Health and Social Care Essay: Teamwork and Communication

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Communication and Collaboration in Managing the Professional
Environment

Formative feedback
To write an essay on Communication and Collaboration in Managing the Professional
Environment, it is important to make a plan for the draft so that each learning outcome could be
achieved. An essay has a definite structure and guideline of writing and so that a proper
understanding can be made from that essay. Therefore, the essay will encompass the following
segments:
Introduction: This introductory part will discuss about the common knowledge of team
formation, the importance of communication and collaboration in the health sector. This prelude
will help to get the basic idea about the discussion part.
Discussion: This part is the main body of the subject. It should be divided in four main parts
addressing the four expected learning outcome. The first part will discuss the role of multi-
agency working for adults with learning difficulties & mental health. This part will discuss the
definitions, related problems of that particular health issue and how multi agency working helps
both the patient and practitioner. The second part will be emphasized on the importance of an
effective team member to build a good team and Inter-professional collaboration in healthcare
practices. This part actually should be built on the idea that “Unity is strength…when there is
teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved” as said by Stepanek and Carter
(2009). The third part will discuss about the aspects of the effective communication and the roles
and responsibilities of a practitioner in this regard. The fourth section will discuss the transfer of
good practice to others to support patients along with further suggestions to improve the system
Conclusion: This part will give an overall impression of the whole work.
References: The following sources will be referred for this essay:
Poppen, M., Sinclair, J., Hirano, K., Lindstrom, L. and Unruh, D., 2016.Perceptions of mental
health concerns for secondary students with disabilities during transition to adulthood.Education
and Treatment of Children, 39(2), pp.221-246.
Stepanek, M.J. and Carter, J., 2009. Just Peace: A message of hope. Andrews McMeel
Publishing.
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13
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Assessment Task - Essay
Introduction
In the workplace, it is very important to make a team and communicate with them to complete a
given task, for a good result. This makes a collaborative approach to complete any big project or
overcome any challenging situation. It is the responsibility of the team to make a good
communication strategy so that all members of the team remain connected to use any updated
information (Cunningham et al., 2016). This act as a success factor and encourages creativity
within the team. Therefore the receiver end gets good service and can be assured of the
efficiency of the team. This makes the employees quicker, responsible and effective increasing
their motivational level. The present work has been focused on the communication and
collaboration management in the Health and Social Care Environment by understanding the case
of adults with learning difficulties & mental health. The importance and roles and responsibilities
of a team member and how good and effective communication and collaboration can help the
team members for solving a problem along with different aspects of communication have been
highlighted.
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Discussion
Supportive role of multi-agency working for the well-being of adults with learning
difficulties & mental health
Mental health problem is associated with mental distress which can cause an emotional,
psychiatric or psychological breakdown in a person. This may cause due to extreme pressure at
workplace or home and is a very common problem in adults. Mental stress can affect the
learning disability in adults, reducing the intellectual ability and cause difficulty in doing regular
household work, managing money or socializing. Research shows that on an average,
approximately 41% of adults suffer have learning disability problem along with mental health
issues (Regan et al., 2016). It is unfortunate that sometimes people overlook these critical
problems which in the future may lead to bigger issues. There is much insecurity in people such
as social exclusion and loneliness, getting deprived, loss of income and impact of any life events
that creates mental stress in a person. Prolonged suffering from this may cause learning
difficulties, which may bring negative attitudes from society increasing the problem only. The
opposite has also been seen in people. People with learning disabilities are vulnerable in nature
as they have experienced more negative life experiences than others. This may result in social
isolation or social humiliation, causing a long term pain which eventually erupts as irritation,
anger, violence, stress etc. Genetic history is one reason behind this but everything could be
wrapped under control if proper medical help arises (Losurdo et al., 2018).
In the medical sector, where service is concerned about the adults who face learning difficulties
& mental health, practitioners from different sectors are needed to serve the patient. All these
practitioners work in an integrated way through the effective communication system to support
and improve the condition of the patient (Brandt, 2017). This ensures that the patient is getting
the right treatment. In this multi-agency tasking, the professionals form a panel to understand all
over the condition and discuss the required support of the adult. Then they collaboratively decide
how to start and gradually progress towards the ultimate cure of the problem. This needs good
bonding over the subject among them and good collaborative approach. As an example, it could
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be said that for such an adult patient who suffers from with learning difficulties & mental health,
much clinical input is needed such as, psychotherapist, speech therapist, dietitian,
physiotherapists, nurses etc. to handle the problem.
Psychotherapist: A psychotherapist first comes into the interaction of the patient, and with his
experience and patience; he learns and understands the actual problem of the patient. Actual
detection is important to further proceed in this case (Lancaster et al., 2015). He takes the lead
role to make the person again a confident soul so that he can overcome the situation.
Speech therapist: Learning disabilities cause speech problems also or unwillingness to talk at all.
