SH4008 Reflective Essay Assignment Sample

Introduction Of SH4008 Reflective Essay Assignment

Professional practice is defined as the application of specialized skills, knowledge and standards within particular field or workplace. In other words, it refers to the behaviour and actions of individual at workplace. This reflective essay will be based on the topic of inclusion that is identified as an ethical practice applied at workplace. The scope of this effective essay based on inclusion is multifaceted and quite broad. Inclusion is defined as the culture or environment that fosters equity, diversity and belongingness among people. This leads to promote a sense of loyalty, trust and belonging among co-workers, results in improved innovation and decision making process. This essay will further linked with the legislative framework that aims to underpin practices of inclusion to minimize the challenges of biasness and discrimination at workplace. Multiple theories will be discussed with a view to promote inclusion at NHS to foster an equitable and inclusive environment at workplace. In addition, this essay will include learning about development of skills and knowledge through activities and resources along with the implementation of multiple theories. These theories are linked with inclusion within professional practice, aimed to promote professional development and growth.

Assignment deadlines piling up? Let New Assignment Help ease your burden with expert Assignment Help in UK tailored for student success.

Main Body

Inclusion is defined as a culture that aims to foster sense of belongingness and wellbeing among diverse employees (Ocloo et al, 2021). It ensures that people at workplace feels important and valued that leads to promote satisfaction and morale. As per the view of Ross et al, (2020) inclusion at workplace is important it fosters supportive and positive environment that empowers workforce for their contribution of unique skills and insights. As a Health and Social Care (HSC) Practitioner in NHS, I believe that an inclusive environment enables health and social care providers to enhance satisfaction and experience of patients. Furthermore, inclusion is important as it provides equity and empowerment for informed and intelligent decision making process (Alderwick et al, 2021). I observed that inclusion also facilitate improved communication skills that leads to enhance loyalty and trust at workplace. According to Masterson et al, (2022) the context of inclusion involves the practice of adaptation, fostering communication and aims to combat discrimination and biasness at workplace. The ultimate goal of inclusion to promote equity along with the encompassing of diversity at workplace in terms of sexual orientation, race, gender socio-economic status or any sort of aspect (Papadopoulos et al, 2020). During initial learning, significance of inclusion based on valuing and recognizing makes me feel curious to explore about topic. My initial response towards learning about inclusion was a mix of responsibility and inspiration. This module helped me to gain useful insight and knowledge about inclusive environment and its benefits at health and social care workplace. I had little knowledge about inclusion and its importance; however, this module makes me realize that adoption of inclusive practise played a vital role in fostering effective relationship with colleagues at workplace. As HSC practitioner at NHS, I analysed that the situation of inclusion within social and health care is complex as it possessed both on-going challenges and advancements. Currently, there are multiple established regulations and policies within UK that aims to promote inclusion at workplace. For example: The Equality act emphasized on cultural competence and fosters anti-discrimination practices that aimed to promote effective and patient-centred care (Kuknor and Bhattacharya 2020). I analysed that Equality Act promotes inclusion within NHS with the promotion of equality and through taking measures for anti-discrimination practices. This act offers diverse range of opportunities related to professional growth and career advancements for the HSC practitioner without any biasness (Thornicroft et al, 2022). Along with that, the UK legislation of Health and Social Care Act emphasis on promotion of diversity and equality that aims to support wellbeing of people. In professional practice, the health and social care act emphasises on fostering autonomy of decision making process to HSC practitioners of NHS. These legislative promotes inclusion at workplace that helped me to implement the professional ethics of justice and autonomy. The basic principle of ethics such as justice encompasses the rights within social and health care that promote inclusion through encouraging social interaction (Malhotra 2024). In reference to this, Omata (2023) states that egalitarian theory proposed about equal distribution of resources and care access within social and health care to promote inclusion and equality. In addition, this theory also promotes principle of justice by enable the care professionals to make adequate judgements and decisions related to equal rights and growth opportunities (Rugar 2024). In addition to that, I realized that being a HSC practitioner, I have to work with diverse range of populations that varies from abilities, ethnicities, gender and age. In that case, inclusion and diversity helped me to accomplish needs of patients for inclusive practices that help them to gain positive experience of care. Besides that, Inclusion helped me to establish positive relationship with colleagues and community by understanding their unique preferences and needs. As a HSC practitioner, I got benefit from the knowledge and learning about inclusion during class as it helped me enhance community engagement. This leads to enhance social interaction with patients and colleagues and promotes ethical principle of beneficence (World Health Organization 2021). The principle of ethical beneficence assists me to realize my obligation as HSC practitioner to act in benefit of patients. Beneficence further offers support to patients and medical practitioners to defend and protect their rights (Steenkamer et al, 2020). This module learning enables me to gain information and adequate understanding about ethical principles that are required to follow in health and care sector. This helped to implement these principles into my professional practice as HSC practitioner, leads to provide personal contribution for the creation of inclusive environment at NHS. This helps me to gain positive experience with management, colleagues and patients, makes me feel happy and satisfied. However, I analysed that there are systemic barrier within health and social care sector. These barriers involve language barriers, socio-economic inequalities and diverse geographic disparities