Unit 7 Health and Social Care GCE/A2

Unit 7 Health and Social Care GCE/A2 In Section 7.3 we will be looking at the many roles within Health and Social Care and identifying the methods used to ensure services are planned, run and maintained to a high standard. Today’s Aim Identify how organisational culture can affect the work of the practitioner and the quality of service provision.

Empowerment – Is the Key • It is the aim of all Health and Social Care Services, to encourage independence and promote dignity. • Empowerment means allowing and encouraging service users where possible to take control of their own lives and make decisions. This means that people do not become “passive receivers”. Thy are considered to be active participants in their own care. • Empowering whole groups and care planning is sometimes easier to achieve than empowering a isolated individual • Can you think of why this might be? • Use examples in your explanation. Open the hyperlink to see one patients view on empowerment

7.3 Practitioner roles. In this section of the unit we will be looking at the organisational cultures that can affect the work of practitioners. We will consider what it means to provide a positive care environment and how this can help safeguard service users rights. Task: With a partner consider the staffing needs for a small residential care home for the elderly (with 10 service users that live in) and write a list of staff needed and the training you would expect each person to have. Are there more than you expected?

Staff needed to run an effective care home • Manager • Administrator/finance officer • Chef • Cleaners • Day Carers • Night Carers • Gardener • Duty Nurse • Outside support from GPs, district nurses, social workers, and specialist medical staff.

Organisational Culture – A Definition “The values, beliefs and norms of a specific organisation which shape the ways in which individual members achieve the aims of the whole group”.

Organisational Culture What are these norms and values? • Technical or professional language used. • A dress code (or uniform) • Methods of communication used • Ways in which clients are approached • Health and Safety Procedures • The range of clearly defined roles with in the organisation. • Common or compulsory qualifications or training requirements (and accessibility to training). • Think about the staff here at Chaucer. Can you identify any of these values or norms? Discuss this with a partner or in a small group. We will share ideas in 10 minutes.

As a member of Chaucer Staff I… • Have a dress code • Work to policies such as marking, attendance, health and safety and child protection. • Am provided with voluntary and compulsory CPD (continuous professional Development) and Training • Have meetings to discuss progress and are invited to be part of consultations of work place changes. • Am encouraged to use a range of technologies for communication. • Have a common goal to educate and develop young people to achieve their full potential • Aim to nurture and protect our students from harm.

Developing Organisational Culture Developing a shared and consistent culture in any organisation requires planning and constant review. This can be achieved through staff induction, training sessions as well as formal and informal discussion regarding the aims and outcomes of the setting. Team building exercises are often used to develop positive working relationships between colleagues. Reviewing performance and procedure are also important parts of developing a positive culture. This can be done through observations, service user feedback, analysis of complaints and through discussions at staff meetings. What are the benefits of promoting positive organisational culture? Are there any disadvantages? Discuss in your group and feedback.

Barriers to Organisational Culture • Barriers to the development of organisational culture can occur when people within the organisation do not agree with the ethos, values or goals set out by the board. These can occur when; • Individuals are employed who do not share the values that are reflected by the organisation • Individuals are not offered or do not attend induction and training programmes. • Review and appraisal systems are not in place and employees feel that their views and feelings are not respected. This can lead to loss of commitment and faith in the organisation.

Task • Work in small groups • Read the case study from the Oaks Residential Home : Can you identify any potential barriers to organisational culture? • Use the sheet to record your findings and suggest methods to overcome these barriers. • Share your findings with the class.

Just Checking…..Exam Responses • 1. Define Organisational Culture.(2) • 2. Give three examples of organisational culture in practise.(3) • 3.What problems might you have in enforcing a dress code? (4) • 5a.Give examples of compulsory training that would be given to a care worker in a residential care home for the elderly. • 5b. Would these training needs be different for a care worker in a children's home, explain your response. (8)

Unit 7 Health and Social Care GCE/A2 Session: Lesson 2 Session Objectives 1. Develop an understanding of terms and concepts associated with a Health and Social Care service and use them in context when responding to an exam question. Including; • Roles • Responsibilities 2. Discuss the use of multi disciplinary teams. 3. Assess the role of effective communication when working in health and Social care settings

Roles in Health and Social Care • As you can imagine, there are 10s if not 100s of different roles within the health and social care services. Although multi disciplinary teams are becoming better established, professionals have different approaches to training and providing care. This can cause conflict and affect the quality of care provided • One example of teams working together are hospital teams with social services. The community care act states that the NHS must inform social services when a patient in need is being released from hospital, if care for that patient is then not put in place social services must pay the hospital £120 per day to keep the patient in a hospital bed. There fore social care workers are based at the hospital, this saves money and time when communicating.

Multi disciplinary teams • Multidisciplinary teams are groups of professionals with different specialist knowledge who come together to provide a service. • They will each complete their role with a similar aim to support an individual or group . • This method improves communication between agencies, saves time and resources (money) and helps in identifying gaps in service or weaknesses. • The range of knowledge and experience in a multi disciplinary team will enable the completion of a detailed care plan that ensures service users are cared for in the best possible way

What is a role? • Roles are attached to job descriptions and describe what the person does who is fulfilling that role. “expected pattern of behaviour associated with a particular position”. If a person leaves the role stays the same and the person is replaced. • It is vital that everyone in an organisation understands their role and the role of others. Discuss: • What are the potential consequences of misunderstanding a role in a health or social care environment? How could this be avoided?