To cure this problem, a speech therapist does medical check-up for any possible physical injury
and takes necessary measures. Otherwise, he encourages and gives different speech exercises to
the patient for improvement.
Dietitian: Along with other medical help a proper diet help to regain the sound mental and
physical health. So a dietician helps by making a good diet chart to be followed by the patient.
Physiotherapists: If the patient has any physical barrier, that is affecting his mental condition,
then a physiotherapist helps the patient by giving proper exercise to overcome the situation,
Nurses: Nurse is the inseparable unit of this chain system. They take the whole responsibility of
a patient and help him in every move. They assist to take the proper medicine, exercise and
continuously encourage them.
Local governing bodies: They take data from the local hospital or health care center and check
that these kinds of problems are arising in any particular area. This helps to make the local
people aware of the rising problem so that they can take preventive measures in advance.
In any workplace, this approach is beneficial for the staff in many ways, such as:
 Does not create the pressure on an individual practitioner
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 Early detection of a problem can be done which will impart quick medical help.
 This gives a faster response of a problem or situation in a better coordinated way
 This system shows that the patient is the prime concern and puts the patient at the heart of
the system, which assures the family of the patient in a positive way.
 The assessment of the patient’s condition is done in an advanced way, lowering the
chance of wrong diagnosis.
 In all related team members focus on the case from a different perspective, bringing more
successful result
 The team build a bond of trust, reliability and understanding through effective
communication, making the service better
 It increases the efficiency in a lesser amount of time.
Importance of an effective team member supporting adults with severe learning difficulties
& mental health
While dealing with adults with severe learning difficulties & mental health, it is important to be
an effective team member. As the clinical practices are getting more complex with new medical
inventions on a daily basis, the medical practitioners are focusing more on their particular
spatiality areas (Gunter, 2017). Therefore to treat a patient, it is important to understand his
background, his history, his previous medical record his present mental and physical situation.
Understanding all of these aspects and putting equal effort to solve all problems, it needs more
than one specialist. To give the proper cure thus, all of the team members who are associated
with the patient’s well being need to form a team. This team discusses the problems and
probably solves the problem and makes a plan of action which everyone follows to get the
expected outcome in a quicker way. It is also evident that as many people are concerned in
teamwork, therefore the scope of mistake is reduced. These teams act in a hierarchical order and
thus everyone shares the responsibility of success or failure (Reeves et al., 2017). Team
management of health care sector follows a good communication service and therefore the
family of the patient gets updated regularly and knows about the progress of the condition. This
creates a feeling of satisfaction, security, and assurance of them. Each team member performs a
special responsibility which creates an impact on the patient. Any loophole in the system can
breakdown the whole process of improvement. People need to work in a connected manner and
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in a chain system that will help to maintain the cue of service. To be an effective team member,
one should be focused to identify his role in the team and to put his best efforts to solve the
situation. This also helps to make a team identity and give scope to flourish own skills. It also
requires being patient and respecting the differences among personal opinion, as this may create
conflict and can cause a delay in the improvement. According to Brown (2018), the person
should communicate with others so that information that may be important for the other team
member is rightly served. This creates a flow of interactions which will help to make timely
decisions. This will create a balance among all and create a healthy environment in the team. The
team member should trust other members of the team so that a co-operational environment is
made. The team member should understand the importance of integrity and thus should not make
any move so that little issues become great problems within the team. A team gives an equal
opportunity to everyone to perform so every member should focus to do justice with his own
role.
Importance of working in collaboration with others
In healthcare practices, this Interprofessional collaboration helps both the patient and the
practitioners in multiple ways such as:
Empowerment: Earlier, in medical practices, the doctors play the major role and responsibility
for the health of a patient. Now the medical team takes a combined decision and expresses their
individual recommendations for the benefit of the patient.
Efficient communication: It was in practice that one doctor used to diagnose the patient and
make necessary amendments. It sometimes led to the wrong diagnosis as some identifying
symptoms could have been overlooked (Stanhope et al., 2015). But in this system, every aspect
is given equal importance and attention to make a complete right diagnosis.
Improved Patient Care: Each team member has a key to make the patient health improved.
Bringing all of them together under one roof holds the secret of success.
Minimizing readmission: Wrong diagnosis and communication gap earlier created incomplete
treatment resulting readmission of patient after a certain time. But now, this teamwork resolves
all aspects of the problem and chances of readmission reduced.
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Team building: Previously independent detection of health issue created a mental pressure on
the doctor, but now teamwork reduces the pressure.
Patient-Centered Care: The final word in a health care practice is to provide good care to the
patient. The combined efforts of the team ensure that.
