Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care - Essay Example

? Introduction: Throughout this report, wherever there is a reference to the patient whose case is under study; the letter 'B' shall be used in orderto protect confidentiality. Maintaining Patient confidentiality – the non-disclosure of patients' details to any person who is not a close family member or primary care-giver to the patient – is one of the most important things for a care-giver. Whenever a social worker accepts the responsibility to perform a required assessment, the mandate for consent is given which allows the social worker to access the patient's (service user's) files and case records. Under the Data Protection Act of 1998, personal data cannot be shared without the consent of the service user. The legal and policy context: A variety of legislations have been put into place in order to protect the rights of individuals may not have the resources to protect their own rights. Some of these are: Data Protection Act of 1998 NHS Community Care Act of 1990 The Department of Health's 'Fair Access to Care' (FACS) 2003 Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act of 1970 General Social Care Council of 2002 (GSCC) The NHS Community Care Act of 1990 states that it is a duty of the social services to undertake an Assessment of Needs under s47 (National Health Service and Community Care Act, 1990). In addition, it is also a duty to offer direct payments and a carer's assessment. The Carer's Equal Opportunities Act of 2004 offers the carer the right to an assessment in their own right. Under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act of 1970 (s1), it is the social workers' duty to identify the needs of locals and offer specific information to meet those identified needs. In the event of identification that a patient may be isolated from society; he/she (the patient) may be offered day – care facilities so that they have a network of support. This may assist in preventing isolation and may assist patients to socialise with others in the community. Service User's Perspective: During the researcher's assessment of a case, the staff at the nursing home reported that the case – B (an aged female patient) – was not receiving the required quality of care. B was aged, a resistant nature that may have been due to her age, and most importantly, she was suffering from Dementia. They were unable to meet her requirements of care, which included more attention as part of her day-to-day care since they did not have the facilities to care for a patient coping with Dementia. According to the nursing home staff, it was quite unfair to B that she had to continue living there when her needs could not be met. A day after the initial assessment of the case, B's niece was contacted in order that her views on B moving into a residential home be taken on board. This would be a home that catered to the needs of patients suffering from Dementia. The niece stated that she would be very happy if the transfer were to go ahead. She also reported that she has had a lengthy conversation with the manager of the nursing home with regards to B's safety at the home and really wanted the best for B. The assessor of this project was informed about the opinions and decisions of the nursing home and B's niece. During supervision sessions the possibility and the procedure for finding an appropriate placement for B were discussed. A resource request was then sent to Home Care requesting a list of residential care homes registered to offer care to patients with Dementia that had vacancies. The list sent in response mentioned three homes; information about which was passed to B's niece so that she could contact these homes, makes appointments for a possible viewing and then decide which one would be the best for B. Social Work Values and Anti-Oppressive Practice: The General Social Care Council (GSCC) code of practice is the corner stone of social work values. Social workers are bound by this code of practice; and action can be taken against them if they fail to do so. The GSCC code also forms a part of the legislation, employer’s policies and practice standards that social workers have to meet. Besides the legislation, the social worker is also bound by the four Laws of Care, given by Beauchamp and Childress (Principles of Biomedical Ethics, OUP, 5th ed., 2001) which are the ethical principles applied to all medical ethics issues, and not just clinical situations by the care-giving professions. These rules are more like guidelines that need to be interpreted to preserve the spirit of the principles when dealing with specific cases. They are: Respect for autonomy: the care-giver needs to respect the decisions and choices of the patient even when they may not match his/her own. This principle also assumes that the care-giver will equip the patient to make decisions by providing information, making resources available and providing support. In situations where the patients is not competent to take decisions, the decision of the primary relative needs to be taken into account along with the primary professional care-giver. Beneficence: The principle of beneficence states that the care-giver needs to balance the benefits of the proposed procedures to the possible risks to the patient in both, the short and long term. Only such procedures as are significantly beneficial to the patient are to be considered. Non maleficence: It's not only important to look for what is helpful to the patient, but also to consider if there is any possibility of harm to the patient. Even when this may be minimal harm from the care-giver's point of view, it is still essential that the patient is informed and understands the concerns before taking a decision. Justice: A situation that needs a care-giver's intervention affects not just the patient, but also significant others in the patient’s life. Even when dealing only with the patient, often multiple patients with the same concerns may have differential resources and other needs. All patients coping with similar situations should be given the same set of options, resources and benefits across the board. Also, decisions made need to be fair to all individuals affected by them; and not just the patient at hand. These laws and principles are primary to every investigation of a health care scenario, and need to be followed as close to the spirit and letter as is possible by every member of a care giving team. Effectiveness of Intervention: Coulshed and Orme (2006: p26) conclude that the skill of assessment is in the ability to collect enough of the right type of information. The information collected during an assessment has to be fact based and kept visible and on board. The study did manage to collect the information relevant to B's case – her health and living needs, the possible responses to these needs, and the opinion of her niece. On the basis of this information, a decision was taken to move B to a residential facility that could care effectively for her. She has been able to settle down comfortably there, and the new arrangement is to everyone’s benefit. Thus, one may conclude that the intervention was successful. Critical Reflection on Learning: The case at hand has provided the researcher with much positive insight into personal values as a social worker and the effect these values can have on others. It is essential that service users are informed about their rights so that they have more control over their own lives. The case of B was complicated due to her old age and resistant nature compounded with the possibility that she may have hurt herself while wandering around – a situation that could have created a health and safety issue had she hurt herself. This concern was dealt with by going through the proper channels thoroughly, giving regular updates to B's niece and involving her opinion at each step. In addition, other procedural requirements were also met adequately. The conclusion of this was that B was transferred from the nursing home into a better care centre that was equipped to give her the treatment and care she needed for her illness and age related concerns. Several weeks have now passed and B has settled into the new care centre very well. It is recommended that once the final updates are made to her files at the nursing home, they can now be closed. This will ensure that the relevant personnel can then concentrate on other cases instead of engaging with a now resolved issue. This will help them maintain the high quality standards of service they have established. Focussing on an already well resolved issue would be a hindrance to the cause that the government is attempting to achieve by diverting personnel attention where not required. This could lead to individuals who need help, or are willing to make changes being side-lined. Such situations would mean a wastage of time and money as well as dissatisfied patients. Therefore, this study recommends that B's case file at the nursing home be closed, as she is being well-cared for at the new care centre where she was transferred. Closing the case will allow the personnel at the nursing home concentrate on new cases that need attention; and the efficiency with which these are dealt will not be handicapped. Dealing with persons from dissimilar contexts like age and gender simultaneously is not an easy task. Continually engaging with them provides practice that the researcher believes would be vital to the development of the personal skills that would be required in the future. These would include a sociable approach, helpful behaviour and the ability to understand the needs of individuals within a diversity of cases that would require looking into. References: Bruhn, J.G., (2007). Sociological practice, intervention and social change. New York: Springer. [Print] Coulshed, V., Orme, J., (2004). Social work practice. 4ed. Palgrave: MacMillian. [Print] Stephney, P., Ford, D., (2000). Social work models, methods and theories: A framework for practice. Dorset: Russelhouse Publishing. [Print] Milner, J., O’Bryne, P., (2002). Assessment of social work. 2ed. Bassingstoke, Palgrave: Macmillian. [Print] National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) [Online] Available at http://www.worcestershiresafeguarding.org.uk/WSCBGuidance/chapters/p_sec47_enq.html Read More