Barnard, A., 2010. Key Themes in Health and Social Care: A Companion to
Learning [eBook] 1st ed. Florence: Taylor and Francis. Available at: http://
ntuuk.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=589595.
Part 1:
Skills and study for practice:
• Academic writing therefore needs to be well structured and analytical, with a strong ar-
gument that takes the reader logically step by step to a persuasive conclusion.
• Colons provide a pause before introducing items in a list.
• When reading it is useful to have some questions in mind that might be answered by the
text because this will help to focus attention.
• Successful paraphrasing involves more than just using synonyms: sentence structure
and grammar needs to be significantly altered.
• Too many direct quotes can make tutors question whether students have really under-
stood the issues and can also lead to accusations of plagiarism if material has not been
properly referenced.
• If a direct quote has been used (the words have been taken from the text and not altered
at all) then a page number will also have to be included: According to Rose (2001, p131)
‘a reference is a note that you make of where you found a particular idea or a sentence
or two that you have quoted’.
• These are conventions for including a paraphrase: ‘Rose (2001) defines a reference as
a personal record of the location of any specific thoughts or words used in an assign-
ment.’
• Example A: Substance misuse can also be a factor which plays a major role in home-
lessness, being addicted to a substance is more often than not a downward spiral, often
resulting in homelessness, and can also possibly lead to criminal behaviour. I think this
can be seen as a personal responsibility in many respects, because you could prevent
this happening by not becoming mixed up in it in the first place. In my opinion it becomes
a public responsibility when a person is addicted to a substance, and all they can think
about is where their next ‘hit’ will come from, and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it
means losing their home and committing crime.
• Example B: Another factor which may contribute to homelessness is substance misuse.
Addiction can cause a downward spiral, resulting not only in homelessness but also in
criminal behaviour. An individual could prevent this situation arising by taking personal
responsibility and avoiding becoming involved in substance misuse. However, there is
also an element of public responsibility in such a situation because the addict will be-
come fixated on acquiring their next ‘hit’ regardless of the cost to themselves or the im-
pact on society.
• Example B is the more academic because Example A has some stylistic errors, as
Punctuation Use of 1st instead of 3rd person.
Working with people:
,• Working with people not only demands patience and the ability to listen closely to identi-
fied needs, but also the ability to operate within the context of organisational constraints
which at times can result in the need to reach a compromise with service users on what
can be provided within the given resource limitations.
• Within the context of health and social care, the aim of the interaction is to provide a
safe environment for the patient or service user to explore issues they bring to the meet-
ing and to provide appropriate information and emotional support. Service delivery
hence aims to maximise patient or service user health and well-being.
Aspects of communication:
• Non-verbal (body language). Think about appearance, eye contact, facial expressions,
proximity posture, personal space, and touch.
• Para-verbal (accompaniments to speech which give emphasis) . Think about hand ges-
tures, facial expressions, tone of voice, speed of conversation, volume and clarity of
speech.
• Verbal (the spoken word). Think about the language that was used, was it technical or
delivered to clarify your understanding?
• The ability to offer active and empathic listening. Did the health and social care profes-
sional pay close attention to your concerns? Did s/he understand your concerns? Did
you feel listened to? Did you leave the meeting with a clear understanding of future op-
tions?
• Kadushin and Kadushin (1997) offer a further definition of communication as ‘the sharing
of thoughts, feelings, attitudes and ideas through the exchange of verbal and non-verbal
symbols. We share our private thoughts and feelings with others through communica-
tion’.
• Trevithick (2005: 8) goes further by highlighting the relationship between communication
and professional practice: As human beings we are, in fact, always communicating
something, although this may not be intelligible to ourselves or to others. It may require
some deciphering, which can be likened to learning a different language or, more pre-
cisely, a new dialect.
• Especially within the field of health and social care, miscommunication can be more
damaging than no communication.
• Health and social care practitioners need to pay very close attention to intercultural com-
munication. Language and the use of language can be problematic between people of
different ethnic backgrounds. This can lead to significant misunderstandings around ter-
minology and the meaning to phrases that are used in the health and social care interac-
tion.
• A person’s value base can facilitate effective communication or act as a barrier to com-
munication.
• Values are more personal in nature and include what individuals or groups see as having
moral worth and value and what we choose to see as ethically relevant or worthy.
, Developing anti-oppressive practice:
• ‘In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation they must
perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but
as a limited situation which they can transform’ (Freire 1972: 14).
• Anti-discriminatory practice is an approach to practice which recognises the pervasive-
ness of discrimination and oppression. As such, it is practice that needs to ensure dis-
crimination and oppressions are, first, taken into consideration, and second, countered
and challenged.
• ‘Anti-oppressive practice’ allows for a wider social analysis.
• All of these non-therapeutic actions can take control of emotions and conversation away
from the service user. This means that the discussion is guided by the professional’s
value base only, which can result in demoralising and demeaning behaviour. Watkins
(2001) identifies the need to use a person centred approach in gathering information to
ensure understanding about a client’s inner and outer worlds, from their own reference.
• Effectively a model of care is whatever it needs to be, based on evidence, theoretical
backgrounds and client needs.
• The professional must have a philosophical approach which is then translated into a
model of care. This is based on evidence of needs rather than anecdotal approaches. An
evidence base offers an educated approach which has a wealth of theory and research
and can in turn be tailored and adapted to meet individual needs.However, using a strict
Learning [eBook] 1st ed. Florence: Taylor and Francis. Available at: http://
ntuuk.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=589595.
