Holistic/Direct Observation/Witness Statement Professional Discussion Essay

Outcome 1.1: How do you review the range of individuals and groups in your workplace whose communication needs must be addressed? As an assistant manager I have a responsibility to my residents, to accommodate, and provide support for all residents, and their individual communication needs. By performing assessments with individual residents, I am able to understand the problems they have with communication, and actions and aids we can supply, to enable them to communicate effectively. In assessing communication needs, I need to consider each individual, and cater for the individual’s needs. I need to consider ‘groups’ of individuals, for instance males/females, foreign speaking users, deaf/Blind users etc. The actions and aids we supply for communication needs should benefit not just the individual, but the group of service users as a whole, and encourage interaction, inclusion, and social contacts. Regular reviews should be performed to ensure individual needs are being met and I do this during my 3 monthly care plan reviews. Outcome 1.2: Explain how you support effective communication within your job role To support effective communication within my job role I encourage the staff and clients to discuss any concerns or suggestions they may have to improve the care and service we provide. This Is done through supervisions/appraisals and we also give the staff the opportunity to make suggestions in our staff meetings. Staff are encouraged to put any points they would like to raise in writing and hand to myself or the manager for team discussion at the meeting. Our clients have the opportunity to raise any issues or concerns at the resident meetings that are held every two months, and also via their keyworker on a monthly basis. Staff and clients are also able to discuss any issue in confidence with myself or the manager in private. Outcome 1.3: Explain how you analyse the barriers and challenges to communication within your own job role. There are several barriers that may affect the flow of communication. These barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver, thus making communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome these barriers. The first barriers to check out are those that an employee could be creating. People may think that they are doing everything possible to assist communication, but they should make sure that they are not making it difficult for people to understand what they say for instance using abbreviations another person does not understand. People should avoid professional jargon and terminology. Also to speak as clearly as possible and repeat themselves if necessary. Someone with a strong accent may find it increasing difficult to make themselves understood. Physical barriers – these are due to the nature of the environment where people are trying to communicate. It could be there are distractions or noise, such as the TV on or interferences from a loudspeaker. Other problems may be caused by faulty equipment and it is important to check things such as hearing aids on a regular basis to make sure they are working effectively. Outcome 2.1: Explain how you monitor the effectiveness of communication systems and practices in your work place. This is monitored through supervision and appraisal, quality assurance survey, daily reports and handovers. Outcome 2.2: Explain how and why you should evaluate existing communication systems and practices We evaluate by communicating on a regular basis with staff and clients through meetings and informal chats to make sure systems and practices are working effectively. This is important to maintain a high standard of communication and care, and to minimise the risk of important information being lost or overlooked. Outcome 2.3: What improvements would you propose to put in place for the communication systems and practices used which will address any shortcomings? I would propose regular training updates for staff and maintain a close working relationship with our local gp’s and district nurse team to keep informed of any changes on either side. Outcome 3.2: How do you compare the effectiveness of different communication systems for partnership working? Effective partnership working is built upon a clear understanding of the different roles each person has in supporting the client. Increasing clarity and agreement about roles and responsibilities improves understanding, and leads to mutually supportive relationships. We compare the effectiveness by keeping open close lines of communication with all agencies that maybe involved in an individual’s care and relaying appropriate information to those involved. We also send out annual quality assurance surveys to all agencies we work with and the families of our clients. Collating or collecting information is essential in monitoring the effectiveness of the  communication systems. We can collect the information observing, getting feedback from others and recording information. So we need to work with others to identify ways to support the continued development of communication. Care professionals communicate with colleagues and other professionals in many contexts every day. Effe ctive communication requires personal and professional respect for others, trust in the judgement and values of colleagues, good verbal and listening skills. Outcome 3.3: What improvements would you propose to make improvements to communication systems for partnership working? I would propose a main point of contact for each team involved and regular group meetings to discuss issues that may arise, also regular feedback sessions to ensure we are working together effectively. Outcome 4.1: Explain legal and ethical tensions between maintaining confidentiality and sharing information. This arises when you feel someone in your care maybe suffering from some form of abuse from either a family member or member of staff or they have told you something in strict confidence. You have a duty of care to protect the individual but the tensions may arise if the client has told you something in confidence but you feel action needs to be taken and you have to pass sensitive information to a third party. Outcome 4.2: What are the essential features of information sharing agreements within and between organisations? Information needed for the safety and wellbeing of a client should only be passed on to outside agencies after consultation with the client and only after their consent has been obtained. Information should only be shared on a need to know basis and total respect must be given to confidentiality regarding all aspects of a client’s care.