Health and Social Care Integration

This assignment delves into the crucial topic of integrating health and social care services. It examines relevant policies, highlights challenges encountered in this process, and analyzes successful best practices implemented by organizations. The analysis draws upon academic literature and practical examples to provide a comprehensive understanding of this complex and evolving field.

Psychology for Health and
Social Care
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 UNDERSTAND PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTH, DISABILITY, ILLNESS AND
BEHAVIOUR..................................................................................................................................3
1. The different theories of life span development......................................................................3
2. How psychological theories and concepts are related to the specific life stages.....................5
TASK 2 UNDERSTAND SOCIAL AND BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR DISPLAYED IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE CONTEXTS..........................6
1. Social and biological factor that influence human behaviour..................................................6
2. The importance of the social roles in the context of health and social care setting.................7
TASK 3 UNDERSTAND HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES ARE APPLIED TO
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PRACTICE ...............................................................................8
1. How psychological theories are related to behaviour disturbances.........................................8
2. Application of psychological theories to individual experiencing elevated levels of stress. . .8
3. How psychology theory inform understanding of mental health disorder..............................9
4. Application of principles to affecting behaviour change in health and social care setting.....9
5. Analyse how psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationship in HSC .....9
TASK 4 SELF EVALUATION.....................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION
Psychology is defined as study of understanding individual mind and behaviour.
Therefore, within health and social care (HSC) setting it is necessary for the care worker to
understand the behaviour as well as emotions of patients and services users so that they can
render proper services to them (Sherbourne and et.al., 2014). However, understanding
psychology of patient is an essential factor which assists the care worker in rendering quality
treatment. Furthermore, understanding psychology of patients also result support them in
interacting with them. Presently, the report focuses on different theories of lifespan development
as care worker within HSC should emphasize on different patients at different life stages.
Furthermore, it will also stress on the social as well as biological determinants of human
behaviour displayed in HSC contexts. Lastly, the report will concentrate on how psychological
theories are being applied within the HSC practices.
TASK 1 UNDERSTAND PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTH, DISABILITY,
ILLNESS AND BEHAVIOUR
1. The different theories of life span development
Life span development is defined as the study that generally focuses on constant
changing behaviour of the individual from the birth throughout their life time. Therefore, this
approach focuses on development of human at various phase of their life-cycle (Schwarzer,
2014). While, rendering services in different HSC organization with care worker has identified
that there are six stages of individual from the birth through their final stage of life. The different
stages of lifespan development are-
Stages of life span
development
Characteristics
Infancy The first stage in the life span development of an individual is
infancy. The child from birth to the two year is regarded as an
infant. During this stage, infants are highly dependent on their
parents for all the things (Santrock, Baxter and Oatis, 2015).
Childhood Another stage in life span development is childhood that exists
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from two years to ten years. At this phase, children become
progressively self-directed from their parents. They prefer to do
activity and work by their own that further assists them in
gaining knowledge regarding what is right and wrong
(Santrock, 2014).
Adolescence Another stage after childhood is adolescence age which is from
ten to twenty years. Under this stage, individual seeks to gain
independence from their parents and thus they focus on
processing their own identity.
Early Adulthood Another stage of life span development features the individual
from the age group of twenty to forty years. In this stage,
individual establish personal relationship and also begin their
family (Neisser, 2014).
Middle age This stage covers individual who are in the age group of forty
to sixty. At this stage, individual generally grow their personal
as well as social involvement that support them in gaining
maturity.
Older age Last stage in life span development include old age that covers
people who have attained the age group of sixty five and plus.
In this, the individual constantly change their behavior as they
require a care taker that may look after their activities
(Enthoven, 2014). In order to render medical services to older
age people, care worker need to understand their behavior and
then provide them with adequate services.
There are different theories that are related with the life span development of patients that
is stage versus open-ended theories of life span development. Stage theory generally focuses that
all individual are processed and developed through series of same phases from the birth to death.
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However, the theory also assumes that development is disrupted procedure as it focuses on
development of individual at different stages of life (Csikszentmihalyi and Rathunde, 2014). One
of the common examples of stage theory is Erikson's stage of psychological development. It
generally focuses on eight stages of human development that begin from infancy to the
adulthood which is hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care and wisdom (Clifford
and Gough, 2014). Some of the example that depicts the human stage of development is: it is
essential to feed the infants for enabling their proper and healthy growth. Likewise same old
people require proper health care service so that it may reduces the illness at this stage. However,
they must also ensure regular check-up that assists them in maintaining healthy situation.
