service users to do the ordinary everyday things in life, making use of the mainstream services and for them to be fully included in the local community. Independence Recognition that the service user should be encouraged and enabled to do things for themselves. This will enable them to feel involved and continue to practice their skills. The result of this would give them a feeling of being involved.If everything is done for the person they lose their skills, self- confidence and sense of self Dignity Every worker needs to have an understanding of importance Of preserving the service users dignity especially when intimate tasks are being provided. Dignity is closely connected to a person's sense of self-worth. For example, if someone is being assisted to have a bath then the bathroom door should not e left open and as soon as the person is out of the bath, towels need to be put around them so they are not left feeling vulnerable. Respect Every service user of whatever age, disability, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, belief system, etc. Needs to be treated with respect, fairness and dignity, for example, demonstrating to the person that they are very imp ortant and that you value them.This means that they are spoken to as an adult with a kind and thoughtful approach. Working in Partnership It is very important to work in partnership with the service user, their family / friends and with relevant agencies. Every worker needs to take on board the wishes of the person they are supporting, their family / friends and other agencies but the wishes of the service user is the most important. Citizenship The government is committed to enforceable civil rights for everyone in society in order to eradicate discrimination in society. Everyone has a right to a decent education, to grow up to vote, to marry and have a family and to express their opinions with the help and support to do so where necessary. 222-206/3 – Work in partnership with others One of the Health and Social care Values is Working in Partnership' which means that workers need to work in partnership and form effective working relationships with service users, careers, fam ily/friends, advocates, colleagues/ manager and staff from other agencies. ‘Unpaid careers' refers to family members who support a relative. ‘Significant others' means anyone who is significant to the service user they are supporting. Every worker needs to take on board the wishes of the person they are working with, their family and other agencies but the wishes of the person they are supporting should be the most important. It is very important that the service user maintains contact with their friends/ Emily, advocates who may speak on their behalf and significant others. If the service user is in residential/nursing home care/hostel etc. Then regular contact should be encouraged.The service user needs to know they are still part of a family, have friends and have not been abandoned, e. G. The need to belong (Moscow). The family may want to be involved in the support Of the service user, I. E. Personal care such as bathing or taking the person shopping, church etc. It is worth exploring with the service user and family members/friends about how they would wish to be involved and encourage this. Workers should assist the service users in any way possible to maintain these relationships by providing, for instance, a warm welcome and refreshments when visitors arrive etc. This will result in the service users feeling valued, as well as their visitors and also helping to maintain the relationships.