Communicating in Health and Social Care Organisations

Introduction

Communication is a crucial component both for an organization and our everyday life. It is a demonstration through which individuals exchange data with one then onto the next and one place to another. communication procedure could be possible through verbal, talked, composed, non-verbal, for example, utilizing sign, non-verbal communication, motions thus on and visualization such graphs and charts (Fielding, 2006). The most imperative matter of communication is that it must be justifiable to others. In health and social care understanding needs of service, the receiver is very important. If the needs of individuals cannot communicate properly, they are deprived of proper service. So, it is very important for healthcare staffs understanding the ways of communication with service receiver. In other words, removing communication barriers will facilitate better communication with individuals in health and social care service. This report will discuss various theories of communication-related to health and social care contexts and mention inappropriate methods in interpersonal communication in health and social care.  And, describe the appropriate process of communication to meet individual specific needs. In addition, this report will briefly describe the ways that communication process is influenced by values and cultural factors. Moreover, this report will analyze the benefits of using ICT in health and social care with various stakeholders.

                                      

Task One: Demonstration the skills of communication are used and various factors of communication process in health and social care

It is not possible to provide good service to individual, if health and social care staffs are not aware about communication skills and process of communication with individuals. And, there has arisen conflict between individual and health and social care specialist when inappropriate communication processes are used. This section will discuss about communication skills and process of communication in health and social care.

1 (a) Various theories of communication to health and social care contexts

Communication gaps between team members will affect negatively in providing service to the individuals. Moreover, communication gaps between healthcare staffs and service users also deprive service users from getting good services. As a result, there has conflict arise among the parties which hampers in health and social care service. Health and social care staffs should follow humanistic approach when serving a client. Wagner (2014) mentioned that health care staffs should remember that each client possesses unique problems and they require psychological treatment for curing. Humanistic communication approach is psychologically motivated the audiences and collect respect from the audience. Working with a team often conflict arises between colleagues. In addition, often staffs are not cooperating properly with the client. As a result, proper service cannot possible to client and team performance will decrease. This conflict is arising when the perception of others does not match. Moreover, individual outlook to other people also influences in communication. Many people humiliate other because they feel fun by humiliating others. Many people undermine intentionally other person because of jealousy or enmity. This approach is taken place when individual has psychological problems because it is not normal that a person humiliate others. From overcoming this negative approach humanistic theory of communication works better.

John was criticized bone of his colleague and his team members often humiliate health and social care service user by calling them in derogatory names. This approach is not acceptable from health and social care staffs. Disable people come health and social care organization for treatment from curing the problems. So, the client always expects better behavior from health care specialist. John can apply the humanistic theory of communication to pursue his colleagues and the local community to increase a more positive behavior to people with learning disabilities. Pursuing colleagues is always challenging if he/she become someone. To get respect from that colleague's John should check the background of the colleague and need to find out why the person humiliating him. John should approach politely with the colleague though he behaves badly. This positive behaviour of John will impact psychologically on that person. If John reacts negatively the person will continue non-cooperation with John. So, John should have patience and communicate with the colleagues with a smile. With the passage of time psychologically he/she become weak and develop positive behaviour with John and clients of health and social care service.

Many people dislike disable people and neglect them. This approach is bad because any well-fitted people become disable any time through accident or illness. John should explain to the community that disables people are the part of society and they are our father, brother or son. So, we should treat them as a member of our family. Disable people does not need compassion rather they need cooperation. This humanistic communication practice will help John to resolve problems.

1 (b) Communication process influenced by values and cultural factors in health and social care context

The person-centered communication process is very effective in health and social care service. According to Fisher (2005) person-centered communication approach is communicating with individual’s considering personal wants, needs, goals, and desires so that individual become a central part of communication process. For health and social care employees, this person-centered communication approach helps both clients and health specialist in communication. There have different frameworks that are applied in person-centered communication. it is very important to listen to the opinion of client s carefully. When a client expresses his/her opinion then health care specialist can understand the reality of the clients. In addition, the client will feel comfort and satisfaction when health care specialist carefully listens to individual’s opinion. There have some advantages of listening techniques such as more information about clients can be possible to know and clients feel relax mentally by expressing his/her problems. It will help client psychologically because they are feeling inferiority for their disabilities.

