Defining and Demonstrating Care Values

Defining Care Values

Care values are a set of rules or guidelines that healthcare professionals abide by to provide high-quality care to their service users.
They centre around respecting individuals’ dignity, treating them equitably, and promoting their rights.
Care values allow the establishment of trust and confidence between service users and healthcare workers.
These values aim to enhance the quality of both physical and emotional care given to service users.
They ensure service users receive care that promotes their equality, diversity, and rights.
Importantly, they enable professionals working in health and social care to deal sensibly and effectively with ethical issues that may arise in their work settings.

Demonstrating Care Values

1. Promoting Dignity and Respect

Empathising with service users and acknowledging their individuality is key.
Always maintaining confidentiality (unless there’s a risk to the service user or others).
Create an open and honest communication environment where service users feel valued.
Additional actions include maintaining the service users’ privacy, giving choices, and listening attentively.

2. Promoting Equality and Diversity

Understand different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles, and offer services without discrimination.
Diversify approaches and treatments to cater to unique individual needs.
Encourage inclusion by associating with service users, and getting to understand their interests and challenges.
Professional practices should encourage acceptance and fair treatment for all service users.

3. Promoting Individuals Rights

Uphold all service users’ rights, which include right to life, freedom from torture and inhuman treatment, right to private and family life, among others.
Ensure service users understand their rights and support them in making informed decisions.
Always treat service users in a way that promotes their rights and prioritises their safety.
Act according to service users’ best interests when they can’t make decisions for themselves due to incapacity.

Application in Scenarios

Care values come into play while undertaking tasks such as helping service users with dressing, bathing and personal hygiene, meal times, and during professional health advice and treatment.
They guide professionals in making ethically challenging decisions such as withholding resuscitation and handling end-of-life matters.