Roles and responsibilities of Health and Social Care practitioner ensuring effective
communication with adults suffering severe learning difficulties & mental health
When two or more persons are involved in a project, they need to make effective communication
through proper channel so that information could be shared and utilized in a beneficial way
(Bookey‐Bassett et al., 2017). There are different ways through which effective communication
can be done within a health and social care team. They are:
Verbal communication: verbal communication is a type of oral communication which could be
done in phones and group chats, meetings and conversations. People exchange their information,
views and possible suggestions to overcome a situation.
Written communication: Written communications are very important and unavoidable way of
communication in a formal way. This may involve notice, pen and paper writing, emails, sms
etc. which delivers an important piece of information in any business
Nonverbal communication: This is one of the major types dealt with the patients of learning
difficulties & mental health because at the initial stage these patients use to talk less rather shows
attitudes and reflective body languages, which are essential to understand.
Visual communication: Communication through video calls in very applicable within team
members to deal with a situation and is widely used in the medical sector to have expertise
opinion. This kind of communication occurs when the person is situated at a considerable
distance but the person needs some face to face interaction before any decision.
Patients who are suffering from severe learning difficulties & mental health problems show
different and complex behavior, which are hard to tackle. But the key to success in this sector is
patience and sympathetic approach towards the situation (Fox and Reeves, 2015). Therefore a
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health and social care practitioner has several roles to play to carry out their responsibilities as
described below:
 Adults can face the challenges of being aged and this increases the difficulty to connect
with the health care practitioner. Therefore the worker should communicate in a simple
way so that the patient can understand and react accordingly.
 Such patients face trouble while recollecting old memories or personal conflicts. This
may happen at a certain time of the day or treatment period. The practitioner should make
a note of these and inform others so that they can probe into the matter a little deeper and
help the patient to overcome it.
 Mental disabilities or distress cause immense pressure on the patient which may result in
aggressive behavior which could be handled by the worker with patience and care. The
practitioner should make it a sense that he will always be there for the patient and will not
judge him based on his behavior (Whittle et al., 2018). The practitioner has to report this
to the other team member to find a solution.
 Health and Social Care practitioner, who is handling a patient with mental health has the
right to search the patient's family or private life so that actual problem can come up. This
needs a lot of communication with the patient, his family and this should be discussed
with the other team members so that many points can come up for the treatment
(Poppenet al., 2016).
 It is the responsibility of a Health and Social Care practitioner to make the patient
confident enough so that he can go back to his family and can start a life free of mental
health problems and learning disabilities. This can be done with a motivational
conversation with the patient. The practitioner should make the other members of the
team to do the same with the patients to make a good recovery.
Discussion on transfer of good practice to others to support adults with severe learning
difficulties and mental health
In the healthcare system, good practices are considered as an organizational concept that helps to
finish work within its time with the best results. Therefore good communication practice is
required among a health care team to improve the patient’s condition and enable him to lead a
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normal stress free life (Lewis et al., 2017). To give a better life to the patients, the team can take;
a lesson from the case they handle and through seminars, workshops, promotions can aware the
general people about the subject. It is unfortunate that even in this 21st century people feel shy
and uncomfortable to confess that they are going through a mental stress and depression or
having difficulty to articulate it. Rather they confined themselves which creates more mental
health issues in them (McGilloway et al., 2018). Therefore, discussing this topic is very much
needed. This awareness can help the commoner to identify the symptoms of this problem and
how to handle them so that when somebody identifies a person with such a problem, he can
extend a hand of support to the person and inform the medical support for their help.
For patients, the health care practitioner can arrange social activities and group discussions so
that the patient does not feel left out and can relate his condition with others. It can also help
them to have inspirations from people who have experienced and overcome the same situation.
This makes the person like a role model and imparts quick improvement (Young‐Southward et
al., 2017).
Another practice is group activities such as practicing exercise under a common instructor,
practicing a group performance, etc, which increase the social behavior in them. Also, the health
practitioner can arrange classes which demonstrate how to handle daily tasks and remember
them (Cassonet al., 2018). This is also an effective way to make them confident and conscious.
Considering all these aspects this could be said that effective communication can help patients
with learning disability and mental health up to a great extent as well as the health and social
care practitioners to understand and improve the situation with a lesser time. Therefore the
practitioners should give proper emphasize on this matter and should try to be sympathetic with
the patient’s condition. Through transparent approach, the body language should be given proper
attention and these important information should be shared within the medical team. Such
organizations should have some communication guideline to be followed without making any
miscommunication (Marshall, 2017). Knowledge of such incidents should be shared with the
local health office or the government so that effective measures could be taken as a result of the
good practice.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, this could be said that, in health and social care services, situations demand
service from various persons. In Health and Social Care sector, this is a common incident, as the
people have multiple needs. To support them, and to improve the patient’s condition, medical or
mental help is required from various persons, in a timely manner. Therefore, to tackle any critical
situation, multi-person or multi-agency tasking is needed. This helps the care practice as well as
promises better service by the dedication.
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