Introduction
The relevance of the idea of justice for modern societies is not in dispute, and the discourse of justice occupies one of the critical positions in the entire spectrum of political currents. Justice is recognized as an independent value with ethical and social characteristics. In health care, equity is a leading aspect of care because society demands to be treated equally well. A diverse community with all the rights to care indicates a developed healthcare field.
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion in Society and Social Care, Human Rights, Discrimination
Equality can be understood as economic equality, equality of opportunity, or equality in freedom. In health care, equality is realized through the principles of care regardless of an individual’s characteristics. Diversity is defined through the attributes the community identifies itself: race, gender, orientation, and nationality. Inclusion means integrating people into social processes despite their disabilities (Lawrence and Reedy, 2017). Human right combines all of the above attributes of society and promotes development without including discrimination. An equality approach is necessary for health care because a healthy nation cannot be achieved without it.
At present, the level of equality in the UK is rated medium. The assessment comprises continuing gender inequalities in wages and working conditions and ethnic and financial characteristics (‘Gender equality index 2020: United Kingdom’, 2020). However, the state is taking action to improve the equality index through social policies aimed at equal access to various services. In addition, laws such as the Equality Act provide protections for all small or oppressed populations.
Promoting Rights in Health and Social Care
Health equity is a socioeconomic, political, and ethical issue that can only be addressed in this interdisciplinary field. The international recognition of the social factors of health and the need to overcome inequalities has actualized the influence of socioeconomic determinants on individual behavior (‘Human rights in health and social care’, 2021). Quality health care and equity are the main criteria for an effective national health care system. The right to health care is recognized as a fundamental human right. Rights in health and social care are promoted through government development strategies, which include regulations and proposals to improve access to health care (Conley, 2019). National foundations fund the development of strategies to train professionals who can protect patients’ rights. Education and health care reforms achieve access to quality care for the entire population.
The UK keeps careful records of the population in six occupational groups, ranging from those in unskilled labor to high-level managers. Each group has a different level and pattern of morbidity and mortality, which means they require different amounts of health care (‘Human rights in health and social care’, 2021). It is regulated through legislation and the work of social service organizations, which identify statistical patterns and direct current policies toward observed gaps. For example, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) supports social care by disseminating information about human rights and their implementation.
Ethical Dilemmas
Ethical dilemmas are related to the issue of social work values: alignment of interests, distribution of material and non-material support, financial matters, and more. Moral paradigms and values (life, humanity, personal dignity) are the foundations on which social and medical work is built. In practice, staff faces various ethical challenges and dilemmas because of their obligations to clients, colleagues, their profession, and society (Schofield et al., 2021). Most predicaments stem from the need to choose between two or more conflicting duties and obligations. The choice leads either to maintaining a level playing field or aggravating the situation, so ethical dilemmas are high on the agenda of equality development.
The relationship between a social or health care professional and a patient often involves complex ethical communication that makes it difficult to make the right choice. The solution to ethical dilemmas is to make both parties more aware of their rights and improve the law’s humanity (Schofield et al., 2021). In the UK, ethical dilemmas can be analyzed using examples of tactics during the Covid-19 pandemic. Reports show that many physicians feel burdened by moral choices and unprotected compared to patients (Locke, 2020). In addition, it is reported that it is easier for physicians to abandon a patient than to treat them if there is an ethical conflict. Consequently, current strategies cannot resolve communication difficulties with the patient, staff, or management managers.
Promoting Equality and Diversity
The root cause of health inequity should be understood as the social determinants of health – the conditions under which an individual is born and develops. The task of government and its policies in this area is to ensure an equitable and diverse society. Through funding and social development strategies, this area can achieve positive results. In Britain, equality support is realized through commercial and public organizations that work directly with society (Conley, 2019). They implement educational strategies to eliminate stereotypes and organize thematic lectures and fundraisers to make care accessible to all segments. Promotion is sponsored mainly by legislation that taxes the population to act more inclusively. In particular, the British Council regulates this work and promotes the idea of diversity in society (‘Equality global policy statement’, 2022). It protects and promotes the rights of disadvantaged groups through stakeholder engagement.
Legislative Features of Equality
Equality legislation is governed by the European Convention on Human Rights, which sets the rules for European countries’ policy strategies on diversity and inclusion. The legislation seeks to eliminate discrimination and protect the rights of oppressed people based on gender, race, nation, the presence of an illness or diagnosis, and other categories. For Great Britain, the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination and establishes a measure of restraint, is the primary law (‘What is the UK legislation around equality and diversity?’). It works to protect rights and preserve individual characteristics in a diverse society. The act is both a positive and negative feature because the difficulties with it can negatively affect outsiders (Conley and Page, 2018). There is a gap in medical practice, particularly in setting boundaries where oppressive characteristics are not reasons for denial of care and assistance.
Role of the Health and Human Services Practitioner
The health and social care practitioner must maintain two-way communication between staff and patients. They are the liaison who checks the workings of legislation and current healthcare policies (de Saxe Zerden, Lombardi, and Jones, 2019). Their function gradually expands as more inclusive practices are introduced, so it falls to the staff to integrate them into medicine. Compliance with current theories of inclusion and diversity is achieved through the integrity of employees who can behave pretty and professionally despite personal beliefs (Lawrence and Reedy, 2017). Consequently, when evaluating the role of health care practitioners, one must rely on the principle of ethics, which is realized through concerted action to integrate populations and treat them with integrity.
Conclusion
Thus, equity and diversity are characteristics of modern developed society with high health and quality of life indicators. They are achieved by implementing strategies to establish ethical and equitable care principles and are financed through philanthropy and stakeholder involvement. The ethical dilemmas in equity are related to the barriers arising from a lack of protection for staff and patients. Still, they are resolved by introducing inclusive approaches into practice. Legislation is an enabler in this area, and laws such as the Equality Act in the UK help eliminate discrimination. There is a vital role for care staff, which have a responsibility to embed new policies, principles, and strategies into health and social care practice.
Reference List
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Conley, H., and Page, M. (2018) ‘The good, the not so good and the ugly: Gender equality, equal pay and austerity in English local government’, Work, Employment & Society, 32(4), pp. 789-805. Web.
de Saxe Zerden, L., Lombardi, B. M. and Jones, A. (2019) ‘Social workers in integrated health care: Improving care throughout the life course’, Social Work in Health Care, 58(1), pp. 142-149.
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Lawrence, J. and Reedy, N. (2017) ‘Fostering first year nurses’ inclusive practice: A key building block for patient centred care’, In Carter, S. (eds.) Opening eyes onto inclusion and diversity. Toowoomba: University of Southern Queensland, pp. 139-175. Web.
Locke, T. (2020) Medscape UK ethics report 2020: COVID-19, life, death, and pain. Web.
Schofield, G. et al. (2021) ‘Defining ethical challenge(s) in healthcare research: a rapid review’, BMC Medical Ethics, 22(135).
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