Why is Dignity & Respect so Important in Health & Social Care

Central to achieving Gardiner’s vision to work as a team and make a real difference to the lives of the people we help to support is our belief that everyone should be treated with Dignity & Respect when receiving homecare services.

Treating people with Dignity & Respect is one of Gardiner’s key values.  It helps to define who we are,  what we believe and the way we treat people.

In our workplace, this key value is linked to behaviours that help our team to deliver exceptional care and support.

We expect all staff to share our values and work to the same standards we set out.

Why is Dignity & Respect so Important in Health & Social Care

Dignity & Respect

So, which behaviours demonstrate Gardiner’s values of Dignity and Respect?

  • Accepting and respecting people’s individuality
  • Protecting and respecting people’s confidential information
  • Taking time to listen
  • Respecting people’s right to make their own decisions and choices
  • Communicating in an open and straightforward way using appropriate language
  • Allowing people to maintain their dignity, especially during personal care

Would you like to become a Dignity Champion? Click here to find out more….

What is a Dignity Champion?

A Dignity Champion is someone who believes passionately that being treated with dignity is a basic human right, not an optional extra. At Gardiner’s, our staff sign up to be Dignity Champions by making the following pledge.

The 10-point dignity pledge

  • Have zero tolerance for all forms of abuse
  • Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family
  • Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service
  • Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control
  • Listen to and support people to express their needs and wants
  • Respect people’s right to privacy
  • Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution
  • Engage with family members and carers as care partners
  • Assist people to maintain confidence and positive self-esteem
  • Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation

More about what it means to be a Dignity Champion

Dignity Champions believe that care services must be compassionate, person-centred, as well as efficient, and are willing to try to do something to achieve this.

By signing up to be a Dignity Champion, you pledging to challenge poor care, to act as good role models and, through specific guidelines issued by the campaign, to educate and inform all those working around you.

There are many small things that you can do that can have a big impact on people’s lives, as well as taking on a more active role if you have the time to do so.

Those that have signed up to be a Dignity Champion include care providers, managers and care workers but anyone can sign up including people who use care services and their family or friends.

How do I sign up as a Dignity Champion?

Sign up online here

Dignity in care means listening
Dignity in care means listening

Digni-Tea Open Afternoon

Our latest open afternoon was in support of the Dignity in Care campaign. We welcomed our carer’s to pop in on Monday 2nd February for some “Digni-Tea” and lovely homemade cakes.

They were then invited to add a leaf onto our “Digni-Tree” with a sentence or two about what dignity in care means to them. Many of our carer’s also joined the office team in signing up to become a Dignity Champion and collected their Dignity in Care 10 point care card and badge.

Digni-tea

The Dignity in Care campaign was launched in November 2006, and aims to put dignity and respect at the heart of UK care services.
It is led by the National Dignity Council, who work together to raise the profile of the network and to place greater emphasis on promoting the work the Dignity Champions do to improve standards of care for people who use services.

The campaign’s core values are about having dignity in our hearts minds and actions, changing the culture of care services and placing a greater emphasis on improving the quality of care and the experience of citizens using services including NHS hospitals, community services, care homes and home support services.

It includes action to:

  • Raise awareness of Dignity in Care
  • Inspire local people to take action
  • Share good practice and give impetus to positive innovation
  • Transform services by supporting people and organisations in providing dignified services
  • Reward and recognise those people who make a difference and go that extra mile.

In support of this campaign, people across the country from all walks of life are signing up as Dignity Champions.