Print Download PDF
B

CM C3 Enable individuals with long term conditions to make informed choices concerning their health and well-being

Overview

This standard is about empowering individuals with long term conditions to make informed choices about their health and well-being.  It covers enabling them to make informed choices and supporting them in taking responsibility for their decisions.  The focus of the standard is on promoting the rights and responsibilities of individuals to make decisions for themselves and the support that they may require in order to do this. This standard is relevant to those who provide proactive and co-ordinated Case Management. Here, Case Management means identifying and risk stratifying vulnerable, high-risk people with complex multiple long term conditions. Case Management should take place within the philosophy of enabling and promoting self care, self management and independence. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

  1. the legislation which relates to working with individuals who have a long term condition including: health and safety, confidentiality and information sharing, the provision of services, the rights of the person, anti-discriminatory practice, capacity and consent, relevant mental health legislation and care programme approach
  2. how to interpret and apply legislation to the work being undertaken
  3. the professional standards and codes of practice for your area of work within services and how to interpret and apply these
  4. how to balance your responsibilities as a professional with organisational and contractual requirements
  5. the nature, aims, objectives, values, policies and systems of the organisation in which you work
  6. the contractual arrangements relating to the services which you offer through your organisation
  7. the nature, extent and boundaries of your work role and its relationship to others in the organisation
  8. A working knowledge of the roles of other health and social care practitioners and how they relate between and across agencies
  9. the ethics concerning consent and confidentiality, and the tensions which may exist between an individual’s rights and the organisation’s responsibility to individuals
  10. the rights of individuals to make decisions for themselves and to take risks in the context of their own lives
  11. methods of obtaining informed consent from children, adolescent and individuals, and how to confirm that sufficient information has been provided on which to base this judgement
  12. the actions to take if the person withdraws their consent
  13. how to recognise when individuals with a long term condition are not able to exercise their rights to make informed choices
  14. the legal framework for making decisions for, or acting on behalf of, a person without capacity, and how the best interests of a person without capacity should be determined
  15. the situations when consent may not be required e.g. under relevant mental health legislation
  16. how to deal with issues of confidentiality and who has the right of access to information that has been recorded
  17. the main issues, debates, and policies relating to the health and well-being of individuals with a long term condition
  18. the guidance that is available for you own practice, and the sources of the guidance
  19. evidence based practice, and its role in improving services
  20. the main trends and changes relating to the health and well-being of individuals with a long term condition
  21. the ageing process and how it affects the needs of individuals
  22. the main health conditions that affect individuals as they age
  23. the drugs and interventions which are used to manage the main age-related conditions and the effects of these on the overall health and well-being of individuals with a long term condition
  24. how to seek advice on conditions and drugs
  25. the impact of social relationships and environment on the health and well-being of individuals with a long term condition
  26. how the needs of individuals with a long term condition may affect others
  27. why it is important to clarify with the person whether they need and have carers, and to confirm with the person whether they accept their carers as having any say over their care
  28. how to communicate effectively with individuals with a long term condition and their carers
  29. the ways in which carers should be involved in communication in order to deliver the most effective outcome for the person
  30. the type of communication and relationship difficulties that can occur with and between individuals and their carers, and what to do to overcome them
  31. the importance of focussing on the person with a long term condition as an individual
  32. the importance of respecting the different backgrounds and values of individuals
  33. the impact of the ageing process on individual’s communication needs e.g. sensory impairment, cognition and confusional states
  34. the effects of environments and contexts on communication (particularly institutional settings)
  35. the ways in which communication can be modified and altered for different needs, contexts and beliefs
  36. the rights and responsibilities of individuals to be involved in making choices which affect them, both under current legislation and under agreed legislation which is in the process of being implemented
  37. methods of supporting individuals to make informed choices
  38. why the choices which individuals with a long term condition make about their lives are complex and the nature of this complexity
  39. why individuals with a long term condition may not be able or willing to make their own choices
  40. how the physical environment may have an impact on the ability of individuals with a long term condition to make choices for themselves
  41. the types of support available for individuals with a long term condition to make and act on their own choices
  42. how to encourage individuals with a long term condition to be assertive
  43. why it is important to work in ways which encourage empowerment and how to facilitate the empowerment of individuals with a long term condition
  44. how the socio-economic and personal context of a long term condition affects individual’s lives their values, priorities, and the choices they have to make
  45. the information which may indicate that an individual is at significant risk (such as intends to commit suicide, taking drugs which may affect their actions) and the organisation’s policy on handling the confidentiality of such information
  46. why it is important to review and evaluate decisions and actions, and how to support individuals in doing this

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

  1. establish a supportive relationship with the person, and agree with them the roles and responsibilities of their carers
  2. communicate with the person and their carers in an appropriate manner, and encourage them to seek clarification of any procedures, information, and advice relevant to them
  3. obtain the informed consent of the person for the actions undertaken and agree the information which may be passed to others
  4. comply with all the relevant legal, professional, and organisational requirements and guidelines
  5. provide the person and their carers with relevant information on their health and well-being
  6. enable the person and their carers to discuss their needs, preferences, and concerns about their health and well-being
  7. explain clearly to the person and their carers the options that are realistically available to them for addressing their needs
  8. enable and support individuals to make informed choices about their health and well-being
  9. produce records and reports that are clear, comprehensive, and accurate, and maintain the security and confidentiality of information.
  10. acknowledge and respect the decisions made by the person concerning their health and well-being
  11. recognise the rights of individuals to make their own decisions in the context of their needs
  12. identify and explain any benefits and risks arising from their decisions, and offer guidance about how these could be addressed
  13. determine and review with the person and their carers the level of support they need to act on their own decisions
  14. provide opportunities that encourage  to assert themselves
  15. enable individuals to take responsibility for actions arising from the decisions they make
  16. provide information and assistance to help the person and their carers access the services and resources that they require to implement their decisions
  17. encourage and individuals to review and evaluate their choices and decisions

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB2 Assessment and care planning to meet health and wellbeing needs
CM C3 Enable individuals with long term conditions to make informed choices concerning their health and well-being
Final version approved June 2010 © copyright Skills For Health,
For competence management tools visit tools.skillsforhealth.org.uk