Healthcare specialist should show empathy to the client and never humiliate them. Clients are coming health care specialist with hope for better service. They are not able to live freely like a capable person. This issue gives them pain mentally. Reid (2013) mentioned that client feels more mental strength and satisfaction when any person shows empathy towards them. It is important to get respect from the client because advice of healthcare specialist will be abided by the client.

Body language also helps to communicate with clients in the person-centered communication process. Adams (2007) argued that health care specialist should carefully use body language because service taker follows the body expression and try to reach a decision himself. Healthcare specialist never shows bad facial expression and body language that gives a negative message to the client which hurt the client.

Individual’s age, values, cultural belief, social culture, education levels influences in communication with others (Robb, 2004). People do not come in same background and culture. In the UK, there have various religion, race and countries people. The belief, cultures are not same of all. As a result, this influences in communication with others. Similarly, clients and health care specialist communication also influenced by these factors. To serving young disabilities, age, education of health care specialist helps for example; the age of John is 21 years and higher educated. Young disable learners can easily share information with John without feeling shy that will not be with adult health care specialist.

1 (c) Reviewing inappropriate interpersonal communication, analysing effectiveness of organizational system, policies and suggestions ways of improving communication 

Communicating with other is always challenging because there are many barriers such interpersonal, organizational, team effects in proper communication. Communicating with team members are very critical because all members are not holding same culture, belief or outlook towards a thing. So, conflict among team members and client is an inevitable scenario. Root (2015) has described some barriers in team communication such as:

Ø  Ego:  Many employees in team contain a high level of ego that’s why they undermine others. This ego problem creates barriers in teamwork.

Ø  Linguistic barrier: When different countries people work within team often it has seen linguistic problems affects in the communication process.

Ø  Poor role of team leader: The poor role of team leader also negatively affects team communication. If team leader neglects solving conflicting issues affects team communication.

Ø  Lack of respect: If team members do not respect each other then naturally team communication hampers.

Zaineb (2014) has explained some barriers that affect a carer-client relationship. These are as follows:

Ø  Neglect: Many healthcare assistant neglects lower class people and shows an unwillingness to communicate and giving proper healthcare advice.

Ø  Language barrier: Language barriers creates a problem in transferring information properly from both side. The client also failed to share his/her problem and health care consultant also failed to advise properly.

Ø  Gender barrier: Female client often feeling shy to communicate with male health care consultant and vice versa.

Ø  Cultural barrier: Different ethnic people often avoid consulting with other ethnic health care specialist. This cultural barrier effects in the communication process.

There are many strategies that can be adopted by line manager to remove communication barriers and promote good practices within the team members. Pujari (2013) suggested some strategies for overcoming communication barriers.

Ø  Develop interpersonal communication: The line manager should carefully analyze the relationship among employees. He/she should individually sit down with both employees those do not cooperate each other. Line manager should sincerely listen to the speech of both employees. It is to be noted that, line manager should not state that he/she is observing the opinion of employees. Then line manager makes a small sub-team and select those conflicting employees for the team member and assigned them for a specific task for doing. When conflicting individuals work each other there will create an interpersonal relationship that removes the barriers to communication and the conflicting situation will resolve.

Ø  Motivating staffs: Motivation is an important to increase the enthusiasm of staffs. Line manager can motivate staffs those have lack of knowledge in English and insist them to learn English and practice the language within the groups. Line manager should sit down regularly in team meeting and encourage staffs sharing their opinion. Thus way communication barrier will be removed and effective social care service can be possible to provide.

