Challenging discrimination in adult care

Understanding Discrimination in Adult Care

Discrimination in adult care is an unjust or prejudiced treatment of people on the grounds of their age, race, religion, sex, or physical or mental disability.
It’s important to understand that discrimination can be overt (open and visible) or covert (hidden or subtle).
Discrimination can result in individuals feeling devalued, helpless, and feeling like they are being treated unfairly, which can significantly impact their wellbeing.

Signs of discrimination can include isolated individuals, a decrease in health or wellbeing, unequal distribution of resources, derogatory comments, or unfair access to services.
Individuals might also express feeling uncomfortable, upset, or frustrated, or may become withdrawn.

Any instances of discrimination should be challenged and reported in a manner congruent with the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Challenging discrimination could involve addressing the issue directly with the person involved, if it is safe to do so, or it could involve reporting the issue to a senior colleague or manager.
When discrimination is identified, an investigation should take place and appropriate action should be taken to prevent it from happening again. This could involve disciplinary action, retraining, or additional support for the individual who has been discriminated against.
It is often beneficial to hold an open dialogue or training sessions with all staff involved to ensure a shared understanding of equality and diversity in the workplace.

Individuals affected by discrimination should be afforded support and reassurances where needed. Emotional support can be given by empathetic staff members or specialised counsellors.
Clear information should be provided about how the incident is being dealt with, what action has been taken, and what the next steps are.
Where necessary, individuals should be referred to external agencies or professionals like social workers, advocacy services or legal advisers.

Adult care providers should have robust policies and procedures in place to deal with all forms of discrimination, which should be aligned with UK legislationsuch as the Equality Act 2010.
These guidelines should be clearly communicated to all staff, with regular training provided to ensure understanding and compliance.
Audit and monitoring systems should be in place to regularly evaluate the service’s equality and diversity practices.