Summary
Such a concept as diversity plays an essential role in providing services and the health care system. It ensures fairness and accessibility for the public and monitors the absence of inappropriate behavior on the part of providers. Thus, all people are treated equally, taking into account ethical principles, which increases loyalty and a good reputation for the organization. This work examines the phenomenon of diversity in the health and social care of the United Kingdom and also explores the legislative side of this issue. This is necessary to better understand the topic of equal treatment of clients and spread awareness about its importance.
Diversity Factors Related to Service Users Needs
Equality is one of the main advantages of healthcare and social assistance organizations and is an integral component of them. Every provider in this field should ensure that the needs of the people who turn to them are met and ensure equal access to the services provided. An example would be the limitation of discrimination cases against African-American representatives of society since this problem is still acute in the world, despite society’s high level of development. Moreover, diversity is especially critical for needy adults who cannot properly take care of themselves due to limitations such as disability, illness, or age.
Therefore, the concept of diversity in relation to the needs of users ensures respect and the provision of the best customer experience that will meet the individual needs of people. Additionally, specific legislation supports this argument, such as the Equality Act of 2010, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act of 2014. Good equity and diversity practices ensure that health and social services are fair and accessible to all. This causes the rejection of prejudices about age, race, and social status. Diversity also includes abilities, skills, experience, and cultural background. Following these factors will help the organization to provide the best user experience of the services.
As already mentioned, diversity improves the quality of service and customer experience. Thus, high-quality assistance and a good attitude towards people when providing health and social care services increase their commitment and guarantee that people will again resort to the organization’s services. This factor can be helped by creating a culture of engagement at the employee level is essential. This measure includes building shared goals and spreading awareness about their value so that all company employees adhere to them. Moreover, satisfied employees who understand the importance of the concept of diversity are able to understand and better serve customers. This is precisely due to the presence of an understanding of how significant cultural differences are, and a variety of points of view.
Factors such as empathy, respect, and understanding provide the most positive experiences for service users. They directly determine the quality of service and can emphasize aspects of the organization’s activities that require special attention and changes. An example that I have met in practice and actively apply myself is active and clear listening to clients. This action, in addition to providing the clearest information, helps to form a trusting relationship with the care provider. Moreover, this attitude shows that the company cares about its customers and complies with the rules and codes of diversity.
Another factor that contributes to the improvement of the concept of diversity is the collection of information about the organization’s customers. Thus, a clear understanding of who the company’s customers are, what they do, and general tracking of trends in society can make a significant contribution. Moreover, in this case, consideration is also taken of all the points of view of customers, who also contribute to the formation of a respectful attitude on the part of the business.
Theory of Ethical Services Provision and Care Delivery and Legislation Associated with It
This section of the scientific paper considers the theory of utilitarianism as one of the most effective in relation to the issue of diversity in health and social care organizations. Moreover, it explores the legislation that is associated with this topic and establishes the proper attitude and behavior of employees and employers, both among themselves and to customers. A critical aspect is a fact that ethical diversity education is not necessarily part of specialist training. Thus, there are cases of improper treatment of service users that require an immediate solution.
The use of ethical theory in practice has several advantages, among which it is possible to distinguish an increase in confidence in the decision-making process. Moreover, it provides knowledge about how cultural, racial, age and social status affect people’s points of view and their behavior. Furthermore, knowledge of ethical theory and its application can increase the ability of specialists in the fields under study to identify problems while providing appropriate assistance and care correctly.
The ethical theory of utilitarianism is one of the most widespread and is rated as one of the most effective in studying the topic of diversity. It examines how human actions have an impact on their consequences (Rodger & Blackshaw, 2017). The theory was formed in the early nineteenth century by Bentham and Stuart Mill (Hart, 2017). The theory considers correct and ethical actions to be those that bring pleasure and well-being to both their performer and the people around them. Moreover, utility becomes an essential indicator in this case. The positive assessment of this theory is influenced by the fact that it is characterized by ease of application in practice. For example, if specialists treat a client well and provide proper assistance, not only do they benefit from this, but also become useful to the organization by increasing its reputation and profitability. Moreover, it is possible to come to the realization that most health and social care services operate in accordance with utilitarian principles. This is due to the fact that organizations use their resources to get the most significant benefit for the greatest number of people.
It is worth emphasizing that despite the simplicity and effectiveness of using this theory, it has a disadvantage. It concludes that utilitarianism does not regulate the level of injustice. Hence, for example, a person can be sacrificed so that his organs can be used to save five patients, and this act can be justified by the fact that it gives several healthy people and provides usefulness. Another example may be the processing of hours by an employee to benefit the organization, despite a clear violation of the law.
