Theories and Practices of Communication in Health and Social Care

This report provides a detailed analysis of communication within health and social care settings. It begins by exploring various communication theories, including humanistic, behavioristic, cognitive, and psychodynamic approaches, and their relevance in the field. The report then delves into essential communication skills such as verbal, non-verbal, written, and listening skills, highlighting their importance in patient interactions and care delivery. It addresses methods for managing inappropriate interpersonal communication, including environmental changes, language barriers, and social isolation. Strategies for supporting users with specific communication needs are also discussed, emphasizing the significance of improved listening skills and staff training. The report further examines the impact of cultural values, legislation, and ICT software on communication processes, and concludes with ways to enhance communication within health and social care organizations.

Communication in
Health and Social Care

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Theories of communication in context of health and social care..........................................3
1.2 Communication skills in context to health and social care...................................................4
1.3 Methods of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal communication among individuals in
health and social care organisation.............................................................................................5
1.4 Use of strategies for supporting users of health and social care organisation services with
need of specific communication..................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Influence on communication process by values and cultural factors ...................................7
2.2 Impact of legislation, charters and codes of practice on the communication process in
health and social care..................................................................................................................8
2.3 Effectiveness of systems and policies in organisation for promoting good practice of
communication............................................................................................................................9
2.4 Ways to improve communication process in health and social care organisation................9
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................10
3.1 Use of ICT software to support in health and social care...................................................10
3.2 Benefits of ICT for users and care workers in health and social care.................................11
3.3 Impact of legal considerations of ICT on health and social care........................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Communication is an essential factor through which people can exchange the information
from one place to another. There are different type of communication methods that are used by
the people of the care centre such as verbal, non verbal and written. For this, some of the skills
are needed into the care workers and service providers so that they will be able to know about the
needs of their patients. Along with this, positive relationship should be established between the
people of the firm then only they will be able to attract more people towards their services. The
present report is based on the case studies of the health and social care organizations. In this
context, report explains the different theories of the communication that are used by the services
provider at the workplace. Along with this, it focuses on the different legislative laws and acts
that influence the communication process. Different ICT software and their benefits are
explained in detail in further report.
TASK 1
1.1 Theories of communication in context of health and social care
There are so many techniques of communication that can be used in health and social
care settings. Effective communication is very necessary to improve quality of customer care. In
every health and social care centre, it is very important to find out individuals communication
capabilities and their incapabilities (Moorhead and et.al., 2013). It is helpful for customers to
empower their difficulties and weaknesses. And care workers also established rapport during
their everyday tasks & they corporate with their service users for the fulfilment of their needs
and maintain their well being. There are few techniques of communication are such as follow:- Humanistic theory:- Humanistic theory is related with individuals behaviour's. The goal
of humanistic theory to make their clients more openly and frankly, so they easily share
their problems. This theory is concern to the are of interest rejecting and highlight the
behaviour of customer care taker (Reeves and et.al., 2011). They are also connected from
past. highlight of interest rejecting the significance of behaviour and the unconscious
impulses which result from the past. Basically, Peoples are trustworthy, to understanding
themselves, they have vast potential. They have ability of self directed growth without
any intervention so they can easily solve their own problems.

 Behaviouristic theory:- Behaviour's of individuals is depend on their environment, from
where they belonging. It is mostly based on learnt effect about particular stimuli. The
theory can be highlight present and future scenario of the enterprise (Street and et.al.,
2009). If the behaviour of customer care is coll with their customer and patients, so it is
helpful for their futuristic goals and maximizes the profits. Cognitive theory:- This theory relates with learning theory of human resource
management. According to this theory, an individual can obtain more information
through observation learning with its environment. To observing of an individual
behaviour can make communication very effective. And an effective communication can
help a person in vulnerable situations.
 Psychodynamic theory:- This theory of communication is a mixture of all other three
theories. Psychodynamic theory says, how individual behaviour's in health and social
care setting and how he can take things easily.
1.2 Communication skills in context to health and social care
In Every business enterprise, it very essential to improve their communication to using
different types of communication:- Verbal Communication:- With the help of verbal communication, an individual can
easily exchange his\her information and feelings. Verbal communication is a face to face
with communication. Verbal communication allows health care worker to perform and
possibilities effectively (Rollnick and et. al., 2008). In this type of communication, a
person can easily engaged with health care worker and he feels comfortable between
them. Verbal communication is also beneficial for workers, they can develop their
relationship, trustiness and to secure circumspection. Non-verbal communication:- Non – verbal communication is valuable for those clients
whom cannot speak easily in front of unknown peoples. In this type of communication, a
patient can send his\her messages and feelings without using any words. They can share
their information through chat messages e-mails, voice messages and body gestures. To
interact by interpersonal can make a communication is vital and effective. When health
care start a conservation with another person, it should be a very right and positive
feeling.