that lead to restrict access of professional’s (Gibb et al, 2024). Due to lack of inclusion within professional practice of social and health care, professional are restricted from empowerment, autonomy of decisions and faced other additional challenges in accessing opportunities within sector. Along with that, I faced issue of discrimination and biasness that has negative impact on my capacity of providing care services to patients. Due to lack of understanding and awareness related to inclusion towards needs of marginalized sector, I faced unintentional biasness and discrimination during professional practice of HSC practitioner. This is the bad experience for me during my professional practice as HSC practitioner at NHS. Module learning about inclusion within sector of social and health care has a direct influence on understanding of inclusion and its significance. During learning, I analysed that inclusion was an effective practice that helped me to accomplish diverse needs of patients and colleagues. Inclusion links with my professional experience and skills of communication and it is considered as important for fostering inclusion. For example: during professional practise of NHS’s HSC practitioner, I actively practice communication with the use of simple and clear language to ensure that clients and colleagues are felt valued and understood. In context to that, Lam (2023) analysed that ethical theory of virtue ethics focuses on the establishment of effective public relations with care professionals with the adequate consideration on virtues. I realize that application of this theory along with the skills of good communication helps me establishment of effective relationship with colleague and patients in favour of virtues. In addition to that, module learning based on inclusion further helped me to emphasise on importance of cultural awareness skill in delivering effective care services to patients. Along with that, I evaluate that I had strong skills of cultural awareness that helped me towards establishment of interpersonal relationship with colleagues. Adequate understanding about cultural nuances results in promotion of care services and quality treatment (CDC 2024). Moreover, cultural awareness within professional practices enables me to provide a significant contribution in the creation of an inclusive and positive environment that is crucial for the professional growth and success. Along with that it also reinforced the significance of adaptation and lifelong learning within social and health care (NHS 2024). This ongoing learning about inclusion within professional practice of HSC practitioner enables to contribute toward the creation of an inclusive and equitable environment at NHS. As per the view of Murray (2023) theory of cultural consciousness aims to promote skills and knowledge that results in the creation of cultural awareness. This theory has a significant implication on cultural value and practices that are crucial for making reflective, respectful and reason choices with professional practice within social and health care sector. I analysed that application of cultural consciousness theory helps me to enhance satisfaction and experience of patients. Along with that, it leads to foster an inclusive environment that enable me to develop loyalty and trust for others, results in increased performance and personal efficiency. On the other hand, skills of empathy play a pivotal role in the creation of inclusive environment at health and social care organizations of NHS (NHS 2024). This skill enable HSC practitioner to establish and maintain connections with people at workplace. I realized that skill of empathy enables professionals to feel valued and supported that helps them to get comfortable during sharing of ideas and diverse thoughts. I evaluated that I had limited skill of empathy due to which I was unable to understand or empathises with patients. Due to which I had a bad professional expereice as I was unable to connect with patients. As per my personal experience, I faced complexities due to limited empathy that leads to misinterpretation and damage relationships. Along with that, I realize that active listening skill is also essential to foster inclusion at NHS workplace. Moreover, active listening leads to enhance ability of decision making that is beneficial for the organization’s efficiency and overall, performance (Kuknor and Bhattacharya 2020). In my personal experience, active learning skill enables me to understand needs, concerns and feelings of patients and other professionals at NHS, leads to foster inclusion. I evaluated that with strong listening skill, I was able to understand thoughts and emotions of colleagues in effective manner, leads to foster trust and strong relationship. In addition to that, I analysed that the team collaboration skill is essential for the professional practice of HSC practitioner at NHS. I believe that skill provide opportunity to care practitioners to work together ion collaborative manner by learning from each other. Also, this skill further emphasis on provide mutual support and fosters trust and loyalty for each other that is essential to maintain an inclusive environment (Thornicroft et al, 2022). I evaluated that I had limited skills of team collaboration due to which I faced challenge related to unaccountability and disengagement towards work. Furthermore, due to lack of team collaboration skill, organization was suffered with lack of innovation and poor strategy execution that has adverse impact on inclusive practices. However, Papadopoulos et al, (2020) contended that intersectionality theory aims to enhance inclusion by understanding experience of diverse people. As per my view, integration of intersectionality theory into NHS also promotes teamwork by encouraging mutual understanding and collaborative practices among care professionals. Besides that, leadership was identified as another crucial skill for inclusion that leads to enhance decision making and accountability at workplace (Kuknor and Bhattacharya 2020). As per my personal experience, I analysed that an inclusive leader aims to seek towards increased understanding for diverse cultures of care practitioners, challenges the status Quo and advocates for ensuring equity within NHS. It was evaluated that I had weak skills of leadership due to which my personal contribution towards creation of an inclusive work environment at NHS was minimized. Furthermore, I faced challenge related to poor decision making and unable to allocate responsibilities to care practitioners. As a result, situation of workload, misunderstanding and conflict arises, that has adverse impact on inclusive environment at NHS. During evaluation, it was identified that there is a need of improvement in leadership skill for the promotion of inclusion through creation of inclusive and supportive culture at NHS.

