PHP41 Enable people to address issues related to health and wellbeing

Overview

This standard covers enabling people (individuals, groups and communities) to address issues that affect their health and wellbeing. 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 social construction of health and illness and how this affects people’s perceptions
2. the kinds of misinformation which people receive about health and wellbeing and how this can be counteracted
3. stressors to health and wellbeing: biological; chemical; physical; social; psychosocial
4. health needs including those which may remain hidden, why needs related to health and wellbeing may not be known (eg domestic violence)
5. inequality and discrimination and their impact on health and wellbeing: how to recognise and address inequality and discrimination
6. health conditions - their nature, diagnosis and prognosis; effect on individuals and the people that are significant to them; ways of managing the condition; agencies and practitioners
7. the range and forms which communication takes; the role which communication plays in maintaining identity
8. the ways in which it is necessary to alter communication when working with different individuals, communities and agencies
9. forms of injustice, discrimination and social exclusion globally, nationally and locally and the impact these have on the lives of individuals and communities and their relationships with others
10. positive aspects, experiences, perspectives and impact of diversity and difference
11. adult learning styles and how to tailor training and support to individual/group needs
12. theories and models of experiential learning
13. methods of encouraging reflection on experience
14. group work learning processes
15. barriers to learning and strategies to overcome them
16. how to identify and use learning opportunities for individuals, community groups, networks and communities which promote problem solving and experimentation
17. the importance and value of evaluation and accurate and balanced feedback in the learning process
18. the difficulties of identifying cause-and-effect relationships in issues to do with health
19. strategies for encouraging people to explore issues and needs related to their health and wellbeing
20. the specific legislation, guidelines of good practice, charters and service standards that relate to the work being undertaken and the impact of these on the work
21. how to monitor, analyse and assess the implication of, and changes in, legislation and the regulatory environment and interpret and apply them to the work being undertaken
22. the services, policies and priorities of the worker’s agency and how it relates to other agencies in the sector
23. own role and responsibilities and from whom assistance and advice should be sought if necessary
24. reasoning processes to determine approach and methodology
25. how to apply the principles of equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice to work
26. methods of evaluating their own competence, determining when further support and expertise are needed and the measures taken to improve own competence in this area of work
27. evidence-based practice; methods for monitoring and evaluating practice; why it is important to share and reflect on information about successes and failures

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. acknowledge people’s rights to make their own decisions about issues which affect health and wellbeing
2. communicate in a manner that encourages openness and a frank exchange of views and is consistent with people’s culture
3. provide information and advice
1. on your own values and perspectives and those of your agency
2. that is appropriate to people’s issues, context and situation
3. that recognises the complexity of the decisions which people have to make
4. enable people to
1. identify the aspects of health and wellbeing that concern them
2. identify and evaluate the views of relevant others
3. acknowledge the value of diversity
4. acknowledge the rights of minority groups
5. recognise that developing their own plans is legitimate
6. reach agreement on the issues and concerns that affect them most
7. prioritise their agreed issues and concerns
5. enable people to
1. systematically identify their aims
2. take account of the interests of others
3. welcome diversity
4. plan how the maximum number of interests can be accommodated
5. identify the steps needed to achieve their aims
6. establish short, medium and long-term objectives
7. identify the options available for achieving the objectives and the implications of each
6. discuss with people the feasibility of the different options given their context and situation
7. enable people to select options that are capable of implementation
8. make explicit any conflicts of interest and discuss with people how these can be addressed
9. clarify and provide accurate information about the range of support mechanisms available
10. explore, when requested, the different ways in which you could act as a resource
11. act as a resource using methods that are agreed with the people concerned
12. maintain contact at a level that offers the necessary support and is realistic given
1. the policies of your agency
2. the resourcing and priorities of your agency
3. your role
4. your other commitments
13. achieve the best balance between encouraging people to take responsibility for their own actions whilst also seeking further support when they need it
14. respect people’s right to change their mind and consider alternative approaches.
15. encourage people to see the value of evaluation and how it can contribute to their development and effectiveness
16. agree with people evaluation processes and enable them to systematically evaluate
1. their achievements
2. those aspects in which they have been less successful
3. the reasons for each of these
4. your role
5. the role of any other agencies in supporting them
17. encourage people to use the outcomes of the evaluation to
1. agree changes that are justifiable and capable of implementation
2. consider the implications of the changes
3. plan how they will move forward

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: HWB4 Enablement to address health and wellbeing needs This standard has replaced PH07.05