 Written Communication:- Written communication helpful to those clients whom cannot
speak. Written communication is clearly and simply explains the feelings of individual
and it also avoid personal opioids (Kreps and Neuhauser, 2010). The purpose of written
communication is to find right information from the customers. It is assumed that written
communication more strut worthy than any other communication. Because in that, a
person only writes about its issues and probables to health care worker, and ignore further
statements. Written communication is helpful in organising a conversation. It is kind of
Formal communication, and it is usually creates for professional communication.
 Listening :- Listening Communication is a part of non-verbal Communication. But is not
a Kind of same, because in listening communication, workers only uses voice. It is
helpful for fast and quick solution of any problems and information. Listening
communication is very easy to do. In this type of communication an individual can easily
said, what he want to say its mentor. The purpose of listening communication to make
conversation more powerful.
1.3 Methods of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal communication among individuals in
health and social care organisation
In every health and social care enterprise, workers have to communicate with their clients
and their colleagues also Sometimes clients may be hyper, whenever an worker asks lots of
question, to identifies actual problem. And client take it in wrong way, this the cause eof
misunderstanding between both of them. A communication barrier means something is cut off or
stop being interpreted these content. These are some barriers that could effect communications:- Make environment change:- An enterprise must have to change their environment, time
to time to reduces the chances of communication (Shim, 2010). Because everyone is
getting bored work in same environment for a long time period. Health and social care
workers also develop their way of asking questions, treatment way and time to time
change in their shifts also. It also reduces the chance of misinterpretation. Language barrier:- Working with different states peoples whom have different
languages, is also cause of barrier in communication. Sometimes, it happens that an
individual speaks other Lange an another one take it wrong way. There is a lack of
understanding of proper information. Some these centre have to must give training time
to time all of employees, so they can easily understood each other emotions and feelings.

 Social isolation:- A person whom have lack of confidence is able to speak in front health
and social care worker, and workers may takes it wrong, is also the cause of barrier.
These centre must to tell their worker to being polite in front of unknown workers.
Intermediate with another one is also cause of conflict between manager and worker in
health and social care centres (Merchant, Elmer and Lurie, 2011). Because a worker is
too intermediate from another person, he\she may not properly concentrator ton work and
the clients depressed with their services. It can also reduces the no. of clients.
 Using abuse words:- It may normally happens in these centres among two or more
employees when they have a lot of work pressure. But an enterprise can reduce the
chances of that situations to taken strict steps for that kind of employees.
1.4 Use of strategies for supporting users of health and social care organisation services with
need of specific communication
There are many strategies which can help to ensure a good communication among
employees and reduces barriers in health and social care centres. In order to make a
communication effective, strategies plays an important roles. They makes communication
effective and create a positive environment. In health and social care centres practitioners must
have to aware these strategies and implement them into business enterprises. These strategies are
such as follow:- Improve listening skills:- If an manager want to establish effective communication, he
must have to develop listening skills of workers. A good listener can quickly understood
the problems of clients and creates healthy relationship with them (McKeeargue, 2010). It
is useful for patienter in gaining more information about customers. Listening also
reduces the of conflicts among employees, because after that each other can easily
understands their feelings and messages. Staff Training:- Staff training is also good and effective strategy to make a stress less
communication. If an enterprise pay attention towards its employees, it can develop fast
as it wants. Because employees are the heart of an organisation. If they will well trained,
they would easily understands the role and goals of the business and focuses on same.
Trained Staff also far away from any kind of barrier and conflicts.
 Promoting Rights:- in health and social care society must have knowledge about their
rights and roles. And everyone have same rights. Mangers have timely promotes roles