Conclusion and Action Plan

This reflective essay was based on the concept of inclusion and its significance within professional practice of social and health care at NHS. It was analysed that NHS as ongoing through advacnedemdnemts such as adoption of legislative framework within its care practices to promote wellbeing and satisfaction of patients and workforce. This essay was linked with the UK’s legislative frameworks such as equality act and care act that focuses to underpin inclusive practices to minimize discrimination and biasness challenges at workplace. Theory of egalitarian, cultural consciousness, virtue ethics and intersectionality were discussed with a view to promote inclusion within health and social care practice. It was analysed that integration of inclusion principle into professional experience and my personal skills has improved the ability to deliver effective and compassionate care. It was outlined that there is a positive implication of learning about inclusion that will help me to enhance networking through establishment of relationship with patients and colleagues. Furthermore, Communication, cultural awareness and active listening were identified as strong during personal evaluation of skills. On contrary, skills of empathy, team collaboration and leadership were evaluated as limited. To enhance these skills within context of promotion of inclusive work environment at NHS, here is the recommended action plan:

REFERENCES

Books and Journals

• Alderwick, H., Hutchings, A., Briggs, A. and Mays, N., 2021. The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: a systematic review of reviews. BMC Public Health, 21, pp.1-16.
• Gibb, S., Mashkoor, A., Hendry, A., Webb, A. and Rainey, H., 2024. Culture, Leadership, and Integration (CLI) in the Development of the National Care Service; A Journey to ‘We Are the NCS’?.
• Kuknor, S.C. and Bhattacharya, S., 2020. Inclusive leadership: new age leadership to foster organizational inclusion. European journal of training and development, 46(9), pp.771-797.
• Malhotra, R.T., 2024. Inclusion on purpose: An intersectional approach to creating a culture of belonging at work. MIT Press.
• Masterson, D., Areskoug Josefsson, K., Robert, G., Nylander, E. and Kjellström, S., 2022. Mapping definitions of co‐production and co‐design in health and social care: a systematic scoping review providing lessons for the future. Health Expectations, 25(3), pp.902-913.
• Ocloo, J., Garfield, S., Franklin, B.D. and Dawson, S., 2021. Exploring the theory, barriers and enablers for patient and public involvement across health, social care and patient safety: a systematic review of reviews. Health research policy and systems, 19, pp.1-21.
• Omata, N., 2023. The role of developmental ‘buzzwords’ in the international refugee regime: Self-reliance, resilience, and economic inclusion. World Development, 167, p.106248.
• Papadopoulos, I., Koulouglioti, C., Lazzarino, R. and Ali, S., 2020. Enablers and barriers to the implementation of socially assistive humanoid robots in health and social care: a systematic review. BMJ open, 10(1), p.e033096.
• Ross, S., Jabbal, J., Chauhan, K., Maguire, D., Randhawa, M. and Dahir, S., 2020. Workforce race inequalities and inclusion in NHS providers. King's Fund.
• Steenkamer, B., Drewes, H., Putters, K., van Oers, H. and Baan, C., 2020. Reorganizing and integrating public health, health care, social care and wider public services: a theory-based framework for collaborative adaptive health networks to achieve the triple aim. Journal of health services research & policy, 25(3), pp.187-201.
• Thornicroft, G., Sunkel, C., Aliev, A.A., Baker, S., Brohan, E., El Chammay, R., Davies, K., Demissie, M., Duncan, J., Fekadu, W. and Gronholm, P.C., 2022. The Lancet Commission on ending stigma and discrimination in mental health. The Lancet, 400(10361), pp.1438-1480.
• World Health Organization, 2021. Guidance on community mental health services: promoting person-centred and rights-based approaches. World Health Organization.

Online

• CDC, (2024). Ethics and Healthcare Worker Exposure Considerations. Online. Available through: <https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/learning/safetyculturehc/module-5/10.html#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20basic%20principles,and%20justice%20(be%20fair)>.
• Lam, J., (2023). 5 essential power skills to create an inclusive workplace. Available through: <https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2023/11/22/5-essential-power-skills-to-create-an-inclusive-workplace/>.
• Murray, R., (2023). Leadership in Fostering Inclusion. Available through: <https://www.inclusiongeeks.com/articles/the-critical-role-of-leadership-in-fostering-inclusion/>.
• NHS, (2024). NHS equality, diversity, and inclusion improvement plan. Available through: <https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-improvement-plan/>.
• Rugar, J., (2024). Health and social justice. Available through: <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4006198/#:~:text=Egalitarian%20theories%2C%20for%20example%2C%20%E2%80%9C,benefits%20a%20requirement%20of%20justice%E2%80%9D>.