Part 1:
Skills and study for practice:
• Academic writing therefore needs to be well structured and analytical, with a strong ar-
gument that takes the reader logically step by step to a persuasive conclusion.
• Colons provide a pause before introducing items in a list.
• When reading it is useful to have some questions in mind that might be answered by the
text because this will help to focus attention.
• Successful paraphrasing involves more than just using synonyms: sentence structure
and grammar needs to be significantly altered.
• Too many direct quotes can make tutors question whether students have really under-
stood the issues and can also lead to accusations of plagiarism if material has not been
properly referenced.
• If a direct quote has been used (the words have been taken from the text and not altered
at all) then a page number will also have to be included: According to Rose (2001, p131)
‘a reference is a note that you make of where you found a particular idea or a sentence
or two that you have quoted’.
• These are conventions for including a paraphrase: ‘Rose (2001) defines a reference as
a personal record of the location of any specific thoughts or words used in an assign-
ment.’
• Example A: Substance misuse can also be a factor which plays a major role in home-
lessness, being addicted to a substance is more often than not a downward spiral, often
resulting in homelessness, and can also possibly lead to criminal behaviour. I think this
can be seen as a personal responsibility in many respects, because you could prevent
this happening by not becoming mixed up in it in the first place. In my opinion it becomes
a public responsibility when a person is addicted to a substance, and all they can think
about is where their next ‘hit’ will come from, and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it
means losing their home and committing crime.
• Example B: Another factor which may contribute to homelessness is substance misuse.
Addiction can cause a downward spiral, resulting not only in homelessness but also in
criminal behaviour. An individual could prevent this situation arising by taking personal
responsibility and avoiding becoming involved in substance misuse. However, there is
also an element of public responsibility in such a situation because the addict will be-
come fixated on acquiring their next ‘hit’ regardless of the cost to themselves or the im-
pact on society.
• Example B is the more academic because Example A has some stylistic errors, as
Punctuation Use of 1st instead of 3rd person.
Working with people:
,• Working with people not only demands patience and the ability to listen closely to identi-
fied needs, but also the ability to operate within the context of organisational constraints
which at times can result in the need to reach a compromise with service users on what
can be provided within the given resource limitations.
• Within the context of health and social care, the aim of the interaction is to provide a
safe environment for the patient or service user to explore issues they bring to the meet-
ing and to provide appropriate information and emotional support. Service delivery
hence aims to maximise patient or service user health and well-being.
Aspects of communication:
• Non-verbal (body language). Think about appearance, eye contact, facial expressions,
proximity posture, personal space, and touch.
• Para-verbal (accompaniments to speech which give emphasis) . Think about hand ges-
tures, facial expressions, tone of voice, speed of conversation, volume and clarity of
speech.
• Verbal (the spoken word). Think about the language that was used, was it technical or
delivered to clarify your understanding?
• The ability to offer active and empathic listening. Did the health and social care profes-
sional pay close attention to your concerns? Did s/he understand your concerns? Did
you feel listened to? Did you leave the meeting with a clear understanding of future op-
tions?
• Kadushin and Kadushin (1997) offer a further definition of communication as ‘the sharing
of thoughts, feelings, attitudes and ideas through the exchange of verbal and non-verbal
symbols. We share our private thoughts and feelings with others through communica-
tion’.
• Trevithick (2005: 8) goes further by highlighting the relationship between communication
and professional practice: As human beings we are, in fact, always communicating
something, although this may not be intelligible to ourselves or to others. It may require
some deciphering, which can be likened to learning a different language or, more pre-
cisely, a new dialect.
• Especially within the field of health and social care, miscommunication can be more
damaging than no communication.
• Health and social care practitioners need to pay very close attention to intercultural com-
munication. Language and the use of language can be problematic between people of
different ethnic backgrounds. This can lead to significant misunderstandings around ter-
minology and the meaning to phrases that are used in the health and social care interac-
tion.
• A person’s value base can facilitate effective communication or act as a barrier to com-
munication.
• Values are more personal in nature and include what individuals or groups see as having
moral worth and value and what we choose to see as ethically relevant or worthy.
, Developing anti-oppressive practice:
• ‘In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation they must
perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but
as a limited situation which they can transform’ (Freire 1972: 14).
• Anti-discriminatory practice is an approach to practice which recognises the pervasive-
ness of discrimination and oppression. As such, it is practice that needs to ensure dis-
crimination and oppressions are, first, taken into consideration, and second, countered
and challenged.
• ‘Anti-oppressive practice’ allows for a wider social analysis.
• All of these non-therapeutic actions can take control of emotions and conversation away
from the service user. This means that the discussion is guided by the professional’s
value base only, which can result in demoralising and demeaning behaviour. Watkins
(2001) identifies the need to use a person centred approach in gathering information to
ensure understanding about a client’s inner and outer worlds, from their own reference.
• Effectively a model of care is whatever it needs to be, based on evidence, theoretical
backgrounds and client needs.
• The professional must have a philosophical approach which is then translated into a
model of care. This is based on evidence of needs rather than anecdotal approaches. An
evidence base offers an educated approach which has a wealth of theory and research
and can in turn be tailored and adapted to meet individual needs.However, using a strict