On the other hand, open-ended theory assumes that each and every individual are
inherently different from each other and thus they must expect different behaviour from each of
them (Burbank and Riebe, 2014). Open-ended theory also assumes that individual behaviour
often get changed due to their surroundings. However, some other factors like emotional factor,
culture or background of an individual, physiological factors etc. plays crucial role in shaping
and moulding individual behaviour.
2. How psychological theories and concepts are related to the specific life stages
Care worker those who are rendering services within HSC setting must focus on
measuring different psychological theories and concepts as it directly emphasizes on
understanding the specific life stage of the individual (Gajendran and Brewer, 2012). The
different psychological theories include behavioural, cognitive, psychodynamic and humanistic
theories.
Maslow theory
As per the Maslow theory, it basically assumed that life span development is considered
as an on-going developmental process that does not specify any particular age group. In order to
attain successful development of an individual, it is essential to meet the basic deficiency needs
as well as growth needs. However, this theory also focuses on different needs that supposed to be
fulfilled which include physiological needs, esteem needs as well as safety needs of an individual
(Gavrielides, 2011). The ultimate purpose for the development is to gain the self-actualization
need of an individual. Maslow theory enables the care worker to determine different kind of
services that are excepted by service users at different stages of their life cycle. At each and
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every life stage care worker need to fulfil and meet the needs of patients so that they may ensure
their proper growth. For example, at the childhood stage care providers are the parents that make
sure that correct food as well as education, shelter etc. is being provided to children so that they
may ensure proper growth. At the young or adolescence stage care givers are friends, teachers
and parents that focuses on accomplishing their social (Ham and Oldham, 2009). Safety as well
as esteem need. Therefore, the middle age group people generally focuses on meeting self-
actualization needs where they are in the favour that all the needs are accomplished and they
have develop themselves in the proper manner.
TASK 2 UNDERSTAND SOCIAL AND BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS
OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR DISPLAYED IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL
CARE CONTEXTS
1. Social and biological factor that influence human behaviour
Human behaviour is defined as activity and action of an individual that they perform at
the workplace (Jabnoun, 2009). Within HSC setting human behaviour get influenced by different
factors that positively and negatively impact the behaviour of professionals and care worker in
HSC. The common factor the influences the human behaviour include social and biological
factor. Social factors are generally consider as surrounding elements and components that affect
the individual behaviour. On the other hand biological factor are consider as inherent or inbuilt
factor that keep influencing and affecting the human behaviour within the HSC setting
(McPherson, 2008). The assorted social as well as biological factor that affect the human
behaviour include-
1. Socialization: The foremost factor is socialization it is consider as a social factor that
directly and indirectly affect the human behaviour. Socialization refers to formation of
group outside the work area whose aim is to revealing their activities that they perform at
the workplace. Through enabling socialization care worker expresses their knowledge
and way of performing their daily routine activity (Roinn, 2006). Thus, providing the
information regarding their way of performing result in influencing their behaviour.
Furthermore, enabling socialization also result in reducing stress level of the care worker
so that they can render quality treatment and services to patients.
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2. Traits: Trait is a biological factor that directly influences the human behaviour as it are
inbuilt factor that keep influencing and affecting their behaviour (Samuel, 2011). The
individual trait generally include inherent characteristics such as respecting the service
users as well as family members, focuses on anti-discrimination within the HSC setting,
providing equal treatment to all patients etc. that positively result in treating the service
users in the effective manner.
3. Education: Another social factor that influences the human behaviour include education
level of the care provider in HSC setting. Thus, education factor also influences and
affect the human behaviour as well as their practices within HSC (Sigelman and Rider,
2014). For example, care worker with high education qualification will results in
providing quality treatment to the service users that assist them in recovering at the faster
rate. Therefore, the low educated care worker will not able to provide services as
accordant to the expertise care worker.
2. The importance of the social roles in the context of health and social care setting
Social role are considered as mutual expectation within group related with how individual
is supposed to behave within the group. Through focusing on social roles individual may lost
their individual identity and personality (Sherbourne and et.al., 2014). The different social role
within HSC setting include gender based roles, as educator etc. the gender based role is played
by care worker to serve and caters the different requirement of patients. For instance; in HSC
setting female care worker are known as nurses while the male care worker as regarded as ward
boy. Gender based role plays significant role within the setting as it result in providing adequate
treatment that is female patients will clarify their issue and problem to nurse in the comfortable
manner. However, the significance of social roles in the contexts of HSC include-
1. The social roles within HSC setting plays vital role in providing proper advice to medical
professional and practitioners so that they can provide quality treatment to the services
users (Schwarzer, 2014).
