HSC 025 The role of the health and social care (GC0219)

HSC 025:  The role of health and social care

1 Explain how a working relationship is different from a personal relationship

The main difference between a working relationship and a personal relationship is that a working relationship has specific boundaries that have to be adhered to. For example professional codes of conduct, policies and procedures. In a working relationship, you are placed with other people to work as part of a team and have a shared aim of achievements and objectives.

In a working environment, you are responsible for any mistakes and errors, therefore it is important to have smooth running working relationships with everyone. It is not necessary to like the people you work with, but all personal opinions and feelings must be kept to yourself. Mutual respect and understanding is a key factor in developing successful working relationships. In a personal relationship, you have a completely different approach, firstly it is highly likely you will choose who you have a personal relationship with, you have different roles and responsibilities.

In a personal relationship, you may share personal information or offer your personal opinions and there is usually an emotional attachment. In a personal relationship, there is no set of rules to adhere to and you are free to voice your thoughts and feelings as you see fit.

2 Describe different working relationships in health and social care settings

In the health and social care setting there are many different working relationships, such as colleagues, supervisors/managers, clients, clients’ families and other professionals for example doctors, nurses, and social care workers. For each of the mentioned groups, there are different types of working relationships developed, some will be more formal than others, for example, you would not address a doctor in the same manner as you would a client. It is essential to work in harmony with all groups to ensure the best possible support and care is provided. Other people may be able to provide useful information to support you in your work and you may be able to provide useful information to support them in being part of the individual’s lives. This is a good partnership working. It is important in all working relationships to be respectful, honest, professional, helpful, approachable, fair, a good communicator, and a good listener.

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3 Describe why it is important to adhere to the agreed scope of the job role

It is important to adhere to the agreed scope of the job role to provide the best care possible. As a carer, you have a professional duty of care to the individuals you support as well as work colleagues, supervisors/managers and other professional bodies. It is also important to adhere to the agreed scope of the job role as it sets out boundaries in your job role, therefore you and everyone else know exactly what your roles and responsibilities are. You must in addition ensure you know your own levels of competence and skills. If you are asked to carry out a task you are not competent with you could injure yourself and others around you. For example, some clients may need catheter care, a leg bag changing or emptying, if the task is not carried out correctly infection may occur to yourself or the client. It is essential a catheter care course has been attended by the carer before any catheter care is carried out.

There are many useful behaviors to follow to maintain professional boundaries, for example: Do not form any inappropriate, intimate or personal relationships with individuals at work Be reliable, dependable and approachable, Be honest and trustworthy. Do not discriminate against anyone. Always own up, report, and try to fix any errors or mistakes you may cause Promote an individual’s independence and protect them as far as possible from harm Comply with policies and procedures or agreed methods of working Maintain clear and accurate records

Respect confidential information and know when it is appropriate to share certain information Do not accept gifts or money from individuals or their families Co-operate with colleagues, clients, clients families, supervisors/managers and other professional bodies and treat all with respect Continue to improve your knowledge and skills. Report any concerns you may have.

4 Explain why it is important to work in partnership with others

Everyone has a wide range of relationships with different people, ranging from family to work colleagues. Each different type of relationship is important and plays a valuable role in contributing to the overall welfare of everyone. The needs and demands of relationships are varied, as are the effects that relationships can have on an individual’s view of themselves and the confidence with which they deal with everyday life. It is imperative to work in partnership with all of the people you work with in order to ensure the best care possible is being provided.

In order to work well in any relationship, there has to be good communication. Learning from others and working in partnership will help you to understand the aims and objectives of different people and partner organizations, as they may have different values and attitudes. To develop good partnerships with others you will need to make use of all communication skills you have learned, it is important to make your clients, colleagues, supervisors/managers and any other involved parties feel valued as an individual, as well as respected and treated with dignity. The caring relationship between the client and the carer must be supportive and should allow the client to become as independent as possible. It is important that you work in partnership with the client and their families as everyone has a common interest and that is to protect the client from harm. Everyone needs to work in partnership as it is in the best interest of everyone involved.

It is essential that everyone’s focal point is on providing the best care and support to individuals, for example: Supporting the client to achieve their goals and be as independent as possible Respecting and maintaining the dignity and privacy of clients and others Promoting equal opportunities and respecting diversity and different cultures Reporting dangerous, abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behavior or practice Communicating in an appropriate, open, accurate and straight forward way Treating each person as an individual

5 Identify skills and approaches needed for resolving conflicts

Not all relationships are easy, there are unavoidable times when stresses and strains show and you can find yourself faced with conflict, arguments, angry people or even potential violence. There are no hard and fast rules as all situations and individuals are different and conflict resolution is never an easy task, wherever you are and however big or small a problem may be, there are some basic steps you can follow: Remain calm and speak in a firm, quiet voice, do not raise your voice Make it clear that verbal or physical aggression is not acceptable to Make it clear that verbal or physical abuse is not acceptable to Listen in turn to all sides of a dispute and don’t let anyone be interrupted Look for a reasonable compromise that involves all parties winning some points and losing others where possible Make it clear to all parties that they will have to compromise and that total victory for any one individual is not an option Explain to all parties concerned what has happened and how other people may be feeling While working as a carer it is sometimes necessary to assist in the training of new staff, in the workplace, this is called shadowing. On a recent occasion, I was being shadowed by a new colleague.

It was a double carer call, therefore, there were three carers present, myself, an experienced work colleague and a new trainee work colleague. At a particular client’s home, it was the new trainees’ turn to have a go at the task in hand which was to hoist, shower, dry, dress and re-hoist into the client’s wheelchair for the day. My two colleagues were carrying out the work and I was observing and giving support. My two colleagues knew each other personally and to my dismay chatted with each other continually ignoring the client while working.

I commented to them, “I think you should try and talk to the client while you work, not just each other, maybe try and involve the client in your conversations”, the new trainee replied back to me, “there’s no point she doesn’t know what we are on about”. I was totally shocked, after the call was finished, I explained to both my colleagues in private that the client was fully aware of everything that is going on, the client suffers from a severe case of cerebral palsy, although the client cannot speak very well she can understand everything and what they had just done was very discriminative, highly undignified and totally unprofessional. The two colleagues were really shocked and genuinely did not realize what they had done. I had approached my two work colleagues in a friendly but formal manner and explained what they had done was wrong. I had to be very careful what I said because I did not want to form bad working relationships but I needed to point out the problem. I had remained calm and was clear in my explanations, therefore good working relationships were intact…………

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