Promoting service user rights

Overview

Understanding the needs/rights of service users, whether this be cultural, social, clinical or otherwise is important to enable the service user to express their requirements and be involved in their care. However if a person is feeling vulnerable, lacking confidence or is disengaged they may require support in expressing themselves. A support worker will work alongside a patient/service user to assist in this process.

Of equal importance is understanding the barriers or challenges which people from different backgrounds or cultures may face when engaging with health and social care services.

It is therefore, important to take into account service user/patient needs when teams/individuals choose how to communicate. This is especially important if the service user has a distrust of the service provider.

Why is this important

Mental distress or poor mental health can often affect communication skills, so there may be times when it is much more difficult for a person to find the right words. In such circumstances the service user may look for, or seek out, support to articulate their needs.

Helping a service user to promote their “rights” is part of personalised care plan but this does not necessarily mean always speaking on their behalf.

Providing direction, or options to consider may be particularly important when the service user is not necessarily receiving support through family or friends.

It is also important that support roles do not “impart” their ideas or views on to service users or resolve the problem for them, as in the long term this may be disadvantageous to support and recovery.

Skills Review

Having completed this sub-topic I will understand the importance of these skills.

• I am able to be objective and non-judgemental when promoting service user requirements.
• I will look for opportunities to provide a safe environment for service users to voice their concerns and needs.