GEN14 Provide advice and information to individuals on how to manage their own condition

Overview

This standard covers establishing individuals’ requirements for information and providing advice and information to enable them to manage their condition, adopting a suitable lifestyle to optimise their health and wellbeing.  The term ‘individual’ in this standard is taken to mean anyone with whom you come into contact whether they are service users, their family or significant others, colleagues, or other professionals. You need to relate to each person as someone with their own particular needs for information and advice and develop a full understanding of their requirements and how these can best be met.  This standard depends on your being able to communicate information effectively, and being responsive to any queries. 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 current European and National legislation, national guidelines, organisational policies and protocols in accordance with Clinical/Corporate Governance which affect your work practice in relation to providing advice and information to individuals on how to manage their own condition
2. Your responsibilities and accountability in relation to the current European and National legislation, national guidelines and local policies and protocols and Clinical/Corporate Governance
3. The duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be detrimental to yourself, other individuals or your employer
4. The reasons why you may not be able to deal with an enquiry, e.g. because you do not have access to the relevant information, the enquiry is not within your role or competence to deal with, and the appropriate action to take in response to these
5. The nature of the conditions dealt with by your organisation, their different forms and their effect on individuals and their families
6. Your own values, beliefs and attitudes, and how they could impact on your work
7. Your own role and responsibilities and from whom assistance and advice should be sought if you are unable to deal with an enquiry
8. Why the ability to listen effectively is important
9. How to recognise the sort of information and advice that individuals may be trying to request when they may not have the terminology, confidence or skill to give an accurate specification
10. The information people need in order to be able to make informed lifestyle choices
11. How adapting lifestyle can enable an individual to manage their own condition
12. The range of reasons people may have for resisting change and how to identify and overcome these reasons
13. The impact that empowering individuals to manage their own conditions has upon the individual, their family/carer and health services
14. How you would provide information and advice in ways which are appropriate for different people
15. The importance of being aware of your own competence in providing advice and information and recognising when a request may exceed that competence
16. How to help people develop realistic and achievable plans to adapt their lifestyles
17. The importance of monitoring and reviewing progress towards adapting a lifestyle, and how to do so effectively
18. How an individual’s cultural or religious beliefs could affect their ability to adapt their lifestyle in certain ways and how to respond to this
19. The range of services available locally and nationally for people who need information and support in making and maintaining changes in their lifestyle, and how to access these services
20. How to create environments suitable for confidential discussions
21. The importance of effective record keeping and the procedures relating to this

 

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. clearly explain:
   1. who you are and your role in providing advice and information
   2. the name and nature of the organisation you represent
   3. your organisation’s policy on confidentiality and record keeping
2. communicate with the individual in a supportive and encouraging manner consistent with their:
   1. level of understanding
   2. culture and background
   3. preferred ways of communicating
   4. needs
3. find out about the individual’s lifestyle and make a general assessment of whether and how their lifestyle could be adapted to enable them to manage their own condition
4. enable individuals to express their requirements for advice and information
5. find out the individual’s level of knowledge about their condition and any misconceptions that they may have
6. make an assessment of the individual’s requirements and confirm this with them
7. explain the benefits that adapting their lifestyle may have on their condition
8. demonstrate respect for people as individuals when interacting with them and acknowledge their cultural and religious needs and their rights to make their own decisions in the context of their own lives
9. refer the individual to alternative or additional sources of advice and information as appropriate to meet their needs
10. recognise and respond to situations and enquiries where your competence and authority to provide advice and information is exceeded by:
    1. seeking appropriate advice and guidance from the relevant person
    2. referring people to alternative sources of advice and information
11. respond appropriately to any concerns the individual may have about adapting their lifestyle
12. agree with the individual achievable targets for optimising their health and wellbeing
13. help the individual develop plans to adapt their lifestyle, including specific actions they will take, agreed support they will receive, intermediate targets and review points to measure progress
14. agree date to review the individual’s progress and requirements
15. maintain the confidentiality of information received from individuals and share information only with those who have the right and need to know

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: Core 1 Communication