In this assignment I am going to be explaining the concepts of equality, diversity and a client’s individual rights in relation to a health and social care environment. In a health and social care environment, carers and employees are expected to put the client at the centre of the health and social care provision meaning although every person is completely different, they are all entitled to equality, diversity and equal rights.
The definition of diversity is ‘the state or quality of being different or varied’ (Collins dictionary). Diversity is used to describe the differences of individuals, it means that all individuals are respected and valued excluding their differences. In a health and social care setting, carers must ensure that an individual’s differences do not affect the way they are treated and cared for.
There are so many different aspects of diversity that can appear in an individual. For example race, culture, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, even their hobbies and interest can make a person diverse. In a health and social care setting such as a hospital, every individual is diverse in their own way whether it be the colour of their skin, their age or their gender. The employees must understand than no person should not be treated any differently because of this. For example an elderly man should not be ignored and given less care than a younger male. It is important that everyone is treated equally not in the sense that they get the same care but that they get the appropriate care for them.
Most health and social care teams are multi-cultural and must work together by respecting each other’s differences and not allowing their differences to affect the level of care to their clients. Diversity is seen as a very broad concept, embracing, for example, culture, belief, disability, gender and race and ethnicity, as well