Responsibilities • Every role within an organisation carries responsibilities. These responsibilities must be undertaken if the role is to be fulfilled effectively. Appropriate knowledge and skills are vital if responsibilities are to be met. Activity • Look at the job description provided; • What knowledge do you need to do this job? • What skills do you need to do this job? • What experience would be useful?

Selection and Recruitment • All organisations have a recruitment and selection policy and process to ensure that the most suitable person is appointed. A job description and information about the organisation will be provided to applicants as well as desired and vital experience and skills. • An applicant will be asked to write a personal statement along with their CV and application form.

Effective Communication • With new ICT systems in place many settings have their own websites and intranet. In most cases everyone will have their own e mail address and regular team and departmental meetings are an essential part of communication. Common training days are also common bringing many departments of workplaces together. • All staff have the right to comment on proposed changes within their workplace and working systems and these dialogs must be “two way” and not necessarily lead by managers. • All health care organisation must have a communications policy

Effective Communication • Communication can be difficult when many practitioners are caring for one patient. In these cases home held notes are used to keep each individual “in the loop”. • Test results and even X Rays are now commonly sent to GPs by e mail and fax saving time and money. Details of any meeting should be copied and kept on record at the patients GP. • In hospitals and other NHS settings there will be a person who is responsible for dealing with the media and issuing statements. • And above all the care value base states that all service users have the right to communicate in their chosen method. • Why is this important?

Task – Exam questions! • Explain the benefits of effective communication in Health and Social Care settings. (4) • Identify how the care values promote effective communication. (4) • Explain the benefits of communication via email rather than written communication within a health care trust. (6)

Unit 7 Health and Social Care GCE/A2 Session: Lesson 3 Session Objectives 1. Develop an understanding of terms and concepts associated with a Health and Social Care service and use them in context when responding to an exam question. Including; • Mission Statements • Accountability

Mission Statements • This is a formal statement which outlines the aims and core values of an organisation. The care values will be evident in these statements. • This is often displayed on posters and leaflets and in written communication from the organisation (letters or forms) and in staff hand books. • Here is an example from Canterbury Hospital School “We believe that our role is clearly to identify the educational needs of the ill or injured child, taking into account his or her medical, emotional and social needs and to build and maintain self esteem and confidence by providing the stability of continuing education leading to successful re-integration.”

Advantages and Disadvantages • While mission statements help patients and staff to understand what they can expect from a service, they must be reviewed regularly to stop them becoming dated ands to enable them to reflect change. • Mission statements are difficult to audit (evaluate) and are often replaced with lists of aims which can be evaluated and reflected upon regularly. This way targets can be met and planning can be implemented to achieve improvement and success.

Task • Write a mission statement for a residential home like the Oaks, that we looked at in lessons 1 and 2. Decide whether a paragraph or introduction and list of aims would be better. (Use the handout for ideas) • Make sure that you can identify some of the care values in your mission statement. • How could your mission statement/aims be measured?

Accountability • One of the main areas of risk in a health and social care organisation is finance. There have been many occasions in the media where trusts have failed to balance their budgets and are in debt. In cases like these the strategic health authority may take control. • An audit will take place and an action plan will be put in to place to ensure the issue is rectified in good time with as little disruption to services as possible.

Accountability“The requirement to justify and publicise an organisation’s actions and decisions” • In a hospital setting the chief executive is responsible for maintaining a secure system, safeguarding public funds and ensuring that a high quality of care is provided at all times. • In all statutory (public)health and social care organisations there is a board set up who are responsible for the internal control of the organisation.

Accountability • On the board of executives (in a hospital for example) there will be a diverse range of professional skills (multi disciplinary). Some members will be trained in finance, others in communication and some in business and medicine. These individuals are responsible for ensuring codes of conduct are followed and that all decisions made are open (in the public domain) and not made “behind closed doors” • The Chief executive is accountable to the department of health, and must demonstrate effective organisation and management skills.

Regulation of Professional GroupsThe General Medical Counsel • The GMC licences all doctors to practise medicine. It’s role is to protect patients and maintain standards that the public have a right to expect. The four main priorities are; • Keeping an up to date register of qualified doctors • Developing good medical practice • Promoting high standards of care • Dealing with poorly performing doctors who do not meet the required standard of practice and considers allegations of misconduct. • Where these standards are not met, sanctions and strategies will be put in place to overcome them as quickly as possible. • The Nursing and Midwifery counsel (NMC) is responsible in a similar way for all nursing staff and midwives employed in health and social care settings.

The General Social Care Counsel The GSCC was set up in 2001and is responsible for • Developing a code of practise for social care professionals • Keeping a register of social care professionals • Providing updated training and education for social care workers.

Task. • Look at the case study provided and answer the following using the copy of the GSCC code of conduct. • Which GSCC standards are being met in this case, explain your answer? • Which GSCC standards are not being met, explain your answer? • Who is accountable for this problem? • What needs to be done to overcome these problems and by whom ? • Would staff training and effective communication have prevented any of the issues in this case study?

Unit 7 Health and Social Care GCE/A2