and responsibilities to each and every employee of the company, the chances of obstacle
can bring down.
TASK 2
2.1 Influence on communication process by values and cultural factors
As the case of the English nurse shows that the differences in the cultural, values and
beliefs can affect the working in such organisation. In health and social care organisations there
are numbers of care workers or employees that are from different background , beliefs and
groups (Lagu and et.al., 2010). Variety of groups or beliefs among employees in the organisation
have influence on communication process. Communication\ process is influenced by the the
different values and cultural factors. There are cultural difference within an organisation among
people or workers .
Health and social care sector must be aware of such differences in cultural , language
barriers and religious differences. According to Sarangi (2010), everyone in the organisation
must be treated with equality and respect according to their culture and religion. Due to such
differences sometimes it becomes difficult to communicate properly in an organisation, that
affects the working of the health and safety care organisation. People from different education
and gender are also there, and the way in which they communicate does not match with one
another, the way of talking is different of men and women and the education also has impact on
creating difference in the way of communication. Values and cultural factor influences
communication process as :
 Although English is the common language but there are many people who are from
different background and society who do not know this language and it affects the
communication process.
 Health department can ensure that the when the information is provided to users and
clients of different language background then the posters in different languages can be
distributed and employee translators can be provided for the effective communication
 Improper training to the care workers and workers from different background and
religion also influence the communication process, care workers should be given proper
training on how to behave with patients or how to deal or behave with patients so that
they should not get negative impact.

2.2 Impact of legislation, charters and codes of practice on the communication process in health
and social care
To Make a communication process effective it is necessary to regulate some laws and
legislation in an health and social care centres. To make effective communication with workers,
employees must to read their mind (Kontos and et.al., 2010). So we can say that an health and
social acre worker is a psychiatric. Because he not only understand about physical health of the
customer but also understand his minds. It is helpful in creating the rights of employees and
provide them healthy and positive working environment. These are main steps by which an
organisation can save the rights of its workers:- Legislation:- Every business enterprise make their own rules and regulations. Health and
social care employees can communicate with their co workers effectively and easily. It
develops their interpersonal relation with their clients. The major goal of this, to give
special attention to its clients in term of their health for which they have to be paid.
Managers and employees do not take their personal relation during care of a patient, It
causes negativity and sometimes it injures the health of the person. Care workers should
be demonstrate and more interesting during their work. And they using proper skills
while communication with a patient. Because it may helps in comprehensive analysis of
the person and gain more information and his/her feelings during treatment.
 Code of Conduct:- in every business enterprise it is must to follow its code to conducts.
In health and social care enterprises is must to maintain a decorum among their patients.
If any employee argues, it directly effects the health (physical as well as mental) of the
patients. Every health and social care centre workers having the art of gaining
information from clients. Its like:- what they want at this time, what they want to do, and
what is in his/her mind. Every enterprise have their own policies and structure and
workers also have to follow there rules and laws. Managers also behave genitally with
their employees, so that environment is not effected.
2.3 Effectiveness of systems and policies in organisation for promoting good practice of
communication
Health and social care organisation system and various policies can help an organisation
in maintaining good communication process in an organisation, and because of better policies
and system good practice of communication can be done in organisation. Policies can be defined

as the strategy or the action principle that is proposed or adopted by an organisation. It is the
approach or set of plans or ideas that is used by the organisation for the processing of decisions.
It is proposed by the organisation to achieve its goals and objectives (Baur, 2010). Practice of
these policies and systems can be done properly for the effective communication in health and
care organisation so that the patients should not get disturbed by the behaviour of workers as per
the given scenario.
 Implementation of policies and procedure also affect the people of different culture and
background that influence the communication process, they should be implied
accordingly so that the differences should not get negative impact as the patient in the
particular case study had because of nurse.
 Socio- economic status should also be considered and needs should also be taken into
consideration so that the people should not feel discriminated for the service that they are
getting, this will help in the effective communication process.
 Various legislations are there for providing basic guidance on how the care workers of
health and social care organisation should behave, work or communicate in an
organisation. These legislations do not allow any intolerance or issue of workers in
workplace, and thus such practice improve good communication in organisation.
 There should be a non discriminating structure or policies in health and social care
organisation, by this a good practice of communication is there in such organisation.
 A proper code of conduct and use of computers in an organisation helps in increasing
better communication in health and social care organisation.
2.4 Ways to improve communication process in health and social care organisation
A system has been implemented by the national health service in which record of patient
and daily progress of patient is being recorded. By this system the file of patient can be redeemed
and upgraded. This system is called RiO software. RiO is proved as the effective and efficient
software that is used in health and social care organisation. Drawback of this software is that it is
accessed by each and every worker or staff of an organisation, which creates additional budget
load on training. Every patient health is monitored on this software and as it is accessed by
everyone so it can be deleted by any staff member, such as report of the patient, care or diet plan
etc., by this a problem can be occurred if it is accidentally gets deleted by any staff person. So
the increase in the training budget should be increased to improve the communication process in

