Use person-centred approaches to support equality and diversity

Holistic approaches to care mean planning or giving support that looks at all aspects of an individual’s life and how these can be integrated. Their needs will normally include mental health needs, physical needs, emotional needs, social needs and spiritual well-being.

The term ‘Person-Centred Practice’ is referred to by the Health Foundation (2014) as ‘giving people dignity, compassion and respect’. It also involves ‘offering coordinated and personalised care and support or treatment, supporting people to recognise and develop their own strengths and abilities to live an independent and fulfilling life’.

Person-centred practice encompasses values such as choice, respect, dignity, independence and collaboration. Therefore, this approach is aligned with the principles of equality and diversity.

For example, care planning involves working in partnership with a service user to establish their own needs, wishes and preferences. Some individuals will have needs related to their religion, which can include what they wear, what they eat and the recognition of holy days. By working in a person-centred way, care workers would acknowledge and accommodate the individual’s requirements, which would also support equality and diversity within the organisation.

Similarly, an individual with a disability that inhibits their communication (e.g. an individual recovering from a stroke) should be given the same opportunities to collaborate with their care planning and make their own decisions as somebody without a communication barrier. This could mean care workers procuring assistive technology to aid communication. This would ensure a person-centred approach because the individual’s unique needs are being accommodated as well as supporting equality because the individual would be being treated in a fair and equitable way.