Lead person centred practice Essay

Person centred Practice is very important within the care sector, it ensures that all service users have an equal and a big involvement when planning, developing and assessing their care needs. It means that we put the service user and their families at the heart of the decisions. It means that the service user is able to have more choice and control because they are influencing their own care plan to suit their individual needs. This is a key part of helping support and promotes independence and is effective as soon as we take on a new care package. The supervisor will complete a lengthy care plan prior to any care starting. It often involves the service user and close family members being present, each question within the care plan is answered by the service user and the family members, this means that when the care starts that we are ensuring we are meeting all of the service users needs. I understand that it is very important for service users to have shared decision making as they then feel equal in their care needs and included. At this stage the Supervisors get a chance to build up a trusting relationship with the service user and Person centred practice is providing care and needs which centres on the service user. It’s a way of caring for a person as an individual and putting them and their families at the heart of all decisions. Person centred practice put value to the independence, privacy, partnership, choice, dignity, respect and rights of the service user. 1.2 Critically review approaches to person centred practice The best ways to be person centred is to do the following: Discuss the service users strengths and make the most of them Communicate as well as you can at all times and always explain what you are doing and why you are doing it Always make the service users feel included at all times Help the service user do as much as they can for themselves (supporting independence) Common mistakes that care workers and other professionals often make, at times without realising are the following: Treating a service user like a child or speaking to them in a childlike fashion Use power to control the person. A service user who may have dementia, depression or a learning disability can be very vulnerable; therefore unknowingly a care  worker may slip into a â€Å"parenting† role and try to control situations. For example we have a service user who has learning disabilities; the regular care worker for this service user would always choose the clothes for this particular service user without asking the service user what they would like to wear. Due to the service user having very limited communication the only way the service user was unable to express their frustrations would be through actions. The care worker reported that the service user was showing signs of being angry by pulling things out of the carer’s hands and throwing them. I went to spot check a morning visit and found that although the relationship between the service user and carer was very good the care worker lacked in supporting choice and control. This was evidently frustrating the service user, therefore i asked the care worker to always give options, by taking out several outfits and allowing the service user to make a decision on the day to day activities. This gave the service user choice and control and a feeling of independence and inclusion, which should be supported at all times. 1.3 Analyse the effect of legislation and policy on person centred practice Legislations and policies such as: Mental capacity Act 006 Equality Act Human Rights Act 1998 Are just a few legislations that strongly reinforce choice and control for all service user and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect and treated fairly at all times. At times, due to preventing service users causing any potential harm to themselves, for their best interest certain aspects and choices are made for them. In our company this usually relates to service users that may have mental health issues and dementia. The Mental Capacity Act was implemented in 2007 and seeks to empower and protect people who lack the capacity to make their own decisions. The five core principles that I work very closely with and communicate with all my team are the following: It is assumed that individuals have capacity unless an assessment has taken place that determines otherwise. Individuals must be given appropriate support to make a decision (before a judgement can be made that a person cannot do so) Individuals have the right to make a decision that seems unwise, does not mean that they lack the capacity to do so If it  is determined that an individual lacks capacity, any decision made on their behalf must be made in their best interests. Any actions taken in respect of the individual without capacity should be the least restrictive in terms of their basic rights and freedoms. Therefore at times person centred planning may be made by other professionals in order to maintain the well being and safety of a service user. But even though at times decisions may be made for service users because they lack the capacity to make some important ones, it should never be assumed that that are unable to make any decisions. 1.4Explain how person centred practice informs the way in which consent is established with individuals Person centered practice is also about keeping the choice of the individual firmly in their hands, and supporting and assisting them in taking and keeping control of their own lives. This is why it’s important to know that a client is assumed to have capacity unless it is proved otherwise. He or she must be able to understand the information relevant to the decision, retain the information, use the information as part of the decision making process and communicate the decision. If someone is assessed as lacking capacity, it must be sought elsewhere, from the next of kin or other individual or team responsible for the care of that person and any decision taken on their behalf must be in their best interests. 1.5 Explain how person centred practice can result in positive changes in individuals’ lives Person-centred practice means giving individual valued roles, participation and belonging in the community, freely given relationships, greater authority over decisions about the way they live, genuine partnership between the service, themselves and or their family and allies, individualized and personalized support arrangements. All of these contributes in helping people get better lives, meaning that individual will have a real home, purpose, family, friends and acquaintances, control over the direction of one’s life and future, good health, safety, security and justice which are all essential for both emotional and well being.