Communication Barriers in HSC Sector

This assignment analyzes the significant challenges of communication within the Health and Social Care (HSC) sector. It highlights how cultural differences and values impact practitioner communication, emphasizing the need for effective communication to deliver high-quality care. The document explores various ICT packages used in HSC organizations like the NHS to facilitate better communication and collaboration among employees and care workers.

Communicating in H&SC
Organisations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................3
Task 1.3 Defining interpersonal communication...................................................................3
Task 2.1 How communication process is influenced by values and cultural factors ............5
2.3 Analyse effectiveness of organisational system and policies in promoting good practise in
communication.......................................................................................................................6
Task 2.4 Identify ways of improving communication in HSC...............................................7
Task 3.1 identify ICT packages used in HSC.........................................................................8
Task 3.2 Benefits of using ICT in HSC..................................................................................8
Task 3.3 Different acts of using ICT in HSC.......................................................................10
CONCLUSION:.............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION:
Communication is very essential in health and social care. It helps in expressing ideas
and thoughts. By this patient can easily communicate what they need. It fosters in building
relationship with care providers (Chatterjee and Noble, 2016). With this person overcome from
disease more quickly. If proper needs are provided in specific time period then patient will get
well soon. By implementing ICT healthcare profession can be improved. The service quality can
be improved providing greater efficiency in care. This report will show how implementation of
ICT will be beneficial in HSC. Also, what role does communication plays in HSC is discussed.
Besides this, what policies are followed while using ICT in HSC.
Task 1.3 Defining interpersonal communication
In Health and social care sector communication is really important between service
users. Communications is process of messages, system of symbols and signs. Communications
can be verbal it is mean face to face or telephonic, non verbal or written for example letter, email
or report. Interpersonal communication is between two or more people, service user, face to face
there’re sending and receiving messages. Measure the effectiveness of interpersonal
communication through listening. Barriers in H&SC sector is very serious because it is big
problem to provide a good service (Glasby and Dickinson, 2014) They are in different aspect
and classification of physical, semantic and language, socio-psychological, organization and
cross- cultural barriers. Common barriers to provide an ineffective communication is to use a
jargon, cultural differences, cultural barriers, emotional, different language, time and distance,
organisational barriers, gestures, concept of space.

Different languages can create obstacles in the carer and service users,as can difficultly in
hearing and visual disability. These languages, hearing and visual problem in health care is really
important because if the patient has got an incorrect diagnosis result will be in improper
treatment. This can greatly harm the patients. The lack of trust of the patient to the medical
worker can also be a barrier to effective communication. Lastly, the lack of knowledge can also
serve as another barrier to communications. (Moss, 2017).
For inappropriate communication I would like to give some example, Scenario is: Ms X
attending in her local surgery for examination and she has been unwell lately. The receptionist
asks loudly the reason for attending, other patient can hear she being asking. She explain to
reception staff that she is slightly deaf. The receptions ask Ms X to use the computer screen in

the waiting area to indicate that she has arrived. Ms X explain to her that her English is limited
and not very well and she has not previous experience to used computer. She left that
receptionist did not listen to her and she was not sensitive to her concerns. This scenario is good
example for inappropriate communication in H&SC sector patient is from different background
and her English is not fluent, communication between them is greatly affected. Also, that Ms X
said she couldn’t use a computer screen but nobody helps for that (Harris and White, 2018).
This is very bad communication between them. Every healthcare settings has set value, morals
and ethnic. In this case receptions has inappropriate communication no respect, no choice human
right are not respecting.
Task 2.1 How communication process is influenced by values and cultural factors
Communication is really important in H&SC sector .Culture and values impact the ways
in which people communicate as well as the strategies they used to communicate.
Communication is at a core off all social interaction and is listed by the Word Health
Organisation as one of ten core life skills. Harris and White, 2018, states that with the power of
communication, the individual has the individual may face isolation and a struggle to survive.
The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.
Practitioner communication occurs in the context of ever changing healthcare culture and with a
huge range of people, who may have very special and particular health or communication needs,
and a range of very different expectations of health services (Fox and Reeves, 2015). Cultural
shifts have been discussed in terms of patient autonomy and the exercise of control, in term of
ethnicity and culture, but also in the context of work pressure related challenges to the nature of
the care which can be provided by practitioners in day to day practice. In this task we need to
define values as well because they both with cultural influence by communication process.
Values is beliefs or idea, that’s an individual culture what is good and what is wrong. In UK
have a lot’s of number of care homes and there was many people with different ethnic group and
background. Cultural values is very important, religion and ethnicity is a very serious that is why
they stay on the top of priority in H&SC sector (West and et..al, 2014). For example Muslim
client may request for a Halal meal and care home or hospital they should to provide this meal by
all means as it is the clients choice. This values and beliefs is an aspect of health care settings.
Language is also closely related with communication process between service user and carer.
Skills of active listening is very important to communication process. I will give example with a