2. However, the social role is also effective in the HSC setting as it may protect and
preserve the rights of service users. They should also raise the voice against unequal
practices that have been occurred with the patients.
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3. In addition to this, social roles also assist the patients from the unethical practices that is
is harm or abuse.
4. The social roles also assists in devising proper guideline and principles within the HSC
setting so that care practitioners can render services accordant with the devised guideline
(Santrock, Baxter and Oatis, 2015).
5. Social care is also important for aged people as it may result in loosing their memory
therefore, social care is significant at the stage as they absent-mindedness will impact
their health condition.
6. Furthermore, social care also assist them in acquiring and learning new skills so that
support the elderly patients to overcome their illness.
TASK 3 UNDERSTAND HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES ARE
APPLIED TO HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PRACTICE
1. How psychological theories are related to behaviour disturbances
Behaviour disturbance can be occurred at any of the life stage that is from childhood to
adult. Therefore, due to behavioural disturbance it may result in gaining different form of
disorder among the individual (Santrock, 2014). Addictive behaviour is generally common
within children and young people that directly affect the individual physically and mentally.
Taking alcohol as well as well as engaging in smoking habit are generally consider as addictive
behaviour. Therefore, it is essential for care worker to focus on overcoming the additive
behaviour of individual so that it may result in well-being of the patients.
Behavioural psychology is the effective theory that generally focuses on examining the
changing behaviour of an individual (Neisser, 2014). The theory assume that change in the
individual behaviour state that they have acquire some learning that support them in changing
their behaviour.
2. Application of psychological theories to individual experiencing elevated levels of stress
Stress is defined as physical as well as mental response of body due to psychological
affect. There are different element and components of stress that is work related stress, chronic
illness, bereavement or any loss etc. all these element are consider as effective element that
elevate the level of stress among the individual.
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Due to the heavy condition of workload as well as long working hours within the HSC
setting it may result in elevating the stress level among the care worker and practitioners. In
addition to this, ineffective leadership style at the workplace is also result in causing stress
among the individual that is rendering medical services to patients (Enthoven, 2014).
Furthermore, another factor that generally focuses on experiencing the level of stress is
bereavement that may arise due to death of beloved family member or spouse or death of a close
person. Death of close family members of an individual experience the higher level of stress
among the individual.
3. How psychology theory inform understanding of mental health disorder
With the help of psychological theory it focuses on understanding different mental health
disorder that may occur while lifespan development. Mental health disorder is consider as an
emotional function that is generally caused by the different factors that is social, biological,
psychological etc. the different form of mental health disorder can may be caused due to
psychology theory include eating disorder. This mental health disorder focuses on disturbance of
regular diet of an individual (Csikszentmihalyi and Rathunde, 2014). Through eating disorder
individual mat gain excess of body gain that affect their behaviour. Furthermore, with the
psychology theory it may also understand other health disorder such as depression. Therefore,
care worker must understand the disorder while rendering services to depression patients.
4. Application of principles to affecting behaviour change in health and social care setting
HSC is consider as essential environment that result in improving the health and
changing the behaviour of service users. The major determinants of behaviour that are applied
within the health and social care include environmental, personal and behavioural characteristics
(Clifford and Gough, 2014). The application of psychological principles include socialization
that affect the behaviour change among the care worker who renders services in HSC setting.
Under socialization factor care practitioners may share necessary information regarding their
daily activities within the group. Thus, it may affect and impact the practices and activity of
other care workers. Socialization within HSC setting generally result in reducing the stress level
so that they may effectively handle the patients (Burbank and Riebe, 2014).
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5. Analyse how psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationship in HSC
Ways through which psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationship in
HSC setting are- Professionals working together: The relationship at the HSC can be enhanced if the
different professionals start working together. This will help in serving the quality
treatment as well as it will also help in exchanging or transferring the adequate
knowledge so that the other professional can ensure it in the practice. While, the working
with the professionals will also help in enhancing the skills and abilities.
 Improving communication: The psychological theories can enhances the understanding
in the health and social care by improving the communication processes. By improving
the communication process the care practitioners can easily transfer the knowledge to
their patients so that they can get the effective treatment in overcoming the health issues.