1 (d) Analysing the use of strategies to support users of health and social care services with specific communication needs

Makaton is a language system utilizing signs and symbols to help individuals to communicate (Pollard, 2010). It is developed to support in spoken language and symbols and signs are used speech according to spoken word order. Children and adults can communicate through sign and symbols by using Makaton. It is very effective ways communication and Makaton vocabulary contains 450 words, symbols and signs. According to Zangari (2014) Taking Mats is communication tools uses three sets of picture symbols named top scale, topics and options. Talking mats and Makaton are modern tools of communication where people can share information through symbols, pictures and signs. Makaton and talking mats support person with unclear speech, no speech or those who are not interested to communicate. Some individuals use these for certain period of time whereas some take it as lifetime communication system. This modern information technology facilitates in improving communication between clients and caseworkers in numbers of ways. Client who not capable to verbal communication or has language barrier can communicate with caseworkers and remove communication barriers. On the hand, caseworkers also transfer information to those clients has language barriers or autistics. These modern communication systems removes barrier in proving proper health and social to clients.

1 (e) The impact of legislation, charts and codes of practices in communication process in health and social care

UK government establishes Equality Act-2010, Health and Social Care Act-2012 for proving better health and social care to the people. These acts clearly stated the roles and responsibilities of health and social care service providers. On the other hand, the rights of service users also clearly states. As a result, this legislation, codes removes the ambiguity about the right and responsibilities both clients and carer. It is essential to present six key points of social workers codes and practices outlined by General Social Care Council in training session named “Respect for Diversity”. These are mentioned below:

Ø  The rights and interest of service user and carers  must be protected

Ø   Should develop confidence and trust between service users and carers.

Ø  Encourage the independence of service users during protect them from harm and danger

Ø  Showing proper respect to the rights of service users and making sure that harmful behaviour does not happen

Ø  Increase confidence and public trust in social care services; finally

Ø  Accountability should be done for their quality of works and take responsibility for improving and maintain their skills and knowledge.

The social care workers must abide by these code of conducts in their service.

  

Conclusion

Communication process is an important operational function of every organization. Communication process plays a vital role at every level of organization’s operation. It cannot imagine that without communication process an organization can run. Developing organization communication process is not easy jobs for the management. Many issues such as language, organizational culture, employee’s perception, client’s nature and so on require considering in establishing communication strategies for health and social care organization. Health and social care service develop its communication process considering various types of client. It is important to understand the problems of clients. If carer does not understand the specific need of clients cannot give proper advice. Various communication technologies such as Makaton, Talking Mats successfully reduce communication gaps between carer and service users. it is important to provide training to care about these communication technologies for removing communication gaps. Moreover, for better performance of carer, line manager must be very careful to remove any kind of conflict within the team members.

References

Adams, R. (2007) Foundations of Health and Social Care, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan

Fielding, M. (2006) Effective Communication in Organization, 3rd Edition, Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd.

Fisher, A. (2005) Health and Social Care, Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers.

Pollard, T. (2010) My First Makaton Symbols and Signs, Yorkshire: Tipi Publishing Limited.

Pujari, S. (2013) Important Measures to Overcome the Barriers of Communication, www.yourarticlelibrary.com, [available at http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-communication/9-important-measures-to-overcome-the-barriers-of-communication/1006/], [accessed at April 20, 2015]

Reid, L. S. (2013) Promote Person-Centred approaches in Health and Social Care, www.academia.edu, [available at http://www.academia.edu/9762986/Unit_7_Promote_Person-Centred_Approaches_in_Health_and_Social_Care], [accessed at April 20, 2015]

Robb, M. (2004) Communication, Relationship and Care, New York: Psychological Press.

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Wagner, K. (2014) Theories of Communication in Counseling, www.ehow.com, [available at http://www.ehow.com/info_8562916_theories-communication-counseling.html], [accessed at April 20, 2015]

Zaineb, A. (2014) Barriers to Effective Communication in an Organization and Overcoming It, bcommlabindia.com, [available at http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/barriers-to-communication], [accessed at April 20, 2015]

Zangari, C. (2014) Talking Mats: A Practical Tool, praacticalaac.org, [available at http://praacticalaac.org/praactical/talking-mats-a-praactical-tool/], [accessed at April 20, 2015]