Empowering Users in HSC

Running head: EMPOWERING USERS IN HSC
Empowering Users in hsc
Name of the student
University name
Author’s note

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EMPOWERING USERS IN HSC
Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................2
Background:...........................................................................................................................2
Task 1:....................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Impact of the current legislation..........................................................................................3
1.2 Lists of factors affecting individual rights...........................................................................4
1.3 Communication means to promote and maximise rights.....................................................5
Task 2:....................................................................................................................................7
A) Factors contributing to the loss of independence..................................................................7
B) Current policies, systems and processes available to local authority....................................8
C) Analysis of inherent tensions in adults safeguarding..........................................................10
Case study 2:........................................................................................................................13
Task 3:..................................................................................................................................13
A) Risk of harm of service users at Winterbourne...................................................................13
B) Review of policies, procedures and approaches in lieu of the Winterbourne Case............14
Task 4:..................................................................................................................................15
A) Application of legislation and codes of practice to handing of medication........................15
B) Linking legislations and associated codes of practice to own workplace policies and
procedures................................................................................................................................17
Conclusion............................................................................................................................18
Bibliography.........................................................................................................................20

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EMPOWERING USERS IN HSC
Introduction
The current study focuses upon empowering the users of health and social care
services. Some of these are delivered in the form of patient centred care approaches whereby
the patients or the service users are made an integral part of the care planning and decision
making process. The empowerment of the users is done through policy of informed decision
making. Additionally, the importance of current legislation practices have been highlighted
though the current study. The study conducted over here helps in understanding the
contribution of the policies and legislations in safeguarding as well as promoting individual
rights.
Background:
The current study highlights the case study of Solomon and Jamila who are an old
couple in their eighties. The couple had a history of physical and verbal abuse and had often
been contacted by the local authority over the same. The matter had been investigated
through the local authority adult safeguarding procedures. However, any such charges of
abuse have been refuted by the couple when the local adult safeguarding committee would
visit them at home. The couple had been attended by a social worker who suggested the
couple to participate in a family group conference along with regular counselling session at
the local community centre. The couple had been provided a drop in facility for attending the
counselling sessions offered at the local community centres. Additionally, the couple have
also been advised targeted medical sessions at the local community hospitals for additional
support.

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EMPOWERING USERS IN HSC
Task 1:
1.1 Impact of the current legislation
In the present context, targeted medical sessions have been implemented in order to
promote a person centred approach where care plans are designed taking into consideration
the requirements of individual service users. The counselling sessions could help in
understanding the mental and emotional issues faced by the services users. These could help
in empowering the service users though empathy and effective communication approaches.
The organizations providing services to vulnerable people are entitled to conduct inspection
processes1. The inspection process should be conducted in association with the legal
authorities or bodies. Some of the important legislations which could be applied to the
present case study are the Care Act, 2014, which defines an adult at risk as a person who is
in need of support and is unable to protect themselves against abuse 2. Moreover, the
Mental Health Capacity Act, 2005, provides the patient with the right to decision making. It
is believed that even after old age and presence of certain mental illnesses the cognition and
decision making capacity of an individual may not be completely compromised3. Therefore,
1 Ocloo, Josephine, and Rachel Matthews. "From tokenism to empowerment: progressing
patient and public involvement in healthcare improvement." BMJ Qual Saf (2016): bmjqs-
2015.
2 Glasby, Jon. Understanding health and social care. Policy Press, 2017.
3 Andrews, Nick, John Gabbay, Andreé Le May, Emma Miller, Martin O'Neill, and Alison
Petch. "Developing Evidence Enriched Practice in Health and Social Care with Older
People." (2015).

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practising the right to decision making and informed consent taking can lead to optimum
patient inclusion. Since the condition of Solomon was deteriorating as he was being subjected
to increasing domestic abuse there was a need for urgent intervention. Some of the guidance
within the policies has been revised to maximise the well being of the older adults receiving
care, reducing the incidence of delay in supplying their basic needs and services. The local
authorities are responsible for implementing the policies and codes of practice effectively4. In
case of a breach of the same legal action could be taken against the local authorities 5.
1.2 Lists of factors affecting individual rights
Some of the factors which could affect the individual rights of the patients are age,
changing health conditions, level of dependence. A number of health complications may arise
in the patient due to increasing age. Some of the age related issues are heart and kidney
related disorders6. The disorders of the skeletal system are most common as the patient may
develop conditions such as gout and osteoarthritis. Some of these may make activities of
4 Faiola, Anthony, and Richard J. Holden. "Consumer health informatics: Empowering
healthy-living-seekers through mHealth." Progress in cardiovascular diseases 59, no. 5
(2017): 479-486.
5 Rolls, Kaye, Margaret Hansen, Debra Jackson, and Doug Elliott. "How health care
professionals use social media to create virtual communities: an integrative review." Journal
of medical Internet research 18, no. 6 (2016).
6 Cameron, Ailsa, Rachel Lart, Lisa Bostock, and Caroline Coomber. "Factors that promote
and hinder joint and integrated working between health and social care services: a review of
research literature." Health & social care in the community 22, no. 3 (2014): 225-233.

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EMPOWERING USERS IN HSC
daily life difficult for the patient. Additionally, a number of mental health disorders may
develop in the patients due to advancing age such as depression, bipolar depression. The
bipolar depression is often subjected to environmental circumstances and could develop
mood swings within the patient. In this respect, some of the contributory factors are old age
and loneliness. Solomon and Jamila have been fighting amongst themselves, which could be
attributed to emotional stress. Hence, the counselling sessions would have been effective in
providing the couple with old age mental health support. The changing health conditions may
make an individual dependent upon others7. Some of aspects such as continuing professional
development could help in enriching the standards of the care services by training the
healthcare professionals further8.
1.3 Communication means to promote and maximise rights
In order to promote maximum patient inclusion a number of communication
approaches could be used such as therapeutic communication. The therapeutic
communication is based upon the skills of apathy and cultural intelligence present within a
nursing professional. As mentioned , the cultural intelligence helps to take into consideration
the faith and religious paradoxes of the patients which often prevents them from approaching
7 Naslund, J. A., K. A. Aschbrenner, L. A. Marsch, and S. J. Bartels. "The future of mental
health care: peer-to-peer support and social media." Epidemiology and psychiatric
sciences 25, no. 2 (2016): 113-122.
8 Woolham, John, Guy Daly, Nicole Steils, and Katrina Ritters. "The evolution of person-
centred care to personalised care, personal budgets and direct payments in England: some
implications for older users of social care services." Sociologia e Politiche Sociali (2015).