Legislation and Policy Guidelines in Healthcare - Essay Example

Legislation and Policy Guidelines in Healthcare Mental Health Act Mental Health Act 1983 (amended in2007) applies in England and Wales. The Act allows people with mental disorders to undergo treatment, receive treatment and be detained without their permission for the safety of the society or patients (Toby & Rowena, 2013). Therefore, it helps in minimizing risks that might have been caused by patients to the society or their lives. The Act requires persons with mental disorders to undergo treatment under community supervision within a specified period under community treatment order (CTO) (Tony, 2012). Only specially trained healthcare providers are allowed to provide services to the persons with mental illnesses. Also, the consent to detain or provide restricted treatment. The guiding principles for mental health experts for detaining and treating patients against their will is that those patients should be fully involved in arranging for treatment, and all their requests must be taken into consideration always (Hannon & Clift, 2010). The relatives and friends of the patients should be involved unless the patent is opposed to it. Furthermore, the patient should be taken care in less restrained environment or without imposing the limitations of Mental Health Act. The approval of at least two doctors is required confirming the necessity to detain the patient for treatment. The care quality commission ensures the interests of the patients undergoing treatment under Mental Health Act are well protected (Local Government Association, 2012). The visit hospitals and speak with patients with disability in order to understand their needs. However, persons with reading problems or addiction to drugs need not be hospitalized under Mental Health Act. Disability Discrimination Act The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (amended by Disability Discrimination Act 2005) protects the persons with mental or physical disabilities against discrimination in delivery services such as medical care. The health care providers should make necessary adjustments to help disabled person access healthcare services and remove all restrictions that could disadvantage disabled persons from receiving the medical services. In addition, they should provide auxiliary assistance or services that will enable disabled persons to access the health care services easily. The Act provides a definition of the persons who can be termed disabled as persons with mental or physical impairments that have considerable adverse effects hindering them carrying out-day to-day activities (Hannon & Clift, 2010). There should be justification for not providing the essential assistance to the disabled person that enables them to acquire the medical services with ease. The Discrimination Disability Act provides guidelines to healthcare providers and other public bodies to promote disability equality within the organization (Dean et al., 2011). The public bodies should produce and publish Disability Equality Scheme and Action to establish how they establish the disability equality. Apart from compliance with the Act healthcare providers should ensure patients are receiving the essential services necessary. Healthcare professionals should involve disabled persons in deciding the nature of services they need and how the adjustments necessary in order to achieve medical services in the best way possible. The necessary adjustments include improving communication through modification of the equipment such as telephone to aid hearing and improving information in an accessible format such as by having large prints. Another essential adjustment in the healthcare set up is the workers attitude towards persons with disability. Ethics and attitudes in healthcare Ethical decision in healthcare guides the healthcare professionals to distinguish between right and wrong decisions in their lifesaving mission amidst various ethical dilemmas. On the other hand, attitude of healthcare givers is the state of mind that affects individual perceptions about their work and practices (Paris, 1993). Attitude is developed from values, experiences and situations. Therefore, attitude gives the workers confidence or lack of confidence towards their work based on personal values, skills and situations while ethics involves the practice of choosing between right and wrong based on their conscience and societal moral standards. The issue of morals is essential in the modern society in order to handle the emerging issues involving dilemma in service delivery. Healthcare professionals are involved in saving lives of the people thus they have an obligation to promote wellness of the society (Toby & Rowena, 2013). The use of ethics in decision making enables health care givers to protect the interests of the patients by engaging in activities that can improve the lives of the patients. For example, under Mental Healthcare Act the healthcare providers can engage in ethical decisions by ensuring the interests of the patients are adequately protected. They should provide treatment to patients without abusing the rights and interests of the patients. Attitude of healthcare givers plays a significant role in determining the quality of services they give to the patients (Bernat & Beresford, 2014). It influences the effort and concern the healthcare providers will put into practice to address the issues of the patients (Karen &MacLeod, 2009). It has a direct effect either negative or positive on individual practices and believes. It affects the perceptions of healthcare givers towards the patients and has influence on the quality of care they give to patients. For example, if healthcare givers have perception that the patient with a mental disorder has ability to make an individual decision they will talk to them and seek their suggestions before they engage in practice. Positive attitude will, therefore, help them to act in accordance to Mental Healthcare Act and improve the quality of service they give to the patients (Oelofsen, 2014). On the other hand, if healthcare givers develop a negative attitude that the persons with disability cannot be able to enjoy services like normal persons they cannot be able to make appropriate adjustments that can improve the quality of service delivery to persons with disability. Nursing practices requires commitment of time and effort in order to acquire adequate skills and knowledge to care for the patients. Reflective practice provides power balance between seniors and junior staff members in the healthcare organization by providing the junior members an opportunity to act independently when making ethical decisions and assess their attitudes towards the patients (Samantha, 2012). It helps the staff to improve their efficiency because they can act on their own thus gaining confidence than when they work under the supervision of their seniors (Bernat & Beresford, 2014). For example, the healthcare givers may use reflective practice when taking care of the patients with disability by helping them to use wheelchairs when moving around. It helps them to apply creativity when faced with challenges requiring immediate solution thus it enables them to build confidence and practical skills (Oelofsen, 2014). List of references Bernat, J. L. & Beresford, R. (2014). Ethical and Legal Issues in Neurology. Netherlands: Newnes. Pp. 1-472. Dean, S., Baxter, G.D., Fullen, B.M, Hurley, D.A., Darlow, B., Dowell, A. (2011). "The Association Between Health Care Professional Attitudes And Beliefs and The Attitudes and Beliefs, Clinical Management, and Outcomes Of Patients With Low Back Pain." European Federation of International Association. Available at Hannon, L. & Clift, J. (2010)." General Hospital Care for People with Learning Disabilities." UK: John Wiley & Sons. Pp. 1-264 Karen, M., MacLeod, G. (2009). "Reflection And Reflective Practice In Health Professions Education." Adv in Health Sci Educ 14: 595–621 Local Government Association, (2012). "Health and Social Care Act 2012." Available at Http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=e0e0321b-49f1-4ec2-9e73- 5ba379e0787b&groupId=10180 Mental Health Act 2007. "Chapter 12, Explanatory notes, Part 12(2nd Ed.)." Great Britain: The Stationery Office: Pp. 1-50. Oelofsen, N. (2014). "The Importance of Reflective Practices. EMAP Publishing Limited." Available at Paris, M.J. (1993). "Attitudes of Medical Students and Health-Care Professionals toward People with Disabilities." Arch Phys Med Rehabil.74(8):818-25. Available at Samantha, D. (2012). "Embracing Reflective Practice." Education for Primary Care 23: 9–12. Toby, W. & Rowena, D. (2013). "Law, Values and Practice in Mental Health Nursing." McGraw-Hill International: Pp.1-216. Tony, Z. (2012). "A Clinicians Brief Guide to the Mental Health Act." RCPsych Publications. Pp.1-134. Read More