TASK 4 SELF EVALUATION
The present report has focused on understanding the perception related with health,
disability and behaviour. However, through the above report I have also studied the relevance of
psychology within the HSC setting as it result in determining the individual behaviour while
rendering services to them. Furthermore, I have also gained immense knowledge regarding the
psychological field as well as different psychological theories that define the various behaviour
of the patients.
However, through making the report I have also gained knowledge regarding different
phases of individual life. The life stage of an individual focuses on different phase that is
infancy, early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, late adulthood and final stage that is death. I
have gained the knowledge regarding the stages that further support me knowing that behaviour
of all individual at different stage will be different from each other. Through out the report I
have also enhance my knowledge regarding different roles that are played by care worker in the
HSC so that they should render quality and effective treatment to their patients. In addition to
this, I have also gained adequate information regarding the social and biological factors or
determinants that influences and impact human behaviour.
In addition to this, I have also acquired learning related with psychological theory that
assists me in experiencing the rise in the level of stress among the care worker. Furthermore, it
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also support me in gaining stress management skills that overall support me in managing the
stress at the workplace. Furthermore, I have also gain enough knowledge regarding the different
psychological theories that are applied within the HSC setting that assists me in understanding
the range of mental health disorder that arises among the individual. Therefore, all the learning
and knowledge I have gained through making the report will support me in the future so that I
can render quality service to the patients by properly understanding their psychology and
behaviour.
CONCLUSION
From the entire report it can conclude that psychology plays vital role within HSC as it
assist in understanding the human behaviour in the effective manner. The report also conclude
that theories that were planned by Maslow and Erickson in the favour of life cycle development.
It has also focused on human behaviour as it is defined as activity and action of an individual that
they perform at the workplace. Within HSC setting human behaviour get influenced by different
factors that positively and negatively impact the behaviour of professionals and care worker in
HSC. The common factor the influences the human behaviour include social and biological
factor. However, the social as well as biological factor has also being discussed in the report that
directly and indirectly influenced the individual behaviour at the HSC setting. In addition to this
significance of social roles has also been discussed as it further support the individual and
patients in protecting their rights.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Burbank, P. M. and Riebe, D., 2014. Promoting exercise and behaviour change in older adults:
interventions with the transtheoretical model. Springer Publishing Company.
Clifford, C. and Gough, S., 2014. Nursing and health care research. Routledge.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Rathunde, K., 2014. The development of the person: An experiential
perspective on the ontogenesis of psychological complexity. In Applications of Flow in
Human Development and Education. pp. 7-79.
Enthoven, A. C., 2014. Theory and practice of managed competition in health care finance.
Elsevier.
Gajendran, T. and Brewer, G., 2012 Cultural consciousness and the effective implementation of
information and communication technology. Construction Innovation: Information,
Process, Management. 12(2). pp.179 – 197.
Gavrielides, T., 2011. Human rights in health and social care. Ethnicity and Inequalities in
Health and Social Care. 4(1). pp.28-37.
Ham, C. and Oldham, J., 2009. Integrating Health and Social Care in England: Lessons from
Early Adopters and Implications for Policy. Journal of Integrated Care. 17(6). pp.3-9.
Jabnoun, N., 2009. Economic and cultural factors affecting university excellence. Quality
Assurance in Education. 17(4). pp.416 – 429.
McPherson, B., 2008. Equality and diversity as a way of delivering the wider health and social
care agenda. Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care. 1(2). pp.4-7.
Neisser, U., 2014. Cognitive Psychology: Classic Edition. Psychology Press.
Santrock, J. W., 2014. Essentials of life-span development. McGraw-Hill.
Santrock, J. W., Baxter, R. and Oatis, C., 2015. Life-span development. McGraw-Hill.
Schwarzer, R., 2014. Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Taylor & Francis.
Sherbourne, C. D. and et.al., 2014. Impact of psychiatric conditions on health-related quality of
life in persons with HIV infection.
Sigelman, C. and Rider, E., 2014. Life-span human development, Cengage Learning.
Online
Health and social care working in partnership. 2007. [pdf] Available at:
<http://cfps.org.uk/domains/cfps.org.uk/local/media/library/2516.pdf> [Accessed on 26th
February 2016].
Roinn, A., 2006. The Quality Standards for Health and Social Care. [pdf]. Available through: <
http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/qpi_quality_standards_for_health___social_care.pdf>.
[Accessed on 26th February 2016].
Samuel, M., 2011. Expert guide to health and social care joint working. [Online]. Available at: <
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2011/08/17/expert-guide-to-health-and-social-care-joint-
working/>. [Accessed on 26th February 2016].
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