case study from my lectures, Dee is a senior assistant in a day service for older people. Eva Is
Polish and speaks very little English .She attends the day service where Dee works. At the
service a member of staff ( Piotre) can speak fluent Polish. The manager and other staff think it
best that Piotre communicate with Eva. Piotre and Eva have a good relationship so things work
well, that is until Piotre finds another job. Eva is completely lost. No one else at the service has
taken the time to develop their communication skills to be able to communicate effectively with
Eva,. (Coulter and et..al , 2014). From this example we saw language barriers here
communication is stops, because language is very important to provide a good service. When
Piotre is left Eva was completely lost and nobody helps to develop her communication skills.
This is big problem because this a barrier to provide good service. Here we saw how
communication process influence by cultural factors. Also, that I think manager Dee need to
provide a carer who know Polish to continue to develop Eva’s communication skills. If they
provide a person who know Polish work is done, because Eva is service user they must observe
the human right, choice, respect her wishes.
If there will be not gap between people then they will communicate with each other
freely. They will start respecting each other beliefs and values. By this there will also respect
patient and their relatives. This will result in removing cultural barriers among them. Moreover,
it will change people thinking and will have a great impact on their behaviour. Hence, it will
result in influencing communication between them.
2.3 Analyse effectiveness of organisational system and policies in promoting good practise in
communication
To provide a high level of practice in H&SC sector organisational used ICT packed
organisation like a NHS and follow to policies, procedure and law (Valentine, Nembhard and
Edmondson, 2015). Personal information , physical appearance, cultural background, education
is part of promoting good practice to communication between service user and health care
professional .Organisational system develop in Health and Social care sector should promote in
different types of communication to address the needs of health and social care service users
including electronic (email), verbal or non-verbal communication, special types of
communication. Organisational system is very important in H&SC sector because have a lot’s of
benefit for that for example send letter is very fast because technology helps for that. In this

sector Health and social professional must follow effective organisational system and policies.
These systems and policies make communications effectively. If the ICT package absence
between H&SC professional they can’t work effectively (Green and Thorogood 2018). When
organisation work effectively by communication system they promote better communication in
the work place. A good practice within communication contributes to the efficiency of services
as well as builds self-confidence within the person. Organisation policies is very important we
talk about Ashleigh Court Rest Home they follow four policies Whistle blowing policies,
Bullying in the workplace, Prevention of accidents and Policy on Racial harassment. Here we
saw good implementations of the Law, effective communication, help to work successfully. I
think this care home have an excellent implementation of policies, they protect service users and
carer because law demanded. I think this care home promoting good practice in communication,
by providing safety and security to Whistle blower as they follow law. Also, that law give
confidence to the person communicating by assuring security and safety resulting into effective
communication (Ginter, 2018). As a conclusion I would like to say effectiveness of
organisational system and policies in promoting good practice is really important to provide a
good practice of communication between service user and carer.
Policies in HSC :-
These policies are effective as it will provide proper and effective care services to people
in Ashleigh Care home. Through effective communication staff will be able to build strong
relationship with each other. This will lead to create a positive environment in care home. By this
quality of services will be enhanced providing better care to people.
Task 2.4 Identify ways of improving communication in HSC
There are various ways of improving communication in HSC. Some of them are as
follows :-
Training of staff- Effective training can be given to staff regrading communication techniques.
Also, seminars and workshops can be organised on how to use technology in communication.
This will help in improving communication between staff while providing treatment (Fox and
Reeves, 2015) It benefits is it will improve skills and knowledge of staff along with service
quality.

