Reflection Essay on Duty of Care

Duty of care means that you must aim to provide high quality care to the best of your ability and to ensure the well being of the service users. We all have a duty of care to consider the effects of our actions upon other people who may be affected. In the workplace you have policies and procedures that you have to follow. These policies and procedures will affect your role as a carer. Describe how the duty of care affects own work role I keep my knowledge & skills up to date; I also provide service at the standard of the reasonable person.

I know what must be done to ensure that the service can be provided safely I keep accurate records as appropriate I only delegate work or accept it when it is safe to do so I protect confidential information except where it conflicts with public interest or safety. Also every heath worker has a duty of care towards the service users and themselves and also their colleagues it can be applied to every aspect of work, from duties to undertake to equipment that may need to carry out working safely.

Describe dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights As a care worker I try my best to help service users to live independently. That means encouraging them to make decisions for themselves. When someone in our care decides to do something that we think is unsafe, we face a dilemma (a difficult choice between two decisions). Sometimes we question ourselves if we let them do something dangerous, are we failing in our duty of care? So to help us with that we have: The Human Rights Act 1998 that states the following * freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom from slavery and forced labour * the right to liberty * the right to a fair trial * the right not to be punished for something that wasn’t a crime when you did it * the right to respect for private and family life * freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs * freedom of expression * freedom of assembly and association * the right to marry and to start a family * the right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms * the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property the right to an education As a carer I must treat your individuals with respect, whatever their life choices and beliefs. I must not unfairly discriminate against individuals by allowing your personal views to affect adversely my professional relationship with them or the treatment you provide or arrange. If carrying out a particular procedure or giving advice about it conflicts with your religious or moral beliefs, and this conflict might affect the treatment you must inform your manager without delay.

I must not express to your individuals your personal beliefs, including political, religious or Moral beliefs, in ways that exploit their vulnerability or that are likely to cause them distress, I also must make the care of your individual your first concern. Trust and good communication are essential components of the carer- and a service user’s relationship. A Service user may find it difficult to trust you and talk openly and honestly with you if they feel you are judging them on the basis of their religion, culture, values, political beliefs or other non-medical factors.

Explain where to get additional support and advice about how to resolve such dilemmas There are lots of people that could help care workers with service user’s dilemmas such as Families and friends of the service user, Colleagues, senior carers, Managers, Registered managers Advocates, Care Standards Inspectors, Social workers, Nurses • Health Visitors, Doctors, police, Local Counsellors. Describe how to respond to complaints A service user or family relative can make a complaint about anything such as

• Quality or amount of service. Charges for services.
• Failure to follow correct procedures.
• Delay in service provision.
• A service not being provided.
• Application of eligibility criteria.
• Assessments, review, care plan outcomes.
• Attitude or behaviour of staff.
• The impact for an individual of the application of a local
• Authority policy.

When taking a complaint all staff should confirm the details of the complainant, the actual complaint and the desired outcome.

Then consider whether the issues can be resolved locally and promptly in discussion with Team Manager, who will be responsible for handling the complaint. Identify the main points of agreed procedures for handling complaints If a service user or a family member wishes to make a complaint or register a concern they should find it easy to do so. It is a policy to welcome complaints and look upon them as an opportunity to learn, adapt, improve and provide better services.

This policy is intended to ensure that complaints are dealt with properly and that all complaints or comments by clients and their relatives, support workers and advocates are taken seriously. Failure to listen to or acknowledge complaints will lead to an aggravation of problems, client dissatisfaction and possible litigation. All oral complaints, no matter how seemingly unimportant, should be taken seriously. Front line staffs who receive an oral complaint should seek to solve the problem immediately.

If staff cannot solve the problem immediately they should offer to a manager to deal with the problem. When a complaint is referred on to A manager or is received in writing it should be passed on to the named complaints manager who should record it in the Complaint Book and send an acknowledgment letter within two working days; the complaints manager will be the named person who deals with the complaint through the process. If the complainant is not prepared to have the investigation they should be advised to contact the General Social Care Commission and be given the relevant contact details.