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What you are telling us about dignity in care: week three
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Last modified date:9 February 2007
Good examples of dignity in care services
Like the responses to the survey in weeks one and two, the quality of dignity in care experiences was seen as variable depending on the person providing the care and where it was being provided. Specialist and smaller services (such as hospices and smaller Hospital wards) and some services provided by the voluntary sector were cited as best examples.
The following are characteristics of services which people felt helped provide dignity in care:
- Putting the individual receiving care at the centre of things, asking them what their specific wants and needs are.
- Respecting basic human rights such as giving people privacy and encouraging independence.
- Not patronising the person receiving care.
- Spending time with individuals, being patient and not rushing them.
Several people commented that care staff should be encouraged to think about how they would like to be treated if they were receiving care. They felt this would be a good way to see it from the service user's point of view and would hopefully improve the behaviour of care staff towards individuals.
Disrespect for dignity in care services
Similar to the responses we received in survey weeks one and two, several professionals responded with examples of lack of dignity in care which they attributed to: poor awareness of what dignity is amongst some staff; not having leadership that encourages dignity; or having a system which does not support dignity.
- To revert to a dignified service delivery, you have to review the leader and their style of care delivery.
Several people told us of their experiences of lack of dignity being caused by care workers not understanding what dignity should look like.
- Hospitals and health professionals find dignity and respect a difficult concept.
Others told us of some distressing instances of lack of dignity. These included:
- Being left in an examination room or a mixed ward wearing little or no clothes in full view of other people.
- Being left to sit in soiled clothes after not making it to the toilet in time.
- Overhearing care staff talk about a person.
What action you took
The majority of people who said they were able to do something said their action was to bring it to the attention of the people either in charge of or running the service. Most of these people however did not feel the outcome of their complaint was satisfactory. They also felt that as service users or family members they were powerless to improve the situation because those people running the service did not want to act on their complaint.
A few said they resorted to formal complaints through CSCI but again, some felt the process was very long and the outcome not satisfactory. Other professional staff made use of the complaints procedure by involving PALs, Health Advocates, lobbying on forums or setting up new complaints policies themselves.
Suggestions for how Government and service providers can help
People told us that training needed to be better funded, should be mandatory for all staff, ongoing and more person focused. They felt that some care staff had a bad attitude towards working with vulnerable service users and needed to be trained in dignity issues urgently.
They said that complaints systems needed to be:
- more accessible
- much more widely promoted
- simpler to use
- quicker to respond
Several people felt the current complaints system often left people in fear of complaining in case they were penalised. Some suggested that there should be a telephone number where professionals and members of the public can make anonymous complaints about services, such as a whistle-blowing service.
In relation to inspection and regulation of dignity in care several people once again suggested:
- increasing the number of "mystery shopper" or spot checks
- imposing tougher penalties
- naming and shaming of bad service providers
- introducing a league table of good service providers
Other issues raised by several people included:
- better pay for staff
- more staff
- better education for the public on what dignity and ageism are and what an acceptable standard of dignity should look like
And there was a new suggestion to encourage more members of the public to become volunteers in Care Homes or Social Care settings, and for them to take part in local forums.
Top three priorities for Government
The top three priorities for Government action were similar to comments made in previous weeks:
- Ensure complaints procedures are simplified, that individuals who wish to complain are supported, and not in fear of recriminations should they complain.
- Make greater use of local patient and public forums and generally listen more to service users and their families.
- Ensure that people know their rights, empower them to know what action can be taken and encourage them to raise concerns.
Your general comments
Some new issues emerged from the general comments.Ã' These were that:
- The introduction of "Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA)" list has helped ensure the safety of vulnerable people.
- Criticism that private sector care homes may put profit-making ahead of caring for service users.
- A language barrier can exist when some care workers do not speak the language of the service user they are caring for.
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