Hiring competent staff- New staff can be hired so that they can effectively communicate with
each other. Also, discrimination must be removed so that staff is able to share their ideas and
views. This will lead to build strong bond between them thus creating a better environment.
Care quality commission (CQC) - By measuring performance of care homes CQC can provide
recommendations on how and where improvements are needed ( West and et..al, 2014). They
can also help in implementing them so that communication is improved among different home
care.
Improving communication methods- The existing methods of communication can be improved
by making some changes in it. It will be useful in developing a strong communication structure.
Removing barriers- This is the most common thing that can be done. The barriers can be
removed by taking certain strong measures. It will be useful in creating smooth flow of
communication between staff.
Update systems – The systems that are used in HSC must be updated so that there is nor
problem in providing information to people.
Providing back ups- there must be a back up installed in every home care so that in case of
emergency it can be used to provide information. Also, it will be easy to communicate about
what visit of person. This can be done to improve system functioning.
In case of Mrs. Peterson, the computer system broke down so it leads to leakage of data.
Also, there was not back up of any other system that can be used. Communication in HSC can be
improved by installing updated systems. Also, creating a structure that will link each department
in HSC.. by this it will be easy in communicating.
Task 3.1 identify ICT packages used in HSC
There are various ICT packages available in HSC. It depends upon needs of organisation.
They support in providing and storing information. Emails, video conferencing can be done that
will help in improving HSC services (Coulter and et..al 2014). Doctors are using their own
services in providing health care to people while medical staff has opportunities to learn new
skills through internet. Developing spreadsheet has reduced burden to keeping had written
records of patients. This has also save time and cost of care homes. Besides this, staff is given

training by various online software, this has reduced cost to travel. Also, increase in
communication has provided ease in giving proper treatment.
Internet and wifi is required for using ICT packages. This will help in connecting home
care with each other and people data. Along with this, training must be provided to people
regarding how to use ICT package. It will enable them to know entire working of package. The
entire details of ICT package must be provided in HSC.
ICT package can help dementia people in remembering their routine. They can write
things that which is not remembered and accordingly plan can be developed by them. It will be
very helpful in overcoming dementia. Thus, using ICT package will be beneficial for dementia
people.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR), is a fundamental pre-requisite in using ICT
seamlessly in healthcare. While EMR is available in several forms, size, shape, and format,
Indian medical community with a specific mandate should standardize EMR, create and establish
ICT platforms for using EMR based systems, for universal benefits.
Task 3.2 Benefits of using ICT in HSC
An effective communication between employees and care workers will help in providing
effective services to them. It will be easy to identify patients need. Also, by maintaining proper
records of healthcare their performance can be measured (Valentine, Nembhard and
Edmondson, 2015). This will save time and cost. By implementing ICT, information can be
shared easily. This will users to track services available. Patient records can be accessed quickly
in case of emergency. For example – if a patient visits hospital after three months then by using
ICT all details can be accessed. This will consume less time. There are various benefits of using
ICT in the health and social care sector and some of the well known methods are discussed as
below :
For service users
ICT can help service users in accessing their data whenever required. This will help them
to know what treatment has been given to them and what is required when they visit different
doctor.
For colleagues