health and care sector (Union, 2014). On the other, the oral and written communication of some
staff is very poor. This is because the staff in some wards do not have a proper knowledge of
English. To remove this problem in health care organisations it is necessary to inbuilt a robust
process of hiring so as to get sure that the professionals of medical can communicate well with
each other during their working in an organisation and this will not create any problem in the
communication process in the organisation.
To improve the communication process in health and social care organisation, these
organisation should make sure that the hiring of the medical professionals should be done on the
basis of minimum qualification level, so that there will be no communication gap among the
workers in organisation.
A proper care standard should be maintained by the health and social care settings so as
to deliver good quality of care to the patients. There should be a provisions of good and
appropriate training to the care workers in such organisation to teach them the skills related to
communication that will help the organisation to maintain communication in effective way.
TASK 3
3.1 Use of ICT software to support in health and social care
Software can be defined as the instructions related to programming or applications that is
used to make hardware of the computer to do useful work. It can also be said as the combination
of various instructions that are carried out together to perform a specific task (Golden and Earp,
2012).
ICT is a type of information and communication technology software that is used in
health and social care to have a proper communication of information in such organisations.
Some of the examples of ICT software are spreadsheets, word processors, database, information
retrieval, graphic packages, desktop publishing packages etc. The use ICTs are important in
health and social care sector. Its use is significant which is necessary for exchanging information
and also for sharing of the assessment. It is useful in maintaining large amount of database in
health and social care organisation. ICT software save time of the employees working in such
organisation. Through ITC software more clear and formalised data can be maintained in such
organisations, which will be helpful in retrieving the data when it is needed.

Some points are mentioned of their use in such organisation. Word processing software
and spreadsheets are used in health care to support medical reports. Patients history database can
also be maintained with use of word processing or spreadsheets. Database software and
information retrieval is also used in keeping records of the employees working in such
organisation. With the use of ICT software medical record status of the patients can also be
maintained in health and social care organisation. Emails are used to transfer necessary
information to the managers and subordinates in an organisation (Schiavo, 2013). Internet is also
of great use in health and social care organisation, it can be used in gaining information about the
new medical practices that are used in health and social care organisation. Therefore they will get
updated with the latest technology that is used in such organisation.
3.2 Benefits of ICT for users and care workers in health and social care
ICT software package that is comprised of various applications that is database, word
processing, spreadsheets and many more are not only useful for the health and social care
organisation but are also useful for the user of services and also for the care workers in an
organisation (Ha and Longnecker, 2010). This ICT software packages are needed by everyone in
today's world and are very beneficial for everyone who is using it. It provides various benefits to
the users as well to the organisation and care workers. It can be useful in several ways :
Benefits to care workers and organisation
 Information and communication technology software help care workers and organisations
. Due to this health or care workers are making good and improved treatment decisions
 Health and social care organisations are ensuring good quality and safer care
 Government is becoming more responsible for the needs related to health
 This system helps in supporting the efficient and effective development and measurable
system of health
 Functioning and delivery of health care systems are improved
 This helps in meeting needs of the staff in an organisation
 Helps for the better accountability and auditing
 With the help of information and communication technology software requirement of the
other agencies are also fulfilled efficiently and effectively Management or administration of business also take place in an effective manner
Benefits to Users

 Information and communication technology software is also helpful for the user of the
service in such organisation (Kulzhanov and Rechel, 2016). Personal and individuals
needs are fulfilled successfully
 More informed choices are made by people about health of their own
 Better access of the information and communication technology are done by people
which is required for the good health
 Management of their treatment can be done with the help of ICT software packages
 Better communication can be made with the care workers with the help of such software
3.3 Impact of legal considerations of ICT on health and social care
There are several legal considerations of ICT that have impact on health and social care.
These impacts can be like :
Data protection Act :- Act of data protection focuses on the protection of owners right of
the data (Lluch, 2011). In this the data is not actually protected but the several rules on data
storage or usage and how data can be used by the owners for complaint and if the data is misused
then to claim compensation is being practised in it. There are several principles laid by this act
for the use of personal data :
 Processing of personal data should be for limited point
 Fair and lawful process must be there for personal data
 Personal data should not be in excess amount, and it should be relevant and sufficient
 Personal data should be updated time to time and should be accurate
 Personal data is processed in a way that the rights of the person's are respected Personal data should not be moved to any other country
Health and Safety at work Act :- Everyone have a duty under this act to ensure safety at
the workplace. Employees should be careful for themselves and for the safety of others, and the
cooperation should be there with the employers for doing it. There are several things that need to
be taken in consideration under this act are :
 An appropriate care should be taken by employees or by the care workers at the
workplace (Koh and et.al., 2013).
 Person working at computers at the workplace should not necessarily use it at the home
until and unless they are working at their place or home