Treating Patients With Dignity and Respect

Introduction

The Human Rights Act 1998 gives legal effect in the UK to the fundamental rights and freedoms contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. These rights not only impact matters of life and death, they also affect the rights you have in your everyday life: what you can say and do, your beliefs, your right to a fair trial and other similar basic entitlements. You have the responsibility to respect other people’s rights, and they must respect yours.

Purpose

This Dignity and Respect, Policy sets out our commitment to treating all people with equality & diversity, valuing the diversity of all:

• To ensure that staff employed by Frome Medical Practice treat patients, the public and colleagues with dignity and respect. The Practice advocates a culture of care that respects the privacy, dignity, culture and individuality of all patients under its care and staff.
• To ensure privacy and dignity are fundamental within our core values and governance strategy.

Duties

This policy applies to all employees at Frome Medical Practice irrespective of profession, grade, position or contract, and any staff contracted to provide a service to Frome Medical practice on a temporary basis.

Members of Staff require support, development and education to ensure that they are appropriately skilled, that in spite of the pressures of the modern NHS they treat individuals with compassion and in a dignified and respectful way.

The Practice Manager has overall responsibility to ensure compliance with this policy, with delegated responsibility being passed to the Team Leaders of each staff group.

It is the responsibility of each staff member to:

• Ensure that the privacy and dignity of all patients, members of the public and work colleagues are respected.
• Adhere to the principles set out in this policy.
• Frome Medical Practice expects that all staff support people with the same respect they would want for themselves or a member of their family. People should be treated in a courteous and considerate manner, at all times.
• Frome Medical Practice expects staff to treat each person as an individual. The attitude and behaviour of managers and staff help to preserve an individual’s identity. Staff should agree with people about how they would like to be addressed. Staff should take the time to assess and understand a person’s individual needs.
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff to respect people’s right to privacy. Areas of sensitivity which relate to modesty, gender, culture or religion and basic manners are fully respected.
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff to ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution. * People have access to the information and advice they need. Members of Staff support people to raise their concerns and complaints with the appropriate person. Concerns and complaints are respected and answered in a timely manner.
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff working with patients to assist people to maintain confidence and a positive self-esteem. The care and support provided should encourage individuals to participate as far as they feel able. Care should be aimed to develop the self-confidence of the person receiving services, actively promoting well-being.
• Frome Medical practice expects all staff working with patients to act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation. Staff should help people receiving services to feel valued as members of the community.
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff working with patients to enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control. People receiving services should be helped to participate as partners in decision-making about the care and support they receive. People should be encouraged and supported to take responsibility for managing their care themselves in conjunction with, when needed, care staff and other information and support services
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff working with patients to listen and support people to express their needs and wants. People should be provided with information in a way that enables them to reach agreement
• Frome Medical Practice expects all staff to engage with family members and carers as care partners. Relatives and carers experience a welcoming ambience and are able to communicate with staff and managers as contributing partners.

It is the responsibility of Line Managers to also ensure that:

• Members of Staff have received training / education in interpersonal skills / customer care / communication and/or Dignity and Respect.
• They provide a good role model in their own attitude and behaviour.
• All systems of care are patient focused and person centered and not task orientated.
• Members of Staff are supported to participate in training and service development.
• Implement the principles set out in this policy.
• Promote and encourage positive attitudes and behaviours within its culture and aim to eliminate the risk of any patients, staff and the general public suffering a negative experience.
• Ensure that any problems in relation to standards and guidelines on privacy and dignity in our care of patients is monitored and reported through the incident reporting, complaints or clinical governance processes and for staff, through the human resources procedures.
• Promote and support a culture of “zero tolerance” of all forms of abuse.
• Frome Medical Practice recognises that abuse can take many forms including physical, emotional, financial, sexual, institutional, neglect and discriminatory.