They can communicate with each other regarding how services can be provided in more
effective way.
For employees
By interacting through ICT employee can give suggestions to each other. They can also
consult regarding how care service can be provided to people suffering from various disease.
Limitation and weakness of using ICT - The most common limitation of using ICT is
information or data of patient can be hacked. The details' ma be misused by person and can result
in financial loss. Also, online records are threat to security and confidentiality. Along with this,
sometimes doctors handwriting is not clearly visible (Green and Thorogood 2018) This can
lead to pharmacy errors that can be dangerous. Besides this, it will lead to extra expenses. Also,
it there s chance of getting data leaked. This data can be misplaced and can lead to loss of life of
a person. In case of emergency some other person data might be given to professional for
financial benefits. People who are illiterate can not use ICT systems.
From my point of view using ICT in HSC is very beneficial. It provides a complete
information about patient and keep record of it. Also, it helps in saving time and cost. Moreover,
I think it helps in improving quality of services. For example – a patient has been given dementia
treatment and is taken to other hospital. Then they will first analyse previous report and give
treatment. Using ICT is beneficial as it helps in sharing information instantly with each other so
that effective care can be provided to people. Moreover, it keeps data of people that helps in
analysing increase of any particular disease. By this appropriate measures can be taken to
improve it.
In context to above case study, police was able to identify that man was having some
mental problem. This helped them to handle situation by not taking any serious action (Ginter,
2018) Also, man was saved in proper time and was not injured. Yes police saved time and effort
as they were already having details of man health. The communication was quick and man got
proper treatment. It was only possible through ICT that man was properly in safe hands.
Otherwise, some people might have taken him kidnapped him. The record of man was mentioned
in ICT. So by tracking that record police was able to reach that man.

Task 3.3 Different acts of using ICT in HSC
There are various Acts that are being used and are associated with ICT in the health and
social sector. All these Acts have some influence on the factors and operations of the systems
involved in the health and social sector. Discussing the Acts as below :
Computer Misuse Act 1990
It is formed to have control over crime and internet fraud. Organisation should use
authorised systems for storing information. Any malicious activities should be detected.
The Data Protection Act 1998
It states that data and information of patients should be protected. It consists of
guidelines and policies regrading data (Bowling, 20140. Also, if any organisation violated these
rules then penalty r fine will be imposed on them.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
It states that care workers should be provided safe and secure working environment in
care centres. Their safety must be considered and proper tools and equipments should be
provided to them. Workers should not be threatened to dangerous substances.
The Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992
It outlines employer and employee duties and roles in health and safety. It offers users to
make changes in screens to make it easy to use.
Impact of laws in HSC
These laws restrict organisation to share people data. Data shared must be kept
confidential (Ventola, 2014). If data is not shared then it becomes difficult to provide effective
health facilities to people. Also, it impacts overall services in healthcare. Poor communication
will lead to lack of trust in care workers and professionals. In case of Mrs. Peterson data was
leaked without informing other person.
In Mrs. Peterson case there was clearly a breach of confidentiality of information. For
this Mrs. Petersen can sue Dr. Grant for this. They can take legal actin against them for providing
information to others. The doctor did not follow compliance of HIPAA privacy regulations.
Legal considerations

Legal considerations in HSC is code of practise and polices must be kept at proper place.
Also, all organisation must collaborate with each other that will lead to effective delivery of
services. Moreover, it will improve quality of services. For legal considerations every home care
must be in compliance of HIPAA privacy regulations. It must be ensured that they follow rules.
After that license should be given. Besides this, a proper procedure and process must be
established with insurance companies to claim any health insurance. This will help in improving
communication in HSC.
CONCLUSION:
This report highlights the use of ICT in health and social care. In Health and social care
sector communication is really important between service users. Barriers in H&SC sector is very
serious because it is big problem to provide a good service. Culture and values impact the ways
in which people communicate. Practitioner communication occurs in the context of ever
changing healthcare culture and with a huge range of people. To provide a high level of practice
in H&SC sector organisational used ICT packed organisation like a NHS and follow to policies,
procedure and law. There are various ways of improving communication in HSC. There are
various ICT packages available in HSC. An effective communication between employees and
care workers will help in providing effective services to them

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