One principal of the care value base is promoting effective communication and relationships. It is important because effective communication in the workplace is needed in order to ensure a satisfactory standard of care is provided to all service users by addressing their individual needs. This can be done by learning multiple languages, using a translator or through written communication. This should be done in a nursing home in order to develop trust between staff and the patients in their care. It is possible that some patients may have hearing loss and/or limited vision or find it difficult to speak. In order to overcome these barriers, nurses should learn to lip read or use sign language. If communication is verbal it needs to be at a specific pace and volume to suit the patient, hand gestures and facial expressions could be used to show you are listening. Another principle of the care value base is promoting anti-discriminatory practice.
Discrimination results in individuals being treated unfairly because of a specific characteristic they have. It is important to act against discrimination because it can often lead to marginalisation and/or abuse. Despite the government imposing legal requirements such as the disability discrimination act 1995, outside of a healthcare environment it is not unlikely for older people or people with disabilities to experience discrimination. In a nursing home, it is important to act against discrimination because it can lead to disempowerment and isolation. It is possible that some patients may require the use of a wheelchair, so ensuring that corridors are wide enough for wheelchair access (with ramps and lifts) would be promoting anti-discriminatory practice. Nurses should report discriminatory behaviour to a manager who can handle the situation further to prevent discrimination. Another principle of the care value base is maintaining confidentiality of information. Confidentiality is maintained in multiple ways such as keeping written records in locked filing cabinets, requiring passwords to access computer records and not sharing verbal information outside of the private environment where it needs to be shared.
The government have imposed legal requirements such as the data protection act 1994 in order to maintain confidentiality. Confidentiality is important in a nursing home because nurses know a lot of personal information about their patients so it is important that the information is kept private and not passed on without the individual’s permission. The death of a patient does not give you the right to break confidentiality. It can only be broken in specific circumstances such as the patient being at risk. Another principle of the care value base is the promotion and support of dignity, independence and safety. This gives all patents a better quality of life and is supported by the human rights act which was imposed by the government in 1998. When supporting dignity, in a nursing home, you would avoid making individuals feel embarrassed or ashamed by closing doors when people are using the toilet for example.
Although patients require help from nurses, it is important that staff promote independence by allowing patients to make their own decisions for themselves. It is important that nurses wear iD badges and visitors use signing in and signing out books to ensure safety in the nursing home. Another principle of the care value base is acknowledging individuals beliefs and identity. Beliefs are things that are important to you and will most likely determine your priorities as a result of upbringing. This principle enforces the recognition that everybody has different beliefs and helps to embrace individual differences. It could be seen in a nursing home if patients came from a variety of different ethnicities and backgrounds, both nurses and patients should be open to accepting each other's differences. Muslim service users may only wish to eat halal meat, for example, and this should be respected by everybody in the nursing home. The acceptance in a variety of different religions could result in religious festivals being held to promote and celebrate their different beliefs. Similarly, as a result of the increase in popularity and development of vegetarian and vegan diets, it is important that a meat and/or dairy free diet is optional for everybody.
Another principle of the care value base is protection from abuse and harm. There are many different ways in which someone could be abused. Abuse is not always obvious, less noticeable forms of physical abuse include handling people roughly or restraining people. Sexual abuse could include touching a person without consent, and humiliation such as shouting at a patient can be psychological abuse. If a care worker suspects abuse in a nursing home they should report it to their manager or another appropriate person. If you suspect abuse and do nothing about it you could be at risk of losing your job. All nurses should be trained to be aware of what to do if they notice abuse, before working in a nursing home.
Another principle of the care value base is providing individualised care. This means that healthcare workers should provide care that meets a patients individual needs, rather than treating everyone the same. To do this each individual should be assessed in order to establish their particular needs. This involves taking into account their personal beliefs and preferences and by doing so a care plan can be established. Providing individualised care is important in a nursing home because this means that the patients receive personalised care that is best suited to them. This is necessary because each individual in the nursing home will require specific treatment in order to meet their needs.