For such cases, several legal documents have been developed that regulate the issue of ethics in relation to patients and employees. There are four main laws in the United Kingdom that relate to the issue under study. The first act adopted in this area is the Human Rights Act of 1998 (“Human Rights Act 1998”, n.d.). It defines the principal rights of people and the principles of equality. The main concepts within the framework of this legislative document are justice, respect, equality, dignity, and autonomy (“Human Rights Act 1998”, n.d.). Moreover, the Act provides an opportunity for people to defend their rights in court, regardless of any circumstances. In addition, legal authorities should respect, protect and take into account the importance of human rights, and all laws adopted in the country should be consistent with rights.
The next was the Equality Act of 2010, which protects people from the harmful effects of discrimination. The Act establishes such essential protected characteristics as age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and motherhood, race, religion and beliefs, gender, sex change, and sexual orientation (Fell & Dyban, 2017). This law protects people from prejudice when using public services, including health care and social care. Examples may be visiting a doctor or getting a consultation on social issues. The Equality Act also provides certain requirements and frameworks that public authorities must meet. For example, they should finance hospitals and specialized institutions. Moreover, they should monitor how their decisions and policies affect people and whether they contribute to unethical and discriminatory behavior. For example, when implementing a new health policy, the authorities may conduct a survey among people. It may raise the issue of prejudice and wrong attitude towards another race, culture, or age. Thus, the authorities should influence the heads of organizations to introduce new policies and strategies to combat this problem.
Mental Capacity Act 2005 guarantees the right to equal treatment and service for people who are unable to maintain their independence in performing actions or making decisions. Thus, individuals are allowed to make decisions on their own, if possible. In other cases, organizations and the State are obliged to protect such people and put them at the center of the decision-making process.
Moreover, the law on mental capabilities implies that members of society have the right to make unreasonable decisions that may seem wrong and incorrect to the public. This is because everyone has the right to make decisions independently on the basis of formed values and views. The last principle of this Act of Government is that action from an incapable person must be carried out in the interests of the person.
The last but also crucial legislative decision was adopting the Care Act 2014. This law forms several basic principles that should underlie the provision of assistance to vulnerable people (‘Care Act 2014’,n.d.). This includes ensuring that patients receive individual support to each and agree with them or their representatives. It also establishes the authorities’ responsibilities in relation to assessing people’s needs and granting the right to receive funded care and support.
In accordance with the Care Act of 2014, the authorities must conduct an ongoing detailed assessment of the population in addition to the above. This will help to determine which layers and representatives of society are most in need of help and care from medical and social institutions. Moreover, this measure helps determine the authorities’ contribution and what results they want to achieve from their activities.
Care Values and Standards Underpin Good Practice
Defining standards and values of care are vital aspects that directly affect the quality of service delivery. Thus, the better they are established and observed, the better the organization’s performance indicators become. Standards and values are based on several essential principles. Among them are dignity and respect, compassion, participation, responsive care, support, and well-being. These concepts should also be taken as a basis for implementing any strategy or policy of the company.
Defining values and standards of care has shown its value during my practice. For me, the most important things are respect and support, especially in critical cases. It is essential to be able to teach the interests of patients and their inner circle and provide effective support in difficult situations. Compliance with the legislation is also added to this in order to avoid not only harmful results but also judicial proceedings. This is because it will negatively affect my practice and the reputation and profit of the organization for which I work.
In addition, these principles have been developed to improve health and social care services. They ensure not only accessibility but also the equal treatment of all people. Values and standards should occupy a central and priority place in the work of any organization in the field of activity under study. These are principles that help employees distinguish the proper action or opinion from the wrong one, as they determine what is essential when caring and supporting individuals. However, it is essential to remember that setting standards and values do not eliminate the need to comply with legislation. Health and care services should continue to follow the basic legal postulates of the acts adopted by the Government. The studied aspects, in turn, play the role of a supplement to the acts and best practices.
Furthermore, regardless of such characteristics as age, gender, social status, race, culture, and many others, people have every right to the same care and support. This aspect can be ensured by implementing a diversity policy in organizations. Moreover, the use of such a theory in support of utilitarianism is also of particular value. This is because he emphasizes the consequences of people’s actions and assesses the level of their usefulness. In addition, it is necessary to focus on various legislative initiatives that will support strategies to limit cases of discrimination in health and social care institutions.
References
Care Act 2014. (n.d.). Legislation.gov. the UK. Web.
Fell, E. V., & Dyban, M. (2017). Against Discrimination: Equality Act 2010 (UK). The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences (EpSBS), 19, 188-194.
Hart, H. L. A. (2017). Natural rights: Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Theories of Rights, 163-188.
Human Rights Act 1998. (n.d.). Legislation.gov. the UK. Web.
Rodger, D., & Blackshaw, B. (2017). An introduction to the ethical theory for healthcare assistants.British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 11(11), 556-561. Web.