Dignity in Care – Respecting and Promoting the Rights of the Individual

Dignity in Action Day was celebrated earlier in February - in our blog, we look at how we put dignity in care into action every day here in North London.

Dignity in Action Day was celebrated at the beginning of February as part of Dignity in Care, a campaign aimed at ensuring people who need to access care services have a positive experience that respects their human rights. Bringing together the knowledge and experiences of a network of social care and NHS staff, volunteers, councillors, carers and service users, Dignity in Care is at the forefront of promoting best practice and improving social care standards across the board -something we’re passionate about here in North London at Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead!
 

Defining ‘Dignity in Care’

Naturally, we all want to be treated with dignity by those who care for us, but what does this really mean in practice? When the campaign first began in 2006, the words ‘dignity in care’ were quite difficult for people to define in practical terms, so focus groups were set up around the UK to find out what the concept meant to individuals. The results of this research were condensed to form the 10 ‘Dignity Dos’, a list of actions and values that are required in order to ensure a person’s dignity is maintained and respected.
 
The 10 Dignity Dos are:
 

• Have zero tolerance of 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 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

 
While this list is a great reminder of what people need in order to feel valued and respected, in many ways it’s unfortunate that it ever had to be created. In our opinion these basic rights and attitudes are self-evident and should apply to everyone, no matter what their circumstances are.
 

Promoting Dignity and Respect in Social Care

 
Of course, as leading homecare providers, Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead is at the forefront of advocating high-quality social care that has the dignity of our customers at its core. Treating people as we would want to be treated ourselves is at the heart of what we do, and we take our role in safeguarding and advancing the rights of our customers very seriously. That’s why we only select the very best candidates to join our team of Care Assistants and ensure they have comprehensive, person-centred training with a focus on the rights of the individual.

As George Morris, Director of Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead emphasises, the issue of dignity in care is:
“… a cause that is close to our hearts. We pride ourselves on the high-quality care that we provide to our customers and are proud to provide that care in a dignified manner.”

We understand that coming to the realisation that you need care can be very difficult for many people. A loss of independence, control and being more reliant on others to do things we once did for ourselves, particularly in terms of personal care, is a frightening prospect and can have a profound effect on our sense of self. By taking a person-centred approach and trying to see things from the perspective of the individual, we can give our customers the respectful and dignified care that we would want for members of our own family.

But don’t just take our word for it! The best way to evaluate any service is, of course, to ask the people using it about their personal experiences. We’re proud to have received some wonderful testimonials from customers and their families that demonstrate our commitment to excellent, bespoke homecare:

“The carers are always on time, treat my wife with dignity, respectful to my wife's needs and professional in their approach to what we require.”
“I am grateful for the service from Bluebird and delighted with the way that the carers treat my mother in such a dignified and respectful way.”

Building a Happy, Respectful Homecare Environment

At Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead, in North London, we believe in happy customers and happy staff! By approaching our care holistically, we make sure that both our customers and our homecare team have the very best support, which makes for a respectful, harmonious environment for everyone.

If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help you continue to live with dignity in the comfort of your own home, or have any questions about our range of care services, get in touch online or call our friendly team on 0207 449 0557.